A Cowboy's Heart (Hitting Rocks Cowboys) Read Online Free PDF Page A

everything else.
    Liz’s comment about being afraid of the future had resonated with him big-time.
    Out of the corner of his eye he noticed her reading something on her iPad. “Anything interesting?”
    “Yes. I’ve been checking stats. Dustine Hoffman just won the barrel-racing event at the Tom Thumb Texas Stampede in 13.71 seconds. She’s everyone’s competition.”
    He whistled. “That arena gives you faster time than the one in Las Vegas with its special soil.”
    She rolled her eyes at him. Between the dark lashes, they were as green as lime zest. He’d never seen eyes that exact color. “Thanks for trying to make me feel better. The truth is, she’s a great athlete.”
    “So are you.” Connor discovered that Liz had a great mouth, too. Soft and full, not too wide, but he couldn’t afford to take his eyes off the road. “Didn’t you do a 13.70 at Bakersfield?”
    “I doubt I’ll see a number that low again, but I can dream.”
    He knew all about that. “Did you read anything else interesting?”
    A sly smile broke the corner of her mouth. “There must be a hundred blogs devoted to Connor Bannock. Your fans stretch around the country and back. Jocko Mendez from the Southeastern circuit in Arkansas is your closest competition, but word is out that Las Vegas is betting on you. Have you ever read any of them?”
    She tried to get him off the subject of her.
    “I don’t have time.” He let out a sigh. “Do yourself a favor and forget about Dustine Hoffman’s stats. Concentrate on your routine with Sunflower. I watched you working with her the other morning. I’m impressed how well she body rates and changes leads between the first and second barrel.”
    “But I hear a but. What aren’t you telling me?”
    Liz was such a quick study, he needed to stay on his toes. “Am I that transparent?”
    “Yes!”
    He laughed. It was refreshing to be with someone who was too guileless to be anything but honest...unlike Reva, who’d harbored hurts and suspicions, then exploded at an unexpected moment.
    “I notice you were working with wax reins, but they can be sticky. You have to really watch your hands with those. When they stick, you’re pulling your horse around the barrel when you should be guiding her.”
    “Was that what I was doing the other morning?”
    “No. I happened to notice it at your competition in Great Falls.”
    “You did?”
    “Liz—we’re not always at the same rodeos, but when we are, I make it a priority to watch my neighbor’s performance.”
    She stirred in the seat. “I had no idea.”
    “When we get to Las Vegas, try using a knot rein at practice. They still slide when needed, but you might like the feel of them better. It’s just a thought.”
    “But valuable input, coming from you. I’ll try it.”
    One eyebrow lifted. “You’re not offended?”
    “By advice from you? What else did you see I can improve on?”
    Connor decided she was like her dad, who didn’t have a resentful, paranoid bone in his body. “Not a thing.”
    “Liar,” she said with a smile, but it soon faded when stronger than usual gusts of wind buffeted the trailer. “Whoa—”
    “Another storm front is moving in, but we’re making good time so far. I’m glad we’ve reached Kemmerer. There’s an RV park a mile away where I made a reservation, just in case. We may have to spend the night in Wyoming after all. I don’t want to take chances with priceless cargo.”
    “You’re right, of course. Our horses are precious.”
    “I was referring to you,” he murmured.
    Though she didn’t dare take him seriously, her heart jumped anyway. “You sounded like your grandfather just then. Between your father and Ralph, you’ve had remarkable role models in them and it shows.”
    She saw his hands grip the steering wheel a little tighter. “You don’t know my history. I’m afraid Grandpa has about given up on me.”
    There he went again. Something was going on where his grandfather was