A Bravo For Christmas. Christine Rimmer

but I wouldn’t say I qualify as a cowboy.”

      She thought about kissing him and felt shy all over again. “What about the hat?”

      He tipped the snowy brim at her. “The hat, least of all—and in high school I didn’t know what I wanted, really. Now I do. I like horses, and I like a place with lots of trees. And I have a workshop in the basement. I do some mediocre carpentry when I have the time.” He pointed off across the paddock. “I own twenty acres, most of it forest.”

      “It’s a lot to manage, isn’t it—I mean, what with running Bravo Steelworks, too?”

      “I have help. His name is Corky. He lives in what used to be the foreman’s cottage, on the far side of the barn. Corky does most of the cowboying around here. He works with the horses, mends the fence and takes care of Daisy when I’m not around.”

      “Sylvie would love it here.” The words kind of slipped out, and she regretted them instantly.

      “Bring Sylvie next time.”

      She stared off toward the barn. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

      “Why not?”

      “It’s not a good idea. This is supposed to be a secret, remember? And it ends with the New Year.”