His Cowgirl Bride by Debra Clopton Page A

growled, spun on his heel and strode back to the corral.
    Â 
    The man was making her crazy!
    Tacy had to force herself to calm down as she removed Rabbit’s saddle, not wanting to scare or hurt the poor horse. But boy, she sure would like to wring Brent’s neck.
    Her lips still tingled from his kiss. The kiss had been perfect…but a kiss was not going to help her face facts. Oh, no. That kiss was just going to confuse the issue all the more.
    Easier said than done. She had never, ever been kissed like that before and somehow it seemed like so much more than just a kiss. “Enough,” she growled at herself, grabbing a brush and pulling it along Rabbit’s coat. “He probably thinks I’m a blooming idiot—” she said, looking Rabbit in the eye as her hand trembled.
    She flirted, teased and generally enjoyed giving guys a hard time. She was always in control as far as men were concerned. But she’d felt totally out of control just now—and several other times she had been with Brent. There was something between them that was undeniable.
    Frankly it scared her. It would only complicate things.
    Right!
    After all, she didn’t want to get involved with any guy right now.
    She had plans. Goals that had to be achieved, or at least set into motion, before she allowed her heart to get distracted with…with—men. Right!
    She would keep her head on straight.
    She would keep her eye on her goals—she wanted to break horses. And she would.
    But…She stopped brushing and stared into the grazing area outside Rabbit’s stall. She also wanted to see that hollow look disappear from Brent’s eyes when he talked about his family. She couldn’t deny it.
    Drat! And double drat! Things were really mingling and mangling inside her head, and she wasn’t sure at all what to do about it.
    Goals or no goals, she was falling for the handsome, haunted cowboy.

Chapter Ten
    B rent had been in a foul mood for the last three days and as he loaded feed into the back of his truck at Pete’s Feed and Seed not even the happy color of the canary-yellow building was helping. Especially since he’d seen Tacy enter the salon across the street as he’d gone into the feed store. Knowing she was over there only upped his irritation at himself. He’d kissed her, and now he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Or the fact that he was a darn fool—the words of his dad rang in his head.
    He looked up from his work when Pete came out of the store. A large man with a balding head and an easy manner, Pete crossed his arms over his oversize chest and smiled. “How’s the horses comin’ along?”
    â€œGood.” Brent was glad he’d asked about the animals and nothing more.
    A truck pulled into a parking space across the streetand Norma Sue climbed out. The heavyset ranch woman wore blue overalls and a red, long-sleeved shirt, and on her head sat a red cowboy hat. Her wiry gray curls stuck out from under the brim. If it had been white hair, like Adela’s, Norma would have looked like a Texas Mrs. Claus. Then again, he guessed she still did, even without the snow-white hair.
    Even in his bad mood he couldn’t help but wave back at the jovial woman when she lifted her hand in greeting. She started to step up onto the sidewalk, heading to the salon, when she suddenly spun around and headed his way.
    â€œHeads up,” Pete warned. “You are on the radar.”
    â€œMaybe it’s you, not me.” Brent grabbed a sack of feed and tossed it onto the others in the truck.
    â€œNope. You’re the one helping App and Stanley build that punkin chunker. She’s been asking everyone she sees what it looks like, so I’m pretty sure you’re the one she’s comin’ ta see. Afternoon, Norma,” he greeted as she crossed the yellow line in the road.
    â€œSame to you, Pete. It’s a nice one, that’s for sure. How are