Her Small-Town Cowboy by Mia Ross

nonsense and get this load stashed so Josh can get another one baled before that storm comes in?”
    In unison, they said, “Sure,” and the conversation swung onto a much safer topic: Cincinnati’s prospects for getting to the World Series this year. While they batted opinions around, they quickly fell into a rhythm with Mike sliding bales to Drew, who tossed them into the hayloft, where Josh stacked them like huge bricks.
    Neither of them mentioned Lily again, but Mike knew his declaration hadn’t done much to divert their suspicions. If anything, it had made him sound as if he was covering the truth with a plausible lie to avoid admitting his true feelings.
    Then again, he thought as he clambered over to the next pile of bales, how he really felt about Lily St. George was a mystery even to him. He hadn’t expected to run into her this morning, and when she showed up at Parker’s play, he was ridiculously happy to see her. Normally, he wasn’t a big fan of surprises, but that one had made his day. If she hadn’t excused herself to take her class back to their room, he’d have gladly stood there talking with her for as long as she wanted him to stay. He wasn’t sure what that meant, but it was for real, and he definitely wasn’t crazy about where his foolish heart was leading him.
    The last time he followed it, he ended up divorced and raising a child on his own. That kind of experience didn’t exactly inspire him to have much confidence in women, and Mike wasn’t about to make the same mistake again.
    * * *
    When Lily pulled into Gallimore Stables Friday afternoon, she was met in the turnaround by a bouncing Abby Kinley. Though she knew she shouldn’t favor any of her students over the others, the bubbly little girl was quickly becoming one of her favorites. Her cheery personality was such a contrast to her more reserved father, Lily couldn’t help wondering if Abby took after her mother.
    Absent mother, she added with a frown. Who could abandon this adorable child? she wondered as she stepped from her car. The woman must either hate Mike with a passion or have a heart of stone. Maybe both. Whatever the reason, Lily hoped she never had to deal with the woman in person. Chances were, it wouldn’t go well for either of them.
    “Hi, Lily!” the girl greeted her exuberantly, clearly delighted by having permission to call an adult by her first name. “Are you ready for your lesson?”
    In reply, Lily held out one properly booted foot, and Abby laughed. “Oh, good. Daddy hates it when people forget stuff he told them.”
    “I can’t blame him for that.” A tall shadow appeared to her left, and she was glad she’d said something nice about him. Angling her head to look over at him, she smiled. “How’s your day going so far?”
    “Y’know how it is, little good, little bad.”
    “It’s way better now that you’re here,” Abby chirped brightly. “Right, Daddy?”
    “Right.” The corner of his mouth quirked with a grin, and Lily got the feeling he was about to say something else. Apparently, he changed his mind, because he stepped back and motioned them to go ahead of him. “Shall we?”
    Lily’s second lesson on Gideon went much better, now that she was more familiar with the hulking Belgian and could trust his calm, gentle demeanor. He was still a giant compared to her, but in her mind his personality trumped the size difference that had intimidated her so much only a short while ago.
    Bred for hauling things much heavier than her, he moved with a powerful grace that humbled her when she realized he was graciously allowing her to guide his steps. The ground beneath his hooves shook when he trotted, but her ride was as smooth as silk. Knowing he’d had such a troubled past before coming to Gallimore only made her more fond of him.
    When Mike suggested they take a break, she reined the gelding to the middle of the riding ring and patted his shaggy neck. “He’s magnificent, isn’t