Her Colorado Sheriff

She smiled. “They are beauties. I’d say you are pretty lucky to have them.”

“Yeah, it’s been a long time since I’ve had horses around. Do you ride?” he asked.

She nodded. “A long time ago on my grandmother’s farm. When she died they sold the place and the stock.”

“I take it you were too young to inherit the place.”

She glanced away. “Her brother, Harry, got it.” He gladly took possession of the property, but no thoughts of taking her grandkids.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

She looked up to see the concern on his face. “It’s okay, I was only twelve and it was a long time ago.”

“Did you spend a lot of time on the farm?”

“Georgia and I lived there with our Nonnie permanently.” She glanced away. “Our mother had died in a car accident.”

He folded the towel and set it aside. “So you went to live with your dad?”

“No, he couldn’t take us.” She didn’t want to talk about this. “Oh, my, look at the time. I need to go to work early in the morning. I won’t be home all day, but you’re welcome to come in and fix the faucet. If you really want to.”

He looked at her like he wanted to ask more, but nodded. “Sure.” He gathered up his tools and headed out of the kitchen. At the front door he stopped and said, “Thank you for dinner. It was delicious.” He frowned. “I’m a little disappointed there weren’t any oatmeal raisin cookies.”

She couldn’t stop her grin. “I apologize. I was running late.”

Cullen smiled, too. “I’ll tell you what. If you bake me some of your famous cookies, I’ll let you ride Sassy.”

Excitement rushed through her. “You have tack for the horses?”

“Yes. They could use some cleaning, but there’re bridles, halters and saddles.” He raised a hand. “First, I want to try out the horses to see what their temperaments are.”

“From what I saw today, those horses are as gentle as lambs, and happy to have a home. Your brother must be a real softy for rescuing them.”