Jo had a sudden flash of insight.She began putting together isolated incidents and finally decided she had a case.“Fred, are you sweet on Emmy Lou?”
The part of Fred’s cheeks not covered with his bushy gray beard grew red.“Now what makes you say a darn fool thing like that?Emmy Lou and me have been working on this ranch together for years, been giving each other hell for years, too.We’ve known each other too long, and we’re too danged sensible for such goings-on.”
Jo grinned.“I’ll be damned.You are sweet on her.Does she know?”
“She don’t know because there’s nothing to it!”Fred turned abruptly and made a megaphone of his hands again.“Hey, Quinn, how about finding the brake on that nag?I need me some breakfast!”
“You go ahead.I’ll be fine.”
“You will not be fine.Don’t go getting cocky on me.In case you hadn’t noticed, you’re on a runaway horse.Hyper’s got the bit in his teeth, and if you weren’t in this here corral, he’d be taking you on a trip to the high country, and you wouldn’t have any say about it at all.”
“I’ll bet I could stop this horse whenever I want.”
Fred exchanged a glance with Jo and sighed.“Ain’t that just like any other cowboy in the world?A little success, and he gets to bragging on himself.”
“Fred, he’s not a cowboy.”
“He sure as hell acts like one.”He raised his voice.“Let’s see this control you’ve got over that horse, cowboy.And don’t go jerking the reins and hurting his mouth.Go easy.”
“Okay.”Quinn started pulling as he rounded the curve coming toward Jo and Fred.Nothing happened.He frowned and pulled harder.
Fred folded his arms.“We’re waiting on you, cowboy.Try yellingwhoa.”
Quinn put more muscle into it.“Whoa!”he yelled.When Hyper still didn’t respond, he leaned back on the reins.“Dammit, stop!”
“I’ll get him not to saydammitstopwhen I mention theyee-haw,” Fred said.
“Good idea.Look out, here he?—”
Hyper slid to a stop right in front of Jo and Fred, spraying mud all over them.
“—comes,” Jo finished, holding out her arms and surveying her yellow slicker, now polka-dotted with mud.At least her clothes were protected by the slicker.Fred would have to start over before he appeared at the ranch house.
“Wow.Just like a New York street sweeper.”Quinn sat in the saddle staring at them.“Sorry about that.”
Jo glanced at him and saw the sparkle of mischief in his blue eyes.“Funny, but you don’t look sorry,” she said.
“Oh, but I am.”He leaned on the saddle horn and grinned at her.
Amazing, Jo thought.At this moment every obnoxious, sexy, devilish inch of him screamed out cowboy.But he wasn’t quite cowboy enough to know he should keep his feet in the stirrups until he was ready to dismount.
Taking note of that, Jo slipped through the rails of the corral.“Let me help you get off that beast.”
“Oh, that’s okay.”He patted the horse’s neck.“Me and Hyper, we’re getting along fine.You have to know how to deal with him.He just needs a firm hand.”
“I’m sure you’re right.What was I thinking?Thanks for telling me.”She hoped Hyper remembered the trick she’d taught him when he was still a colt.She grabbed his reins and gave a soft, low whistle.
On cue, Hyper reared, and Quinn slid neatly down the horse’s rump into the mud.
“It’s a good idea to keep your feet in the stirrups when you’re sitting in the saddle,” she said with a sweet-as-pie grin.“You never know what might happen if you don’t.”She led Hyper out the gate Fred held open.
“Good job,” Fred said, smiling in approval as he took the reins from her.“I’ll walk him a little and give him a rubdown.”He glanced at Quinn, who still sat in the mud as if he couldn’t quite believe he’d ended up there after his grand finish.“Come on down to the bunkhouse for a shower before breakfast, cowboy,” he said.“You’re not fit to sit at Emmy Lou’s table looking like that.”He walked Hyper toward the barn.
Quinn continued to sit in the mud with the rain pouring down on him.
Jo stood by the open gate.“Are you coming out?”
“You did that on purpose,” he said, a note of surprise in his voice.
