Boots and The Rogue: Ugly Stick Saloon, Book 10 by Myla Jackson

and happier than she had in a long time, waited until Angus left before she turned to the work she felt more capable of.
    For the next two hours, she mucked stalls and layered in fresh straw. By the time she finished, she was hot, sweaty and ready for her ride on Scout.
    She took the time to check him over, clean his hooves and brush him. Then she threw a blanket on his back, and the saddle that had been her father’s went on top of the blanket. Lastly, she slipped his bridle over his head.
    Scout pawed the dirt, ready to get out for a run. He enjoyed going for a ride as much as Jessie did. Heading through the gate she’d seen Brody drive through the previous day, she closed it behind her and rode away from the barn and house.
    Out in the open, Scout broke into a gallop, racing across pastures, over hills and down into gentle valleys. When they came to a fence, they turned and followed the fence for a while.
    Jessie checked for broken wires, damaged posts and noted where they were. She could return later or another day and repair them, figuring if she made herself indispensible, the McFarlans would have to keep her on permanently.
    Nearing noon, the sun beat down on her—typical Texas, hot and dry. The ground dipped into a shallow valley with a line of trees snaking the length of it, indicating a water source. Scout must have sniffed it, because he trotted down the hill and into the tree line.
    A creek ran the length of the valley, the water flowing, crystal clear and inviting. Jessie dismounted and led Scout to the edge to drink.
    When he’d had his fill, she looped his reins over the saddle and found a patch of grass he could munch on. She never worried about him running off. Scout was as loyal as a dog and usually stayed with her, or nearby as her protector.
    The Rafter M Ranch reminded her of growing up on the Circle C in the Panhandle, when her father was foreman over eight other ranch hands. She’d had the run of the ranch from the time she was old enough to saddle her own pony. One of her favorite summer activities was swimming. The Circle C had a nice creek with a pool deep enough her feet couldn’t touch the bottom in many places.
    Wondering if this creek had the same, Jessie walked upstream a few yards, pushed through a stand of willows and into an open, rocky area.
    Bingo.
    Nestled in the middle was a wide, deep pool, perfect for swimming.
    With Angus and Colin gone from the ranch and Brody off doing whatever Brody did when he disappeared for hours, Jessie figured she had the pool all to herself. She glanced around, peered through the branches and listened. Nothing but birds singing.
    She pulled her tank top over her head and draped it over a bush, then shucked her boots and jeans. Hesitating in her bra and panties, she listened again and then stripped them off as well.
    With nothing but air on her skin, she walked into the water until it came up to her waist. Then she bent and pushed off, swimming across the pool, letting the clean water cool her skin and wash the dust and sweat from her body.
    This was the reason she could never work in a city. She loved the land, the freedom to swim in the nude and the way she felt one with nature.
    Jessie swam several laps and then flipped onto her back and floated, staring up at the sparkles of sunlight flitting through the leaves above as a gentle breeze rippled across the canopy.
    With her ears in the water, sound was muffled and she felt like she was in a world all her own.
    This place was magical, like a shadowy grotto, the pool surrounded by large boulders…one of which had a cowboy perched on the edge, leaning back, his gaze on her.
    Jessie gasped and froze. When her arms and legs stopped moving, she sank like a rock, inhaling water as she went.

Chapter Eight
    Brody spent the morning with his paintbrush flying over the canvas, an image emerging as he combined color and texture in bold strokes. The subject, like the day before, was the woman who’d captured his