The Trouble With Cowboys Read Online Free PDF Page A

heaved, but she could tell he was happy by his high head and tail, by the way his ears turned forward.
    Annie patted his withers, then scratched along his neck and back. He accommodated by stretching, then grunted his pleasure.
    Normally, riding cleared her head, and she returned soothed and refreshed. This time she felt no better than before, despite her prayers.
    She remembered what Midge had said about needing to be decisive. But Annie had never been decisive when it came to relationships. She could see both sides of an issue. It was the reason she’d constantly been in the middle, first between Sierra and their mom, and then between Sierra and their grandpa after their mom had passed. Annie was the perfect buffer, but it wasn’t a role she enjoyed.
    Midge was right, however. She couldn’t be wishy-washy or readers wouldn’t want her advice. It had been easy with “Ask Avery.” There was a right way to train a horse and a wrong way, and Annie had the knowledge and experience to make that call.
    Maybe she should take Sierra’s advice and ask Shay for help. Her friend had managed to find love, after all. But Shay was busywith two kids and a prospering ranch, and Annie hated asking favors of friends.
    She was just going to have to figure it out herself. But how was she supposed to have the answers for everyone else’s love life when she had nothing but questions about her own?

Dear Betrayed in Billings,
         It sounds as if your boyfriend is sorry and willing to make amends. If you love him, you should try to work it out.
    5
    D ylan shut off his truck and got out of the vehicle. Annie’s truck wasn’t in her drive, a bad sign. Her house, painted a cheery yellow, was small but well kept. Just behind the gravel drive an old barn, big enough for a horse or two, leaned slightly toward the Gallatin Range.
    He took the porch steps, wondering if he should’ve called first. He’d been hoping to catch her off guard. That hadn’t worked out so well last time, but he had to use surprise to his advantage if he was going to get help for Braveheart. And Annie could help the horse, he was certain of it. As certain as he was that Annie Wilkerson was, bar none, the most intriguing woman in all Park County.
    None of that, Taylor. You’ll scare the filly away . And he couldn’t afford that, no matter how attracted he was.
    He knocked on the hollow green door and shoved his hands in his pockets, looking down at his dusty clothes. Why hadn’t he taken time to shower? He’d been in an all-fired hurry to see Annie, that’s why.
    A heartbeat later the door opened and Sierra appeared, holding a bulky camera lens. Dylan felt the sting of disappointment.
    Her eyebrows rose. “Hey, Dylan.”
    He smiled, removing his hat. “Howdy, Sierra. How are you?”
    “Super,” she said, then called over her shoulder, “Ryder, don’t you touch my camera!” She faced Dylan again. “Sorry.”
    “Don’t suppose Annie’s home.”
    “She’s not, but she just called. She’s on her way, ten minutes or so. Ryder, you better not be near that camera!” She opened the door. “Come on in, I have to. . .” She gestured toward the other room.
    “That’s all right. I’m a mess. I’ll wait here.”
    Sierra disappeared, her auburn hair swinging over her shoulder as she trotted away. “Ryder . . . what did I say?”
    Dylan smiled as he walked to the edge of the porch. He set his hat on his head and looked around Annie’s property. A fenced-in corral lay to the left of the house, and a neighbor’s property butted up against hers on the other side.
    In the distance the Gallatin Range had turned dusky purple in the waning light. Having been born and raised in Texas’s prairie region, Dylan appreciated the mountains. They were like sentinels standing guard over the valley, always there, always constant.
    Behind him the screen door squeaked. Ryder appeared, his dark curls poking out every which way.
    “Hey, little man,” Dylan said.
    The