Crazy For the Cowboy by Vicki Lewis Thompson Page B

horses.”
    She didn’t think he would. He seemed to understand when silence was golden. Her excursions out to see the Ghost and his herd had accustomed Prince to observing without making noise. That training would help now.
    Before she could see any of the men, she heard Mac’s voice. “She drew my portrait first. That’s all that needs to be said.”
    â€œShe was practicing on you so she could do a better job on mine,” was Travis’s cocky reply. “You were a rehearsal, a test case.”
    â€œIf that’s so,” Mac said, “then she must be crazy about Vince, because she saved him for last.”
    â€œLeave me out of this.” Vince came into view as he guided his horse around a bend in the trail. Ed had put him on Cinder, a coal black gelding nearly a hand taller than Prince. Of all the horses in Ed’s stable, Cinder was the fastest.
    Georgie wondered if Vince had requested the most spirited horse. Given his mission, she wouldn’t be surprised.
    Travis rode behind Vince on Duke, a thirty-year-old palomino who held himself like a parade horse despite his age. “Now that you mention it, you didn’t seem so eager to have her draw you,” Travis said. “Why didn’t you just tell her no?”
    â€œBecause she’s a sweetheart and refusing to do it might have been a slap in the face. Besides, she’s a good artist. She deserves respect for that.”
    â€œThat’s for sure.” Mac brought up the rear on Jasper, a muscular roan with good manners and decent speed. “She needs to do something with her talent. Her work belongs in a gallery.”
    Although Georgie wasn’t happy about the activity these three had chosen for this morning, she was gratified by what they were saying about her sister’s artistic ability. Anastasia was still enraptured with Mac, although she’d confided on the way home from Sadie’s that she thought Travis was cute, too. Young, but cute.
    After Georgie had gone to bed, she’d heard the faint sound of Anastasia humming. She always did that when she sketched, so Georgie had to assume she was adding more portraits of the three cowboys to her portfolio. Well, good. Charcoal renderings of cowboys might be just the thing to catch a gallery owner’s notice.
    While blessing Mac and Travis for making Anastasia feel like a star, Georgie was thankful they’d both be gone in a matter of hours. Her sister didn’t need to get tangled up with either of them. She had a future as an artist if she’d reach out and grab it. Georgie was determined to help her.
    â€œBut that aside, we all know why you let her draw your picture, Vince,” Mac said.
    â€œYeah, because I just told you.”
    â€œThat might be part of it, but mostly you were hoping to earn points with Georgie. Am I right or am I right?”
    Georgie strained to hear Vince’s answer, but the riders had moved out of range. Damn it. Just when the conversation was getting really interesting, she’d missed a key element.
    Oh, well. She wasn’t here on this cool spring morning to learn Vince’s intentions toward her. His intentions toward the Ghost were far more important right now. Making sure the stock whip was secure, she edged out of the shelter of the mesquite trees.
    If these men had been greenhorns, she wouldn’t worry, because they’d never find the wild horses. But they were seasoned cowhands who’d had the good sense to go looking at the right time of day. They were heading straight for the little creek where the Ghost liked to water his herd every morning.
    She’d told Vince on Friday that he’d never find the horses, but she hadn’t believed it then and she didn’t believe it now. They’d find the Ghost, and when they did, she intended to be right on their heels, creating chaos.

CHAPTER 8
    V ince hadn’t expected to love the trail ride so much. He’d