A Home in Hill Country (Harlequin Heartwarming) Read Online Free PDF

God.
    “Mom! Mom! I got a ride on a horse! And it washuge, and beautiful and the cowboy said I could ride again if you say it’s okay. Mom!”
    Overwhelmed with relief, she turned away from the window, still gripping the curtain for support.
    Cody barreled into her just as she caught sight of a tall stranger inside her front door, silhouetted against the lamplight of the living room. “I…I…” She closed her eyes and wrapped Cody in a tight hug until he wiggled free, then took a steadying breath and looked up to the door. “W-who are you?”
    The man stepped into a pool of light, and she found herself staring into Ryan Gallagher’s eyes.
    “How easily you seem to forget,” he said coolly. “At least you’re consistent.”
    Cody anxiously tugged at her sleeve. “Please, Mom. He says I can have another ride. Please? You said we’d get horses when we moved, and this one is beautiful. Please, Mom!”
    Kristin stared down at him, then shifted her attention back to Ryan. “I don’t understand. Why are you here?”
    “You city folks might let your kids run, but you can’t do that here. Not with a child who doesn’t know the area or how to get back home.” His tone was excessively patient, as if he was trying to explain something to a person with limited mental capacity. “Your boy was over a half mile into the Four Aces.”
    “I’ve been searching for him everywhere. I just came inside to call for help.”
    Ryan glanced at the TV, which was on and inexplicably now coming in clear as a bell. He raised a brow as he turned back to her, clearly imagining that she’d simply been sitting in here watching reruns. “If I hadn’t been riding this evening, Cody might’ve kept going in the wrong direction, in a remote pasture that holds several hundred unpredictable mother cows and calves. He could’ve been trampled, or developed hypothermia by later tonight.”
    Kristin shuddered. “He is never to leave this property. He knows that.”
    “We’ve also got hunting leases on that land. A careless hunter might see a sudden movement and shoot before thinking.” Ryan glanced down at the boy and paused. “Keep him home, and make sure you know where he is.”
    His obvious assumption of negligence rankled for a split second, but he was right. She shouldn’t have let Cody out of her sight, and she could only feel gratitude and heartfelt relief that Ryan had come to his rescue.
    “I can’t thank you enough for bringing Cody back,” she said quietly. “If there’s ever any way I can repay you—”
    “Please, Mom,” Cody begged. “Can I ride again?”
    Kristin gently took his beloved face in her hands. “The answer is no. Absolutely no. You ran off, and you never said a word. You left the yard, which is against the rules, and this nice man had to interrupt his evening to bring you back.”
    She straightened and pointed to the stairs. “One hour, time-out. Now. ”
    His eyes filled with sudden tears, but he slowly trudged away, his head bowed, looking for all the world like someone headed for death row.
    “I’m really sorry for all your trouble,” Kristin said, turning back to Ryan. “I promise—”
    But he was already gone.

CHAPTER FOUR
    T HE MOMENT K RISTIN opened the door of her aunt RaeJean’s beauty salon, she knew it was a mistake to stop by on a busy Saturday morning… especially with Cody in tow.
    “Oh, my!” RaeJean Barker exclaimed, tossing aside her comb and brush. “Aren’t you just as cute as a sack full o’ puppies today?”
    Cody cringed against Kristin’s side and tried to wiggle away, but RaeJean was faster.
    She barreled up to him, gave his shoulders an affectionate squeeze, then tapped under his chin with one crimson-tipped fingernail. “And aren’t them just the prettiest eyes? Just like your momma’s.” She winked at him as she pulled a shiny fifty-cent piece out of the pocket of her pink uniform jacket. Flipping it high in the air, she caught it and offered it on her