Cowboy Brigade. Elle James

      He let the breath out that he’d been holding, slowly so that she couldn’t tell how much her answer had meant to him, and how much it hurt. “Let me help you.” He reached for the saddle, lifting it effortlessly.

      “I don’t need help.” She jerked away, her face flaming a dull red. “I’ve managed on my own for years.”

      “I know you don’t need help, but I work here now. Let me do my job.”

      “As for that…we’ll see.” She clutched the bridle to her chest with one hand and yanked the saddle from his hands with the other. “In the meantime, don’t bother to unpack. I want to talk to my grandfather first.”

      Lindsay marched out of the barn, her head held high like a queen.

      With every ounce of his strength he fought to keep from following her, dragging her into his arms and kissing her so thoroughly that she’d forget all about Cal Murphy and the five years he’d been away.

      Snickering from the stall behind him made Wade come to his senses faster than his own ability to talk himself down. Until that moment, he’d completely forgotten the man named Frank was still in the same barn with him.

      Frank stood leaning on his pitchfork a smirk curling one side of his mouth. “She isn’t any more interested in you than she is me.”

      “Shut up, Frank.” Wade stalked to the pile of feed sacks stacked inside the barn door and slung one over his shoulder. Flinging a fifty-pound bag of feed did nothing toward slowing his heart rate or reining in the rampant thoughts racing through his head. And Frank’s smirking attitude just made him want to hit someone.

      Lindsay wasn’t married to Cal Murphy.

      Wade ripped open the bag and poured sweet feed into one of the feed bins. Back at the stack of feed bags, he hefted another onto his shoulder.

      Why hadn’t she married Cal? Was she still living at the Long K Ranch?

      One question after another rolled over in his mind until they began repeating themselves.

      He’d come to Freedom, Texas, fully expecting to find Lindsay Kemp married and gone from the ranch. If he’d known she was still here, he never would have agreed to go undercover to expose her grandfather.

      At that moment he couldn’t get past the one truth.

      Lindsay Kemp wasn’t married.

      He dumped the last bag of feed into the bin and straightened.

      Frank stood looking at him, still leaning on the pitchfork.

      Wade glared at Frank. “Gets done quicker if you actually work at it.”

      “What do you care? She’ll have you out of here so fast you won’t know what hit you.”

      Not if I can help it. With his jaw set, his fingers clenched, Wade strode out of the barn and directly to the big house. He had to talk to Henry Kemp before Lindsay got back to him.

      FIVE-YEAR-OLD Zachary ran around in circles, stopping every two or three spins to gather rocks from the ground and line them up in a neat row. He still held the sugar cube clenched in his fist.

      Lindsay smiled. Stacy had her hands full with Zachary. Twins were difficult at times, but an energetic autistic child had to be even harder to cope with.

      “Zachary, why don’t you feed Whiskers his sugar cube?” Lindsay suggested.

      The boy immediately stopped running and held out his hand with the damp lump of sugar.

      Whiskers plucked it from his palm with his big, velvety lips.

      Zachary giggled and pulled his hand back, wiping it against the side of his jeans.

      Lindsay tossed a blanket on the horse and settled the saddle in place over it.

      “Who’s the hunk with the beard?” Stacy asked.

      Without looking at her friend, Lindsay reached beneath the horse for the leather strap. “Does it matter?”

      “Not that I’m in the market or anything, but he’s definitely drool-worthy. Spill, girl, who is he?”

      “Wade Coltrane.” Lindsay shoved the leather strap through the girth ring and pulled up on it a little harder than necessary.

      Whiskers puffed out his belly and danced a few steps away from her.

      “Sorry, boy.” Lindsay smoothed a hand down the horse’s nose.

      Stacy tipped her head to the side. “Wade Coltrane…” Her eyes widened and a grin spread across her face. “The Wade Coltrane you used to talk about? Weren’t you two a thing back in high school?”

      “That was ages ago. People change. Some grow up and move on.” Lindsay didn’t like the way this conversation was going. “I’m glad you’ve been bringing Zachary here. He seems to like the horses.”

      “He loves it. If nothing else, he’s getting fresh air and sunshine.” Stacy planted her hands on her hips. “You’re changing the subject.”

      “Yeah, the other subject is off-limits.”

      “Off-limits?” Stacy pouted. “You’re no fun. Just when we were getting somewhere with Wade.”

      “I’m not getting anywhere with him. Apparently my grandfather hired him. I can just as easily fire him.” She straightened and glanced down at Zachary. “Ready to ride?”

      Zachary danced in place, staring up at the horse, his eyes rounded.

      “Let me get him up there. I never know how he’ll react.” Stacy pulled her son into her arms, talking to him in soothing tones. “Hey, sweetie, Whiskers wants to take you for a ride.”

      Lindsay steadied the horse, stroking the big animal’s back as Stacy settled Zachary in the saddle.

      As though a switch had been turned, Zachary calmed and sat still, a smile spreading across his little face.

      Lindsay loved this part of her job. When a disabled child made a connection with the animal, all her efforts seemed worth it. It didn’t pay much, but every little bit helped and the rewards were far deeper than monetary.

      She adjusted the stirrups to fit the length of the boy’s legs, and handed him the reins, laying them in his hands the way a western rider should hold them. With her fingers hooked through the bridle close to the horse’s mouth, Lindsay looked up at the boy. “Ready, Zachary?”

      The child grunted and rocked in his saddle. He was ready.

      As Lindsay walked the horse around the ring, her thoughts strayed to the man she’d left in the barn.

      Her stomach did a complete flip-flop. Wade Coltrane had returned to Freedom. Oh God, why now? She’d spent the last five years trying her hardest to forget the man. He’d blown through on leave five years ago, just when she thought she’d gotten over him the first time, upended her life and left.

      Lindsay had agreed to marry Cal Murphy, the most eligible bachelor in town. All her financial woes would have been solved and she would have been married to a rock-solid, honest-to-goodness nice guy.

      Then Wade showed up, wearing his Class A greens, his hair cut high and tight, clean-shaven and so handsome that he took her breath away. He’d rocked her world all over again.

      She’d thrown everything out the window when he’d taken her in his arms and made mad, passionate love to her. She’d forgotten her promise to Cal, forgotten the years she’d pined for Wade, forgotten everything…including birth control.

      When she’d woken up in his truck the next morning, she’d been so horrified that she’d betrayed Cal, she’d told Wade to leave.

      And he had. He left and shortly after returning to his duty station, Wade was deployed to Iraq.

      Two weeks later, Lindsay