Read Galloping Hearts (Contemporary Cowboy Romance) (Texas Heat series: Book 2, Mitchell and Moira's story) for Free Online Page A

it’s something that’s better done in pairs.”
    He nodded. It was obvious the old woman was playing matchmaker but he wouldn’t look the figurative gift horse in the mouth. He didn’t say anything else as he went out to the barn to find Moira.
    When he found her, she was saddling Caliber. Billy was still saddling up a mare to ride out on. He looked between the two of them before speaking.
    “Hey, Moira, would you mind if I ride out with you instead of Billy? Miss Elaine said he had some other things to do.”
    She shrugged but he noticed the smile on her face. “That’d be nice. We gotta make sure we’re in for noon meal, though. I don’t think Granny will let me have a picnic too. Plus, as much as you piled back, I think it boosted her confidence. I don’t see her letting you from the table until we go back to school in the fall.”
    He shrugged. “I don’t think that’d be all bad. Still, if lunch is around noon, we need to get going to get most of the first paddock done.”
    Billy grinned, patting him on the shoulder. “Thanks, Mitch. It lets me get other things done that I need to… like sleeping in the hammock.”
    He shook his head but laughed as he climbed on the horse. He and Moira walked the horses from the barn. Once they were a distance from the house, she broke the horses into a nice steady canter to warm them up. She obviously knew what she was doing and he loved watching her with the horses. The way she moved on them showed how much she cared about them. This was especially true of her bond with Caliber. If she was that close to an animal, she must be really gentle with humans.
     

Chapter Seven
    The whole ride out, Moira stayed quiet. The fields at sunrise were some of the only times she felt peaceful. This was especially true as she sat on the back of her favorite horse. She was so calm, she’d nearly forgotten about the man on the horse behind her. Well, until he brought the mare up next to her and Caliber.
    When she looked over, he grinned. She couldn’t help but return the gesture as she spoke quietly.
    “I love it out here in the morning. It’s so peaceful. I used to ride Caliber out here during the early morning to draw as the sun was coming up. I miss drawing for fun more. With all my design classes, I don’t have as much time as I’d like for fun drawings.”
    He looked at her inquisitively. “What kind of other things do you draw?”
    She shrugged. “Mainly landscapes. Once in a while, I do a portrait or two.”
    She had no intention of telling him that all her most recent sketches were portraits – of him.
    He, unwittingly, had other plans. “Can I see some of them sometime?”
    She shrugged. “I guess.”
    Thinking to herself, she watched the sun come over the tree line. Maybe I can convince everyone to have a bonfire tonight. I can use the pictures of him as kindling to get the fire started. No one will be the wiser .
    ******
    A bit later, they found the back herd of cows. Once she had ascertained that all was well with them, she began to walk the horses to some of the trees in the back. She’d have to tell Daddy that the herd needed to be moved soon. They were beginning to trample the grass. The last thing they needed was having them turn it into a muck bin. Dirty, muddy steers, with no food, wasn’t a good idea.
    After finding a nice tree, she dismounted from Caliber and sat under the tree with her back against the trunk. The breeze of a May morning really was the remedy for a lot of what ailed her. She hadn’t realized how much she missed having the sounds of the cows and horses around her, with the rustling leaves and grass. Mitch had come to lean against the trunk too and after a few minutes, he spoke quietly.
    “It’s beautiful out here. I can’t believe you don’t want to move home when you finish school next spring.”
    She shrugged. “I just need something bigger. More than that, I need to feel like I’m not constantly under a microscope. I can’t do