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seat
opposite them across the fire.
    “So what do you do around the ranch, Jonathan? I don’t see
you in The Dusty Boot like your brothers very often.”
    “I’m not much of a drinker. ”
    “You don’t have to drink to come to the bar. There are pool
tables, dancing, darts, all kinds of things to do
not involving alcohol.”
    “True, but I’m not real comfortable in bars. I like
spending time with the website and marketing for the ranch. It keeps me busy most days.”
    “Do you do the cowboy stuff much?”
    “Not really. I leave that to my brothers.” He shifted so
his hips weren’t quite touching hers anymore. “I ride. You can’t grow up on a
ranch and not ride, but I’m not as comfortable on a horse or herd ing cattle as my brothers are. I mean look at Jason? He’s
all about the cowboy stuff. He wants to breed bulls for the PBR.”
    “PBR?”
    “Professional Bull
Riders Association.” He smiled down at her. “You don’t do cowboy much, do you?”
    “No.” She laughed. “Is it so
apparent I’m lacking in the Texas pastime?”
    “Yeah, a little. Do you know anything
about a cattle ranch?”
    “Not really. Why don’t you teach me,” she said, looping her
hand through the crook of his arm. “I’m eager to learn.” She glanced across the
fire and noticing Jason’s eyes narrowed, their gazes
locked in a battle of wills.
    “Well, we run longhorns on our property. They are one of
the original cattle to be raised here in the Texas Hill Country. They are a
hearty breed of cattle who do well here where the land isn’t so grassy and plentiful. Our ranch is pretty
big for one out here where several of the local ranches are selling off to
developers. Jeff has been very adamant about us not selling off any of our
property to them. Keep everything in the family, you
know.”
    “Is Jeff like the foreman?”
    “Yeah, pretty much. He’s tight reined on what goes on
around here although he’s mellowed out a lot since Terri came along.”
    “Didn’t she just have a baby?”
    “Yeah, not too long
ago.” He shifted on his seat. “We also hav e guests we rent out rooms and cabin space to, especially
in the summer months. They come from all over to learn about cattle ranching, I
guess. I'm not quite sure what the fascination with it is, but they pay to
come. It’s a great income for the ranch whe n selling
cattle isn’t paying so much.”
    “How fascinating.”
    Jonathan’s voice faded as he went on to talk about the
website building for the ranch. Not like she wasn’t interested, but the glare
she was receiving from Jason had shivers rolling down her back. Why does he have to affect me this way? Damn cowboy.
    “So that’s what I do all day,” Jonathan finished.
    “Wow. Sounds like you really stay busy.”
    “I try. There’s a lot to do when you are marketing a guest
ranch plus managing the website for both the cattle r anch
and the guest ranch. We have two websites. One for buyers of the cattle and one for guests of the
ranch.”
    “Care to take a walk with me?”
    “Uh, sure. I can show you the
front of the main lodge. It’s pretty cool all lit up with the lights.”
    “Awesome.” Sh e rose to her feet,
not relinquishing her hold on his arm as they headed for the front part of the
ranch. The tingling along her back let her know Jason’s gaze followed their
every move, making her wonder whether he would come after her.
    As they rounded th e house toward
the front, she caught a glimpse of someone sitting in one of the rocking
chairs, but the moment she turned her head to ask Jonathan about the man, the
figure on the porch had disappeared. Weird.
    “We have the rocking chairs out here for peopl e to sit so they can enjoy the sunrise or evening air. It’s
really cool out here in the early mornings.”
    “Are you an early riser?”
    “Yeah, most of the time I’m out here by myself with a cup
of coffee before anyone else is even up. Joey and Jeff are up with the sun most mornings too,