People Will Talk

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Authors: Carol Rose

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People Will Talk

By

Carol Rose

Copyright Carol Rose 2012

Second edition Published at Smashwords
2012

First edition published by
Kensington

Cover image courtesy of Mark Hayes &
Dreamstime.com

Cover by Joleene Naylor

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal
enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to
other people. If you would like to share this book with another
person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you
share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it,
or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return
to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for
respecting the hard work of this author.

******

For Randy Doss, for his generosity of time and
technical knowledge and his quiet, kind spirit.

******

Chapter One

If nothing else, the scandal surrounding Nora
Elizabeth Hampton proved how unreliable men really were. Total
independence was her new motto. And yet, here she was, waiting to
ask Bret Maddock a huge favor.

Bret stood in the temporary corral set up in
the corner of the pasture, his legs braced as he wrestled a
yearling calf off its feet. He wore no hat, and the clear Texas sun
glinted off his rumpled dark hair.

Shutting the truck's door behind her, Nora
stepped forward. With the noise and activity in the corral, her
presence went unnoticed for the moment.

She couldn't help watching Bret as she walked
up to the pen. He looked somehow different than she'd remembered.
In high school, he'd been everyone's favorite bad boy, too
good-looking to be missed and too reckless for a girl like
Nora.

They'd traveled in very different groups back
then, but even though she'd gone steady with Richard since her
sophomore year, she'd noticed Bret. What girl hadn't?

Now the wild boy had been transformed into
muscle and sinew that shrieked sex appeal and danger all at
once.

Bret held the calf down effortlessly,
restraining its struggles as he threw a joke at the cowboy
doctoring the animal.

Nora watched him, repressing a shiver in the
unusually warm January air. Even as a kid, Bret Maddock had lived
life by his own rules. Instinctively, she knew that hadn't
changed.

For a woman who'd always done her best to play
by the rules, Bret was a mine field of disruptiveness. He did what
he wanted, never worrying that the next step could mean the end of
someone's goodwill.

No one knew better than Nora how easily
goodwill could be lost. Coming back to Stoneburg had taught her
that.

One crazy moment had changed her life with
Richard. Through no fault of her own, her engagement had ended. And
here she was, home again after six years, waiting to make Bret a
business proposition he didn't need and probably wouldn't
want.

She'd already had one stable refuse to board
Chessie. "No room," they'd said, but Nora suspected
otherwise.

Just how fast did gossip travel? Had Bret heard
about her disgrace? And if so, would the county's most notorious
rule-breaker refuse her offer just because Nora had accidentally
become Stoneburg's scarlet woman?

Resting her hand on the cool metal fence, Nora
waited, unsure as to what his response would be. Since she'd come
back to town, people she'd known off and on all her life had been
staring at her as if she'd turned into Jezebel. Would Bret condemn
her, too?

The calf that was pinned under Bret's knee
bawled a protest. As the cowboy finished his task, Bret
straightened, allowing the yearling to scramble up and trot
off.

A cowhand said something to Bret, nodding in
Nora's direction.

He turned and their gazes caught. Nora's heart
increased its rhythm. A slow grin eased onto Bret's face,
recognition immediate in his eyes.

He walked toward her, his long shotgun chaps
molding the length of his muscular legs. Nora swallowed and focused
on Bret's face. She'd been acquainted with Bret Maddock all her
life, but she'd never had to come begging before, never needed him
like she did now. Telling herself she'd find another answer if he
refused, she watched him move toward her.

He walked with innate confidence with just the
hint of a swagger, as if he'd never known himself to be unwelcome,
or never cared if he were.

"Well, if it isn't Nora Hampton." He stripped
off his leather gloves, his brown eyes alight with masculine
interest.

"Hello, Bret." Nora said coolly. The very fact
that she needed his help made her more prickly.

"You look good." His eyes narrowed as he
flashed a glance over her, lingering for a second on the roundness
of her breasts.

"Thank You." She fought down the sensation of
tightness in her throat. Some things hadn't changed. He still
looked at her as if he appreciated the scenery.

Bret leaned against the temporary fence panel,
his tanned forearms bared by rolled-up sleeves.

Determined not to succumb to his masculine
charm, Nora forced a friendly smile. "It looks like you've been
keeping yourself busy. Mother mentioned that you've taken on
running the ranch since your father retired."

"Yep. Dad had no choice but me since his eldest
son took up lawyering and moved to Dallas," Bret joked.

"Richard and I saw Ben at a party last year,"
she said without thinking, then stopped. Richard was the last thing
she needed to talk about. "Ben seemed to be doing well," she
finished quickly.

"Happy as a clam," Bret agreed, his eyes not
leaving her face. "So what can I do for you, Nora Elizabeth?
Assuming you didn't just stop by to watch us rolling in the
dirt."

His words reminded her of her purpose, so Nora
shoved her embarrassment aside. "I came to ask you a
favor."

A smile curled at the corner of his mouth as
his eyes darkened. "Just name it, honey."

Nora's heartbeat stumbled. Pressing on, she
took a deep breath. "Hoyt Daniels down at the feed store suggested
I ask you about boarding Chessie. He said you'd kept his
granddaughter's horse last year as a personal favor to him. I'd pay
you, of course."

Nora met his gaze steadily, very aware that the
Maddock Ranch didn't need the small amount she could
pay.

"So you're planning on staying in town
awhile?"

"Yes," she said firmly, her chin coming up.
''I'm staying. And I'm starting an equestrian academy to teach
English style riding and equitation."

Bret recognized the look on Nora's face.
Determination gleamed there, reminiscent of the girl he'd known
years ago. It seemed she had a dream, despite the scandal that had
followed her from Dallas.

He shook his head, not bothering to hide his
smile. "Honey, when you pick a goal, you do it with
gusto."


What do you mean?" she
challenged.

"Just that this is Texas," he said with
emphasis on the state's name. "It may not be where the west began,
but it’s where the west is done best. And you want to teach English
riding?"

"There's nothing wrong with variety," she
defended. "Equitation is wonderful for teaching
discipline,"

He liked the' fire in her face, the way she
lost her cool when sparked. The Nora he'd known as a kid had always
intrigued him with her curvaceous body and perfect grades. While
he'd raised hell and majored in rodeo, she'd been student body vice
president and queen of the honor society. A deliciously reserved
girl with flashes of spirit in her eyes. Who'd have thought that
her life would crash and burn?

With her brown hair glinting in the sunlight as
it rippled to her shoulders, and her slender body filled out in all
the right places, Bret could see why she'd attracted the wrong kind
of attention. But he couldn't see her cheating on her
fiancé.

Richard had been made for the business world,
sucking up to the next big deal. If anyone would be unfaithful, it
would be Richard.

"Will you let me board Chessie?" Nora asked
again.

"Sure," said Bret, enjoying the relief that
washed over her expression.


I’d like to lease the use of a
riding ring, too."

"I think that can be arranged," he
agreed.

"About the cost," she said, raising her chin
again. "I can't pay. Much, but-"

"Why don’t you pay what Hoyt did?" said Bret,
knowing he'd surprised her. He'd charged Hoyt two thirds of the
going rate. "We'll just call it a personal favor."

"Are you sure?" Nora said with a puzzled frown.
"I could manage to pay-"

Bret interrupted her. "Why don't I ride back to
the barn with you and show you where you can stable
Chessie."

"Okay." A hint of wariness lingered in her
eyes. Repressing a smile, Bret turned back to the cowhands still
doctoring the calves. "Sam, you guys finish up here. I'm going back
to the ranch with Miss Hampton."

Vaulting easily over the fence, he followed
Nora to where the truck and horse trailer waited. "This is Hoyt's
truck, isn't it?" he mentioned as he got in the passenger
side.

"Yes," she admitted. "He loaned it to me to
move Chessie."

Nora started the truck with a mixture of relief
and suspicion. She wasn't sure she wanted Bret doing "personal
favors" for her. Coming from him, it seemed too ...
personal.

On the drive over here, Hoyt's old truck had
seemed as huge as a boat, but with Bret's long frame occupying the
cab with her, Nora suddenly felt constricted in the
space.

She kept both hands on the steering wheel, her
gaze pinned to the road.

Bret stared at her, his gaze slipping down her
body in a slow perusal she tried to ignore. Failing miserably, Nora
kept her eyes fixed on the road and searched diligently for
something to distract him.

"I understand Bunny got married last year," she
said.

"Yep, Iittle sister found herself a Louisiana
boy," Bret drawled, his intent gaze not wavering.

"That's nice." Glancing away from the potent
power of his charm, Nora gave up the conversation and concentrated
on driving.

Minutes later, they pulled up in front of the
barn. Eager to remove herself from his disturbing presence, Nora
jumped off the truck immediately, hurrying back to the
trailer.

Chessie stood placidly in the trailer, lipping
at some hay in the feeder.

Balancing herself on the edge of the trailer
with one foot, Nora leaned into the front to unhook the mare's
halter from the feedbox. When she jumped down and went around to
the back, she found Bret opening the gate and settling it on the
ground.

"Thanks," she said. Once the ramp was down,
Nora unhooked the hose-covered chain behind the horse's rear and
patted the chestnut mare on the rump. Chessie backed out of the
trailer.

A rush of affection flooded Nora as she grasped
the horse's halter. She threw her arm around Chessie, burying her
face in the animal's coarse mane. "It's all right, girl. I found a
place."

Some of her darkest moments had been eased by
escaping to the stables. Nora had never been able to sell the horse
even though Richard complained about the time she spent
riding.

"She's a beauty." Bret’s voice brought Nora
back to the present. "Have you had her long?"

Nora nodded, feeling foolish that he'd
witnessed her spontaneous embrace. "My father gave her to me when I
graduated from college two years ago."

"That must have been right before he died,"
Bret commented.

"Yes." she said tersely, refusing to
acknowledge the wave of grief that always threatened her when she
thought of her father.


That makes her even more special
then," Bret said, his face gentle as he ran a hand down Chessie's
neck. "Bring her on into the barn and we'll find a clean
stall."

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