Prologue
Nicholas Howe the third was in love. This time, he was pretty sure it was the real deal. But what did an eight-year-old know of love?
As the pretty brunette girl stormed towards him, her long braids laid over her shoulders, he was absolutely positive this was the last time he’d fall in love.
“What do you think you’re doing?” The girl glared up at him.
“Ridin’,” he answered quickly, wanting to impress the girl. After all, he’d climbed on Hunter, one of his father’s horses, all by himself and had taken off to ride the fence lines. A man’s job.
His ranch had been in the Howe family for four generations. At least it would be when he finally inherited the land.
“I can see you’re riding,” the girl answered, putting extra emphases on the ‘ing’ in the word. His pa never corrected him, even though his teachers did. “Why are you here?” The girl motioned to the stand of trees Nick had stopped to rest under. There was a creek that went by them, and Hunter was drinking from the cold clean water.
“I’m just resting my horse,” Nick answered, giving Hunter a pat on the neck for show. “What are you doing here?”
Instead of answering, the girl glared at him.
“This is my creek,” she finally said.
“Yours?” Nick’s dark eyebrows rose. “I don’t think so. It’s on my land,” he said, feeling a lick of anger for the first time.
“Your land?” The girl laughed.
Nick glanced over to where her pony was tied to a low branch of the tree. It stood watching them.
“Yup, you’re on Howe land,” he answered proudly. “But I’ll let you and your lame pony rest here for a while if you want.”
The girl stopped laughing. “Lilly isn’t…” She shook her head. “She isn’t lame.” She frowned up at him.
“She’s not a horse.” He patted Hunter again. “Not like Hunter here.”
The girl crossed her arms over her chest and stuck out her bottom lip in a cute pout. Nick enjoyed it, but he didn’t know why.
“You’re too small to be riding a big horse like that.” The girl looked up and shielded her eyes from the sun to see him better.
“You’re too big to be riding such a small one,” he pointed out.
The girl’s face grew red. “Who are you?”
He smiled. “Nicholas James Howe the third,” he said, using his full name to make himself sound more important. “Who are you?”
“Kara,” she answered.
“Kara what?”
“Montgomery,” she answered. “My dad, Carl Montgomery, just purchased this land, along with our house.” She motioned behind her to the ranch home that sat at the base of a small hill.
“Then we’re neighbors,” he said, motioning behind him. “My family has owned Howe Ranch for four generations.” He pointed to his home in the distance.
The girl frowned and was quiet for a while. “You’re still on my land.”
He smiled. “Nope, you’re on mine. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think Hunter is done drinking.”
He picked up Hunter’s reins and tried to turn the massive horse back towards his barn, but the horse jerked its head, almost sending Nick falling forward over the horse’s neck.
“I told you, you’re too small for a horse that size,” Kara said, crossing her arms over her chest again.
“Am not,” he said, letting his pride get the better of him. He pulled on the reins again, but Hunter was having nothing of it. He jerked back and stomped his hoof and snorted.