The Rough and Ready Rancher Read Online Free Page B

still do all that stuff, too. But I wanna be a bull rider and go to all the rodeos.”
    â€œI’ll clean the kitchen while the men finish eating,” Jenna said suddenly, rising to her feet.
    Flint shook his head. “No. We’ll—”
    â€œAre any of you willing to volunteer for Purge Patrol?” she asked the men gathered around the picnic table. Gazes darted off to the distant horizon and boots shuffled, but the men remained silent. She turned to walk toward the house. “I rest my case.”
    What kind of game was she playing now? Flint stared after her. If she thought being helpful would pardon the way she’d tricked him with that contract, she was in for a big surprise.
    He gave himself a mental pat on the back for a lesson well learned. Now that he knew how she operated, there wasn’t any kind of scheme she could think up that he couldn’t deal with.
    Â 
    Jenna stepped out onto the front porch to watch the golden glory of the setting sun fade into indigo darkness. Like a comfortable quilt, a wondrous tranquility began to settle across the land, and pinpoints of light dotted the vast heavens above. The chirp of crickets soon introduced a chorus, and bass-throated bullfrogs down by the creek joined in. Somewhere in the distance, spotlighted by a full moon, the mournful solo of a lone coyote completed the lullaby, transforming the evening into a hymn of praise by nature’s wild creatures.
    Despite the warm temperature, Jenna wrapped her arms around herself to ward off a chill. This time of night always reminded her of her solitude.
    It wasn’t supposed to have turned out this way, she thought sadly. Life should be shared.
    â€œNice night, isn’t it?”
    Startled, she spun around to find Flint leaning against one of the support posts in a shadowed corner of the porch. “I didn’t know anyone was out here.”
    â€œSorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
    Embarrassed that he’d witnessed her pensive mood, she dropped her arms to her sides and turned back to watch the last glimmer of light slip below the horizon.
    Several minutes stretched between them before Flint spoke again. “The smell has cleared out of the kitchen. Thanks.”
    Jenna shrugged. “The skunk didn’t bless us with a full dose, and what he did spray missed the porous surfaces. Nothing the tomato juice and ammonia couldn’t take care of.”
    â€œThat’s all it took?”
    She smiled. “A large amount of elbow grease and a can of air freshener helped.”
    â€œHow did you know what to do?”
    â€œJust something I picked up along the way.” She walked over to the swing and sat down. “When you’ve traveled as much as I have, you learn things without remembering how or when.”
    â€œI’ve been meaning to ask you about that,” he said, his voice containing a hint of suspicion. “Usually the horse goes to the trainer, not the other way around.”
    Jenna started the swing into motion. Let him think what he wanted. But instead of ignoring him as she intended, she found herself trying to explain. “I find a horse is more relaxed in a familiar environment, and it’s much easier to gain his trust. Once I’ve done that, I can teach him just about anything.”
    Flint pushed away from the post and walked over to sit on the porch rail in front of her. “So, you’ve been traveling around like this a long time?”
    â€œAll my life.”
    â€œWildcatter’s daughter?”
    She shook her head. “Daddy followed the rodeo circuit.” She stared out into the darkness. “Home has always been a camper on the back of a pickup truck.”
    A frown creased Flint’s brow. “Now, hold it. You had to have stayed somewhere long enough to get your education.”
    â€œMomma taught us for a while.” Jenna swallowed hard. She didn’t want to remember certain events of her