Read 01 Winters Thaw for Free Online Page B

recreation in Wyoming—for sport and for food—but he’d never felt compelled to go out and kill a defenseless creature. “Nope. Not going to shoot something that doesn’t have the ability to shoot me back. Doesn’t seem fair.”
    He glanced over his shoulder in time to catch her impressed expression. “Good for you. Josh and his dad hunt all the time. Before we went off to college, they spent two weeks every fall on these big hunting excursions. The living room in his family’s home is filled with deer heads and stuffed turkeys, even a bobcat. It’s like Village of the Damned in there. Gives me the creeps.”
    “I can imagine it would.” He resisted the urge to point out that if she married Josh it was likely she’d be living in her own creepy animal graveyard.
    “So when did you realize you could ride the circuit?” she asked.
    He shrugged. “Not sure there was an aha moment or if I just sort of fell into it. I graduated from high school and decided to take a year to travel around, see a bit more of this big-ass country of ours. I only made it as far as Colorado. Stopped off to see a rodeo. I’d participated in competitions most of my life, but in the East, it’s not quite at the same level as out here. Anyway, I was bitten. Signed up for some amateur shows, won more than I lost. Before I knew it, I was there, riding in the professional circuit. Best two years of my life.”
    “And then the bull?”
    “Yep. Bastard put a period to that career choice.”
    Her hands stilled, but she left them lying in the middle of his back. They were warm, comforting. “So what now? You plan to be a ranch hand the rest of your life?”
    He sat up, facing her. “I haven’t exactly figured that out yet.”
    She shook her head, a wrinkle forming in the center of her brow. “How can you stand that?”
    He chuckled. “Stand what?”
    “Just drifting around aimlessly with no direction, no goals.”
    He tilted his head. “I have a goal, Sienna.”
    She picked up his towel and wiped her hands on it. “Like what?”
    “I want to be happy.”
    “That’s your big goal? To be happy?”
    He stretched his shoulders, amazed by how much better he felt, how loose. She’d worked wonders on his tense muscles. “Can you think of a better ambition?”
    “I’m not saying that’s not a good thing to aspire to, but how do you intend to get there?”
    He glanced around his room. “I’m pretty happy right now.”
    “At Compass Ranch?”
    He nodded, though she’d missed his point. “Yeah, I like it here. Like your family and the work.”
    “Oh.”
    He shifted closer. “But when I said I’m happy now, I meant this moment, sitting here, with you.”
    A slight flush painted her cheeks. “Flirting will get you nowhere, Daniel Lennon. I have a boyfriend, remember?”
    He nodded, unconcerned by her reminder. Sienna needed a break from her well-ordered life and he intended to see she got it. There was something about the unflappable woman that made him long to ruffle her feathers. “What do you do for fun, Sienna? I’ve been here two weeks and your life seems to consist of work, home, repeat. Don’t you ever go out?”
    She shrugged. “I’ll go out when Josh gets home. We like to go to the movies or out to dinner together.”
    He let his sarcastic tone say it all. “Wow.”
    She scowled. “I’m sure it doesn’t sound very exciting to you. I understand you went out with some of the hands last night. Rumors are flying around about you and the blonde waitress at Spurs.”
    He loved small towns. Never took long to get a reputation. Even one that wasn’t earned. “Oh yeah? What are the rumors?”
    Her face turned a bright shade of red. “I’m not about to say it aloud, but I’d certainly never be caught dead having sex in a public bathroom. They’re filthy.”
    He couldn’t help it. He laughed. He’d been propositioned by the waitress, but he hadn’t accepted her offer. Even so, it was more fun to let Sienna think he