Dancing in the Moonlight - Harlequin.com

RAEANNE THAYNE
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sent over a ranch hand from the Cold Creek to help
with the spring planting. Despite her best efforts, she
couldn’t talk her mother out of accepting their help.
Saturday morning found her loading alfalfa bales
onto a pickup truck to take out to some of the cow-calf
pairs in one of the far pastures. She was about halfway
loaded and went inside the barn for another bale when
she heard a vehicle pull up outside.
“In here,” she called out, assuming it was Drifty
Halloran, the Cold Creek cowboy. She hadn’t been expecting
him today, as she knew they were branding over
at the Cold Creek, but maybe Wade had been feeling
magnanimous and sent him anyway.
The barn was dim and dusty, and all she could
make out at first was the hazy outline of someone
standing in the doorway, silhouetted by the bright
sunshine outside.
Not Drifty.
Jake.
She recognized him after only a few seconds, and to
her dismay, her heart gave a sharp little leap of joy.
She hadn’t seen him since that night and she had
missed him, she realized suddenly, but the embarrassment
that followed doused her initial reaction.
Heat soaked her cheeks, and she was grateful for the
dim barn. She had a sudden vivid memory of bursting
into tears, and for one panicked moment she wanted to
dive behind the hay bales and hide until he left again.
Too late. He’d seen her. He gave a heavy, frustrated sigh
and stepped into the barn. “What are you doing, Maggie?”
Stuffing her embarrassment back down inside her,