Lucky's Story: Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy (Montana Cowboys / Country Music Collection) by Cara North

Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy:
    Lucky’s Story
    Chapter One
    Almost a year and a half had passed since the last baby was born. The time had been full of calm for the Johnson family. He was glad of that. Everyone around him seemed settled. Everyone, that is, except him.
    “One more dance. ” Another random woman pleaded for him to stay.
    “Sorry,” Lucky said. “I’ve got an early morning ahead of me.”
    He had been working on the Johnson Family Ranch for well over three years now. He thought about his life and the years that had led him up to this point as he made the walk back to his cabin in the crisp twilight of the early evening. A decision had to be made. He saw Buck pulling into the cabin that belonged to the only Johnson sister, Jan. They were all friends again, like old times, except Buck and Jan were expecting a little one this summer.
    “Hey .” Buck said as he waved. “You hungry?”
    “I just ate .” Lucky replied. “We still on for Saturday?”
    “I’ll be there .” Buck nodded.
    The walk to his cabin, his home, was still a ways off. The sun was setting and the threat of rain had a thin fog crawling on the ground. He noticed something, or someone ahead on the path.
    The closer he got to the figure, the clearer the image was. A woman, wearing shorts and a t-shirt stood facing the fork in the path. One led to the secluded section of wide spaced family and exclusive cabins, the other to the smaller rentals and single rooms.
    “Can I help you?” he asked.
    She almost jumped out of her skin, making him jump too.
    “Hey…it’s all right, I work here.” He took a tentative step closer to her. She reminded him of a scared rabbit.  A pretty one at that. She turned green eyes upward to meet his and her bottom lip began to tremble. She was about to cry, no doubt about it. “Are you lost?”
    She nodded.
    “I live right up there.” He pointed toward his cabin. “ If you want, you can come with me and I will get you to where you need to go.”
    She shivered visibly. Lucky took off his lined denim jacket and handed it to her. She slowly reached for the garment and pulled it on. Still no words, still a frightened little thing. He held out his hand and when her fingers touched his he had to force himself not to pull back. They were freezing cold. “Come on. I’ll start a fire and warm you up first.”
    She let him lead her to his cabin without a word. He could hear her teeth chattering. Her fingers trembled and her arm s gently shook in spasms as they made the short walk to his front door. He would need to start a fire and check for more symptoms of hypothermia. He may be getting her to the doctor rather than her rental.
    “There is a clean glass on the counter and the water jug is right there.” He pointed as he closed the door behind them. “I’ll get a fire going.”
    She went to the counter as he headed for the fireplace. He could hear the bubbles of the cooler once, then twice, by the time he had the wood ablaze she was on what he was sure to be her third glass.  As he turned to sit on the bricks providing a short bench before the flames he watched her down the last of the water and refill the glass yet again. “Thirsty?”
    She nodded.
    “Come sit by the fire.” He gestured to the area next to him. She took a sip from the glass and started toward him. She sat on the bricks with a heavy sigh. She still had his jacket on. In the light, he could see how pretty she was. Not in a conventional way. Her hair was dark, almost black. Her skin was pale except the pink blotches on her cheeks, and legs. Her little nose was red at the tip and pink all around. “Better?”
    She nodded.
    “So…you don’t say much, huh?” He let out a laugh. “Now I know how it feels.”
    She started to shake her head again, but as her eyes closed her mouth opened. “I’m sorry.”
    A whisper sounded and he could see she was fighting some internal war with herself. Her eyebrows drew down, her throat worked. Those