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in and help out somehow.
    Her first perception of Stoney Buxton was one of an arrogant cowboy.  Well, the arrogant part was true enough, but there was more to him than she’d originally given him credit for.  He was driven.  By what, she wasn’t quite sure.  Maybe it was the survival of the ranch, something ingrained in him that she found intriguing.  Maybe it was pure male ego.  But she didn’t think so. 
    “My nails will survive,” she said.
    He gave a deep chuckle that sounded so rough and sexy to her ears.  “Not hardly.”
    She drew in a deep breath and folded her arms across her chest.  “Have you worked the horses yet?”
    His head shot up, and he stopped poking at the hay pile for a moment.  “What do you know about working a horse?”
    “More than you’d ever give me credit for.  Since one of these horses is going to be my best friend for the next month, I’d say it’s about time I got to know him.”
    The shocked look on his face told her he wasn’t quite sure just where she was coming from.  Good.  In her estimation it was always best to keep a man guessing. 
    “I can work the horses while you finish cleaning the stables.  That will free you up to do whatever else is pressing.”
    He just stared at her, seemingly searching her face for...something.  “I’ve got to see if I can round up some stray cattle and...”  He pulled his hat off his head and rested his arm on the rail behind him.  His dark hair was wet with perspiration and the ends curled around his ears, giving an almost boyish look to him.  “You know, you don’t have to do this.”
    “I know.  I want to do it.”  She slipped her hands in the pockets of her jeans and lifted her chin.  “If only to prove to you I’m no little pampered wuss.”  She didn’t quite know why that was so important to her that Stoney respect her that way.  But suddenly, it meant a lot that he see what she was really made of.
    He gave her a slow smile that rewarded her with the deep dimples she’d looked for just yesterday.  For a minute she thought he’d tease her, but to her surprise, his expression softened.  “I never said you were a wuss, Sunshine.”
    “Good.  Because I don’t expect to be treated like one.”
    He drew in a deep breath and looked around, as if trying to assess a long list of what needed to be done. “Have you ever worked horses before?”
    She nodded. 
    “That should keep you busy for a while.  If we don’t work them, they get lazy.”
    She swung around, trying to keep the strange stirrings she had whenever she was face to face with Stoney at bay.  She was acutely aware of his eyes on her back as she walked away from the stable.
    This is ridiculous.  Stoney was completely different than the other men she knew.  Most of them were beasts in the business world, trying to one up the next guy for a chance at an office with a view on the top floor.  Stoney was just trying to make a living on the grounds of Black Rock Ranch.  His dedication to this place ran deeper than the desire for money and fame.
    He’s just a cowboy.  Melanie bit her bottom lip, tasting the remnants of her lipstick as she gripped the splintered plank of the corral gate.  She yanked it with full force.  He’s just a damned, sexy cowboy.  Lord, was she ever in big trouble.
    # # #
     
    Chapter Three
     
    Stoney plunged his hand into the old whiskey barrel by the stable and splashed his face with the cold rain water.  With the back of his hand, he wiped the dripping water from his forehead.  He couldn’t help but steal a glance in the direction of the corral where Melanie was working the horses.  She’d pulled off the sweatshirt she was wearing earlier and now only wore a white tank top that clung like a second skin to every curve of her body. 
    She moved with the horses in the corral, and he listened to her soothing voice as she spoke to them, coaxing them, rewarding them with a slice of apple or a nugget of sugar.  The