Read Connor: A Cowboy Stepbrother Romance Novel for Free Online

turned the corner, I saw Connor standing in the barn. He was in front of an iron anvil, banging a red hot, metal horseshoe with a large blacksmith’s hammer.
    He didn’t notice me as I stepped closer, so I just stood there and watched for a moment. He was wearing a red flannel shirt and the sleeves were rolled up, revealing his muscular arms, which flexed as he hit the horseshoe. A light layer of sweat covered his skin, causing it to shine in the sunlight.
    Connor hit the horseshoe a few more times and then picked it up with a pair of pliers. He then immediately dropped it into a bucket of water, which caused a loud sizzling noise and a burst of steam to shoot upward into the air. He then reached into the water and pulled out the horseshoe. Then he lifted it in the air, admiring his work.
    “It looks like you’ve done that before,” I said, finally making my presence known.
    Connor turned around, looking a bit shocked.
    “Damn, Emily,” he said. “You scared me. I didn’t know you were standing there.”
    I giggled and then stepped closer to him.
    “Sorry,” I said. “I was just watching you do your thing.”
    Connor smiled and then motioned me to come closer.
    “Come here,” he said. “I’ll show you what I’m doing.”
    I walked into the barn, following Connor to one of the horses.
    “This one’s Willy,” he said. “The other one is Nelson. I’m sure my dad told you that, though. He thinks it’s the funniest thing ever.”
    I laughed and nodded, watching as Connor knelt down next to Willy, grabbing his front hoof and lifting it slightly off of the ground.
    “Sometimes, their shoes get all messed up and bent,” he said. “And you have to take them off and re-form them before you nail them back on. A horse can get hurt pretty easily if its shoes aren’t fitting correctly.”
    I knelt down next to Connor, watching as he put the horseshoe back onto Willy’s hoof. He then attached it with some tiny nails, hammering them in one-by-one with a small hammer. Within a couple of minutes, he was done.
    “And there you go,” he said. “Good as new.”
    Connor stood up from the ground and dusted his knees off. I noticed that the top few buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing his muscular chest.
    God, he’s gorgeous...
    After a moment, I broke my gaze from his incredible body and looked into his eyes once again.
    “So, I’m sure you heard the news...” I said.
    Connor placed an arm over Willy’s back and leaned against him.
    “Oh yeah,” he said. “My dad told me this morning about his proposal to your mom. It’s kind of crazy, isn’t it?”
    I nodded in agreement.
    “Yes,” I said. “I’d say so. It all seems kind of sudden.”
    Connor shrugged and then responded, “Yeah, I suppose. But sometimes you just know when it’s the right thing.”
    He gazed gently at me as he spoke, melting me with his beautiful blue eyes. After a moment, he continued.
    “But you know what’s really crazy about the whole thing?” he said. “You and I...we’re going to be step siblings.”
    He shook his head as a disappointed expression suddenly crossed his face.
    “It just figures,” he said. “I randomly meet the most beautiful girl ever, yet I’ll never even be able to take her on a date because she’s about to become my stepsister.”
    He turned around and started walking toward the other side of the barn. He was clearly upset about the situation and I guess I couldn’t blame him. I felt the same way.
    “Connor,” I said. “Wait.”
    He stopped in his tracks and turned around to face me. I approached him, grabbing his hand and squeezing it.
    “I completely understand where you’re coming from,” I said. “It seems like life always gives us a glimpse of what could be possible, but never lets us actually have it.”
    My words seemed to resonate with him. He locked eyes with mine, nodding in agreement as he listened.
    “But that doesn’t mean we have to just write off our feelings,” I