Sunset at Keyhole Canyon: A Mustang Ridge Novella Read Online Free PDF Page A

was beelining in their direction on Lots-of-Spots. “Here comes Traci, no doubt wanting to make sure you’re not hassling me.”
    “Only a little, I hope.”
    “Don’t worry, I’ll tell her you were a total gentleman.”
    “Appreciate it.” As Traci drew near, he leaned in close to Nina, and said in a low voice, “Meet me by the boathouse at seven tonight.” Then, tipping his hat to Traci with a polite “Enjoy your afternoon, ladies,” he rode away, sitting tall in the saddle like he spent eighty hours a week out on the range rather than in the hospital, and looking utterly at home in his own skin.
    Traci watched him go, lips pursed. Then, shooting Nina a sidelong look, she said, “Girl . . . I’m not sure if I just interrupted something good or saved you from doing something you’d regret.”
    And that was the real question, wasn’t it?

Chapter Four
    That night, Ben headed for the boathouse a few minutes early, hauling a heavy picnic basket and trying manfully not to limp. Exploring the restored rustlers’ shacks and the rugged confines of Keyhole Canyon had been a blast, but he was feeling it now, with aches in muscles he’d forgotten he owned and sore spots from where his jeans had chafed in places where chafing really didn’t belong.
    Still, though, none of that blunted the
oh, yeah
reaction
that went through him when he saw that Nina was already there, leaning back against the log-cabin wall and watching his approach.
    She was wearing a flowing, brightly patterned sundress that moved around her legs in the gentle breeze, and had left her dark hair down to tumble around her bare shoulders in loose curls that made a man want to reach out and touch, and see if they were as soft and lively as they looked.
    Beautiful,
he thought.
Unforgettable
. And he was glad he’d asked her to meet him.
    He hadn’t gotten up this morning planning on doing any such thing—he’d still been pretty intent on keeping his distance and foiling his meddling little sister’s efforts. But he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off Nina from the moment she walked into breakfast and sat down with Traci. He’d tried to hide it, but he’d been fixated on her—on the way laughter lit her face, her easy grace, and her gentle acceptance of her bay slug of a horse who couldn’t even give a snail a run for its money. Instead of prodding the lazy creature, she had enjoyed the ride and reveled in the moment. Which was a skill he was working on these days—enjoying life, even the simplest parts of it.
    And, watching her, he’d been forced to admit he’d made a mistake. Maybe not in cooling things off initially, but in not calling her after everything had changed.
    Maybe he’d be able to make up for that now, even if it meant letting Cheryl say “I told you so.”
    He started down the hillside toward her, and she pushed away from the boathouse and came to meet him, but they stopped an arm’s length away. He hesitated for a second, not sure what his move should be. Normally he’d go for a gentlemanly peck on the cheek or, if his date looked willing, on the lips. But this wasn’t a first meeting, wasn’t a second date. It was more like probation.
    Going with his gut, he closed the distance between them, looped his free arm around her, and pressed his cheek to hers. She was light and lithe against him, her soft curls brushing his throat and surrounding him with a scent that made him think of the sun warming the meadows that morning, burning off the mist and making everything clean and fresh. He held her a moment too long, felt her lean in, and was tempted to tighten his grip.
    Instead, he made himself let go.
    When she drew away, her cheeks were pink, her eyes bright and flustered.
    He cleared his throat, not sure what had just happened. Since when did he get overwhelmed by a simple touch? “Hey there,” he said, which was lame, but all he could manage right then.
    “Hey back,” she answered, and it seemed like they had