Who Wants to Marry a Cowboy? Read Online Free PDF Page B

main house wasn’t what Ainsley had expected. The sprawling two-story house exuded warmth and family, inviting her to come in and be welcomed. Nothing at all like her parents’ sterile and carefully planned landscaping.
    An older, grizzled man with a frown lining his face stood with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans, his dour expression a complete contrast to the flowers blooming in haphazard rows on the front lawn. The driver unloaded the luggage, leaving it in a pile before getting back into the vehicle and driving off.
    Ainsley breathed in the crisp, clear air while she and Meagan got their bags, but the woman who had remained silent the entire trip eyed the other man, her arms folded across her chest. “Mine are the purple ones.”
    The man didn’t move. Didn’t even acknowledge her statement.
    She stared at him a moment longer as if her glare could bend him to her will. “Oh, fine.” She slung the strap of one bag over her shoulder, then grabbed the handle of another one.
    “I’m Cookie, the ranch foreman. If you ladies will follow me.” His voice dripped politeness.
    Meagan gave a little snort of laughter and the man shifted his gaze to her. Instead of the hardened stare, though, his craggy face gave of a glint of humor while the silent woman narrowed her eyes and frowned.
    “The cabins are sparsely furnished, but you’ll have a small fridge and microwave in the kitchen, plus a coffee pot. Meals are taken in the main house or on the land. If you have any questions about the ranch, you can ask me. Any questions about the schedule, ask Molly.” He stopped beside a quaint wood structure and opened the door. Ainsley followed Meagan inside and the foreman led the other women away.
    The simple room filled Ainsley with a sense of hominess that she had never found at her own apartment or her parents’ house. The pleasant fragrance of hay and dirt surrounded them and the sofa and two overstuffed chairs invited her to relax and put her feet up. A large blue quilt covered the back of the couch and pictures of horses covered the walls.
    Meagan had already claimed a bedroom and squealed from the room. “Look!” She emerged wearing a rust brown cowboy hat with a black leatherette hatband accented with silver studs. “How cute is this? I bet you have one, too. Go see.”
    “Okay.”
    She followed Ainsley into her room. A cream-colored hat with a brown hatband and a gold buckle sat on her bed. She put it on and the two women grinned into the mirror at their new cowgirl images.
    “I’m going to wear mine when we go to dinner to meet Riley’s sisters and the other women. This is so much fun!” Meagan grabbed Ainsley’s hands and vibrated with excitement. “We’ll all hang out and have dinner. I bet even the purple bag lady will relax. Or maybe not. She seemed really uptight. The foreman seems nice, though.”
    “I want to see our view.” Ainsley crossed the room and opened the curtains drawn across the large window. The roof of the greenhouse reflected in the sun and her heart started beating double-time. She stood on her tiptoes to see more of it, grinning at the familiar sense of floral discovery mixed with purely professional interest.
    “Is your family happy about you being here?” Meagan asked, sliding her finger over the rim of her hat.
    Despite her desire to tear off down the hill, Ainsley forced herself away from the window. The flowers weren’t going anywhere, even if she’d rather see them than the cowboy. She tried to contain her excitement but ended up bouncing on her toes. “They don’t exactly know.”
    “My parents tried to tell me that this wasn’t the way to meet a guy, but I was too excited about the opportunity to be on a ranch to listen. Did you have to keep it a secret?”
    “My sister was supposed to be here, but her plans changed, so I came instead.” Her phone chirped and she blew out a quick breath when she saw the display. “It’s my mother. She thinks I’m on