Thunder Canyon Homecoming / A Thunder Canyon Christmas. RaeAnne Thayne

      “How about you? Did you go to your senior prom?”

      She thought back, smiled. “Yes, I did. I went with Thomas Anderson. He was president of the chess club, editor of the yearbook, valedictorian of our graduating class.”

      “The first boy you ever slept with?” he prompted.

      She shook her head. “No. But he was the first boy to break my heart.”

      “Where is he now? Want me to go beat him up?”

      She laughed. “That’s not necessary. I got over him a long time ago.”

      “Glad to hear that,” he said. “How about more recently?”

      “More recently what?”

      “Have you been dating anyone in Thunder Canyon?”

      “No. And I’m not looking to start, either.”

      “Why not?”

      She shrugged. “I’ve been working a lot.”

      “You know what they say about all work and no play,” he warned her.

      “I don’t play games.”

      “Some games are fun, darlin’.”

      She smiled at that, but her smile quickly faded. “I was dating someone in San Diego for a while.”

      “Did he break your heart, too?”

      She shook her head. “But I think I might have bruised his.”

      “And you’re still feeling guilty about it,” he guessed.

      “Maybe. I don’t know. I didn’t think our relationship was that serious. We hadn’t been dating very long, but he was looking to make a commitment and I wasn’t.”

      “Because you’re not ready to settle down? Or because you didn’t want to settle down with him?”

      “I just didn’t want to settle,” she said and winced when she realized how the words sounded.

      But Corey nodded, understanding. “There was something missing.”

      “A lot of somethings, actually,” she admitted.

      “How is that your fault?”

      “Well, according to my mother, I didn’t give him a chance, my expectations are too high, I need to understand that chemistry takes time—” she broke off, her cheeks burning. “Well, that’s getting a lot more personal than I meant to.”

      “So, there was no chemistry with this guy, huh?”

      She ignored his question because she knew the answer would lead her down a treacherous path.

      They were at the barn now, and Corey dismounted before turning to help Erin down. She was grateful for his assistance, because as relaxed as she’d begun to feel in the saddle she wasn’t at all confident in her ability to get out of it. She put her hands on his shoulders and slid down, the front of her body brushing against the front of his.

      Like flint rubbing against rock, sparks flashed, heat flared. Her breath caught, her pulse pounded. His hands stayed on her hips, holding her close.

      And suddenly she was smack in the middle of that treacherous path she’d been so determined to avoid.

      “Did you guys have a good time?” Russ asked.

      Erin jumped back, her cheeks burning.

      “Oh, yes,” she said. “It was wonderful. Thank you.”

      “Not a problem,” Russ said. “Melanie’s just about to put dinner on the table. There’s plenty of food, if you wanted to join us.”

      “Oh.” She wasn’t sure how to respond to the invitation. She’d met Russ and Melanie a few times and didn’t want to refuse his generous offer, but she wasn’t sure she’d feel comfortable sitting down at a table with people she barely knew.

      “Thanks for the invite,” Corey said, coming to her rescue. “But Erin and I have other plans.”

      “You’re sure?” Russ pressed.

      “Positive. But please thank Melanie for us.”

      His friend nodded. “I will. And I hope you’ll find your way out here again before you head back to Texas.”

      “You can count on it,” Corey said, shaking his hand firmly.

      The rancher tipped his hat to Erin, then led the horses into the barn.

      * * *

      “How are you holding up?” Corey asked when they were back in his truck and heading away from the ranch.

      “Not too badly,” she said.

      “You should take a hot bath before you go to bed tonight,” he suggested. “It will help ease any soreness in your muscles.”

      “That sounds like a wonderful idea.” She tipped her head back and closed her eyes as if she was imagining herself sinking into a tub filled with bubbles.

      Or maybe he just assumed that was what was on her mind because it was on his.

      “And if it doesn’t work, I’ll call Stefan in the morning and see if he can squeeze me in for a quickie during my lunch.”

      “Stefan? A quickie?”

      She laughed. “A quick massage,” she clarified.

      “Oh.” But his frown deepened. “Don’t they have women who give massages?”

      “Of course. But Stefan has the most amazing hands.”

      “And you let him put them all over your body?”

      “I pay him to put them all over my body.” She didn’t usually engage in this kind of flirtatious banter, but Corey’s reaction to her statement was so typically and possessively male, she couldn’t resist teasing him a little. “And he’s worth every penny.”

      “I could do the same thing—for free.”

      She lifted a brow. “Show me your diploma, cowboy.”

      “Well, no one’s ever called it a diploma, but—”

      She laughed. “I was referring to a professional accreditation. Stefan trained in Sweden.”

      “I graduated from Texas A&M,” he said, flicking on his indicator.

      Instead of heading in the direction Erin lived, he turned the opposite way.

      “Where are we going?” she asked, more curious than concerned.

      “I told Russ we had plans for dinner,” he reminded her. “You don’t want to make a liar out of me, do you?”

      “I just don’t want you to feel obligated—”

      “Erin.”

      She frowned at the interruption.

      “You seem to be forgetting that I’m the one who tracked you down this morning and pretty much blackmailed you into spending the day with me.”

      “You did, didn’t you?”

      “Which should prove that if I didn’t want to be with you, I wouldn’t be.”

      “Okay,” she finally said, but the furrow in her brow deepened when he pulled into the parking lot of the Super Saver Mart, still referred to by a lot of the locals as the Thunder Canyon Mercantile. “This is where we’re going for dinner?”

      He chuckled. “This is where we’re going to get the ingredients for dinner.”

      She looked at him suspiciously.

      “No, I don’t expect you to cook dinner for me,” he