Putting the Heart Before the Horse

“What about you and Aunt Susan?”

“We actually met on a double date. She was with the other guy, and I was with the other girl. We spent the whole night at the roller rink trying to avoid each other.”

“Wait, avoid each other?”

“You think I’d go on a date with a girl and dump her for the friend she brought along?”

“No,” Josh admitted. “I can see the problem.”

“But I got her phone number, and I waited a while, and eventually I called her. And the rest is none of your business.”

“That’s nice,” Josh said. “Gives me some hope, I guess.”

“She’s the one?”

“Yeah, definitely” Josh replied, remembering Hope’s smile and her quick wit, and her amazing, lush curves...he coughed and decided it was time to change the subject. “Everything okay on the ranch?”

“Spent the day checking the fences and found a couple of breaks,” Rick summarized.

“The Armstrongs?” Josh cursed under his breath, but from the sound of Rick’s chuckle, he’d heard it.

“More than likely. Unless some barbed wire decided to snap all on its own.”

Josh sighed gustily. “Damn. If we could only get some proof, convince the sheriff—”

“I know,” Rick said. “We’ll get ‘em eventually, don’t worry. You just focus on your new lady.”

“I hope she’s my lady.”

“Sure sounds like she is.”

“Well, she is,” Josh agreed. “I just hope I can convince her.”

He asked briefly after the rest of the family, then said goodbye to Rick and hung up. Phone in his hand, he stared at the phone icon on the screen. He wanted so desperately to call Hope, but he knew it would be the worst thing he could do. If he pushed too hard, he’d just scare her away. He had to prove that he respected her enough to let her make her own choices.

But if she didn’t call him soon, he was going to have a hard time sticking to that.

Chapter Four

Hope woke up the next morning and enjoyed a relaxing few seconds until she remembered the events of the night before. Her stomach roiled while embarrassment and nervousness fought it out with the memory of the intense pleasure Josh had given her.

What had she been thinking? She hadn’t been thinking, of course. She’d let her heart rule her actions. Well, if she was honest, a few other body parts had been involved in the decision too. But she’d envisioned a fun night with the promise of another date, not an immediate lifetime commitment. Could she imagine being married to Josh, living with him, having his children? Sure. But not on the basis of one meal and a roll in the hay.

She winced at that mental image. Maybe there were things you had to be careful about saying around horse shifters.

Mates. She still was having a hard time wrapping her mind around the concept. It was easy to understand why it wasn’t common knowledge. Ignorant people could easily misinterpret it, make rude jokes, even try to take advantage of it.

But Josh—she knew he was genuine. He wasn’t lying or just trying to use it as a pickup line. He really believed she was his mate.

But did she believe it? Could she?

Her cell phone chimed at her with a text from Kathy.

How did it go? Was he a skunk or a hunk?

“Ha, ha,” Hope muttered as she texted back, Too much to fit in a text. Brunch?

She arrived at the restaurant before Kathy and picked out a booth in the back, which would hopefully prevent anyone from overhearing the details of her scandalous hookup. Kathy’s conversational style tended to be on the raucous side.