A Cowboy's Heart (Hitting Rocks Cowboys) by Rebecca Winters Page A

admiration. “I’ve never been with a woman who dances like you. Is there anything you can’t do?”
    If only her heart would stop its sickening thud. “I can’t steer wrestle.”
    “I’m being serious,” he ground out.
    She drank her cola. “So am I. As I said before, my folks didn’t get a boy.”
    He sipped his drink, viewing her mysteriously over the rim of his glass. “They won the jackpot.”
    “Try telling them that. You never heard about the pony dad paid money for that he didn’t have. After I went to my first rodeo, I plagued him for one. Then I nearly drove the poor thing into the ground trying to make it go around tree stumps in the forest. I almost killed it.”
    Laughter started deep inside him until his whole body was shaking. It brought tears to his fabulous brown eyes. “How old were you?”
    “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe six. I gave them fits day in and day out for years. When I was nine, dad got me Magpie, whom I promptly crippled. After he got Dr. Rafferty to explain all the terrible things I’d done to him trying to make him run around more stumps and bumping into them accidentally, I had to nurse my horse until she was better. I think it was then I decided it might not be a bad idea to become a vet if my animals were going to survive.”
    A smile laced his features, giving him a dashing look. “In the midst of it all, a barrel racer was born.”
    “My dad was forced to train me so he would survive parenthood.”
    “His hard work paid off.”
    She averted her eyes as her throat closed up. “Let’s hope so.”
    “You made it to the top fifteen in the world. Number two puts you in the top money earnings. As your father said, that’s not peanuts.” The band had started up again. “Let’s dance.”
    It wasn’t until they reached the open floor she realized the music had changed to allow everyone to slow dance. She felt a spurt of adrenaline as he pulled her into his arms and drew her close to his hard-muscled body. Their hats nudged against each other, but he didn’t let that stop him from pressing his cheek to hers. She was burning up. Surely he couldn’t help but notice.
    When the song ended, he didn’t let go. “This is nice,” he whispered in a husky voice.
    So nice she could hardly breathe. He continued to rock her in his arms until another song began. “I like your gold barrel racer earrings. They’re unique.”
    “Sadie and Jarod had them made for me on the reservation to bring me luck.”
    “They’re working so far.”
    Liz lost track of her surroundings. The whole time they clung to each other, his warm breath tickled the ends of her newly cut hair, sending rivulets of delight through her body. It was uncanny how they moved as one person.
    “Do you have any idea how good you smell?”
    “We both used the same soap, remember?”
    “One of the great perks of rooming together,” he teased. “I’m glad we’ve still got two weeks ahead of us.”
    And then what? Would he get back with Reva? But Liz chose not to think about that right now.
    Connor lifted his head so he could look at her. “I’m waiting for you to say something back.” If she wasn’t mistaken, she heard a trace of vulnerability in his voice. “Have you changed your mind? Would you rather room with the other barrel racers at the hotel? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rub shoulders with the best of them.”
    What to say to convince him she was happy with the decision she’d already made? “When Mom asked me why I decided to travel with you, I told her it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rub shoulders with the best of the best. That’s you, Connor.”
    She heard his sharp intake of breath, which could mean anything, before he spun her around the floor. When the song ended, he grasped her hand and led her through the crowd to the exit. Silence punctuated the drive back to the RV park. By the time they reached the trailer, Liz sensed Connor had worked himself up into a mood she