Her Rodeo Man. Cathy Mcdavid

with a coworker? Worse, a subordinate. He should have his head examined.

      Pulling into the arena, he parked by the office and got out. Still plagued by the conversation with the headhunter and not quite ready to face anyone, he went instead to the barn. Without quite realizing where he was going, he found himself standing in front of Cupcake’s stall.

      The pony snickered and came over for a petting. Ryder automatically gave her a scratch between her short, stubby ears. The next minute, he was in the stall, examining her sore hoof.

      “I think you’ll live.”

      Cupcake investigated him, snorting lustily when she encountered his hair.

      “Quit it, will you?” Ryder laughed and dropped her hoof.

      He and Cassidy once had a pony a lot like this one when they were young. A sorrel named Flame. With two parents involved in rodeo, they’d learned to ride at a very young age.

      Suddenly, Ryder missed being on a horse. He’d remedy that this weekend, he decided.

      “Hey! What are you doing to our pony?” The annoyed voice belonged to a pint-size girl who, given her long black hair, could only be Tatum’s daughter. She stood in the open stall door, hands fisted and planted at her sides.

      “Checking her foot.”

      “I don’t know you.” The girl backed away and gave Ryder a very suspicious once-over.

      “I work here. With your mother.”

      “Then, why haven’t I seen you before?”

      “I’m new.”

      “I’m going to tell my mom.”

      He expected her to take off running. She didn’t. Instead, she opened her mouth and screamed at the top of her lungs.

      “Mom!”

      “Hey, it’s all right. You don’t have to—”

      She screamed again.

      The next second, Tatum came charging up the aisle, one boy in tow, the other, younger one bouncing on her hip. “What’s wrong?”

      “Nothing,” Ryder said.

      The girl pointed accusingly at him. “This man is trying to hurt Cupcake.”