“I want to give her another piece.”
“Last one. This beauty is going to be a mama in a week or so. When she decides it’s time to have her baby, maybe you can come and see him or her.”
“Is that why she’s so fat?” Justin took the slice of apple, held it in his flat palm, and offered it to Honey. She carefully plucked the treat from him, making him giggle when her fuzzy lips brushed against his hand. He wiped his hand on his jeans, a huge smile on his face.
“Don’t listen to him, Honey. You’re beautiful.” He looked down at Justin. “She’s not fat, she’s full of horse.”
Justin laughed, and every time he did, Blake became more and more attached to the kid.
“Justin, come see.” The stall door stood open. Inside, Bud held a foal, his hands light on the animal’s neck and back. The foal’s mother waited patiently outside the outer door for her baby to be returned.
“Oh, my God, he’s so little compared to the others.”
“She’s about two weeks old. She’s going to be a champion. Her name’s Dancer’s Grace. We call her Grace. Her father was Dancer, and he was a champion racehorse. This little girl is going to run like the wind. Just like her father.”
Justin pet her like Blake showed him, starting at the top of her neck and brushing his hand down over her back. “She’s soft.”
Blake watched from the stall door. Justin had adjusted to being here at the ranch with little fuss. Sure, his past haunted him while he slept, but while he was awake, he was a normal little boy. He seemed comfortable with them. Blake wished it came that easy for Gillian. Justin was young and resilient. Gillian had spent her whole life living with her guard up. He wished he knew how to get her to shut down her defenses.
Justin brushed his hand down the foal’s neck. Maybe that’s all it would take, a gentle hand.
“Grandpa, can I give Grace an apple, too?”
Blake handed over a small piece. “Be careful. Babies aren’t as good about minding their manners. Keep your hand flat.”
“Where’s Gillian?” Justin asked for the fifth time. Although he enjoyed being with them, he still needed her.
“She’s coming.”
Ken walked up and slapped Blake on the back. Ken had been working at the ranch for about a year. Cocky, he didn’t much like being the one on a lower rung. He’d made it clear that he wanted Blake’s job. He didn’t have Blake’s smarts or his training skills. Ken was good at putting the horses through their paces, but he didn’t have the same heart and drive that made Bud choose Blake as a partner. Ken would either work the job he had for the rest of his years on this ranch, or he’d leave.
“Man, did you see the gorgeous blonde outside? Looks like she’s been in a car accident. It didn’t affect her fine ass. I can’t wait to meet her.”
Blake blocked the stall door and Ken’s ability to see Justin and Bud. Justin backed away, snuck around his grandfather, and hid behind Bud’s legs. His eyes lost their shine. Bud put a hand on his shoulder to reassure him.
Blake hated seeing the little boy frightened.
Here in the stables, guys were guys, and they talked and swapped tall tales. They used rough language and told crude jokes. Normal guy stuff. Exactly what Blake worried would bother someone like Gillian. Any woman, for that matter.
Anyone new on the ranch would draw attention, but the men would take special notice of a woman, especially one as beautiful as Gillian. Her injuries would spark even more curiosity. Ken’s interest set off a wave of unfamiliar jealousy inside Blake.
Easy way to put a stop to it. “I see you met Miss Tucker. Bud’s granddaughter.”
If Ken was smart, he’d understand that any attention he paid to Gillian could draw the boss’s attention, too.
Bud came forward out of the stall with Justin right beside him.
Ken’s eyes went wide, but he covered his surprise. “Ah, sorry, sir. I had no idea. My tongue ran away with me, I guess. It was just talk, that’s all.”
“There’ll be no talk about Gillian on this ranch,” Bud warned. “I know single women are few and far between in these parts, but you even look at her sideways, it’ll cost you dearly.”
Bud’s gaze shot from Ken to Blake and back. Blake got the message. That meant him, too.
Shit. If his interest in Gillian showed that much, he needed to rein it in.
“Gillian’s been hurt.” Blake didn’t say in what way or how. He’d let Ken think he meant her physical injuries. “She requires a lot of space, so give it to her.”
“Sure thing, boss.” Ken touched the brim of his hat.
Ken’s easy assurance didn’t fool Blake. Ken only called him “boss” when he wanted to pacify him. Blake wasn’t placated in the least. He sure as hell wasn’t convinced Ken would give Gillian the space she needed. If not, fine. Blake would keep Ken too busy to pay attention to her.
Maybe Blake was being too sensitive. Under other circumstances, he might have joked along with Ken. All in fun, but he couldn’t do it at Gillian’s expense. She wasn’t just some woman. She meant something to him. He respected her more than anyone else he’d ever known.
Before she arrived, he and Bud had discussed her coming to the ranch. They’d come to an agreement. Absolute zero tolerance for anyone making Gillian uncomfortable. This was her home, and she would live here without ever having to look over her shoulder. Blake assured Bud he’d take care of things. Before, it had simply been a chore added to his normal job. Now, it was his personal mission. Gillian was his responsibility, and he’d make damn sure no one made her want to leave. No one would ever hurt her again.
Ken glanced down at Justin, half hidden behind his grandfather. “Your mama sure is pretty.”
“She’s my sister.”
“Even better.” Ken’s voice held a ring of interest.
Blake wanted to make Ken understand that Gillian belonged to him. Not exactly a lie, just not true. He’d never been a possessive man, but Gillian brought out so many emotions in him. Hell, he was still trying to figure out what the jumbled mess making his stomach tight meant.
Justin took his grandfather’s hand. “I want Gillian now.”
“Put Grace back out with her mother,” Bud ordered Ken. He stepped closer. “Aren’t you supposed to be up at the training ring working with Domino?”
“I’m headed up there now, sir.” Ken went to put the foal out with her mother.
Bud took Justin’s hand and led him to where Dee had one of the gentler mares saddled and ready to take Justin for a ride.
Blake dismissed Ken’s interest in Gillian as nothing more than a novelty Ken couldn’t resist. Now that he knew who Gillian was, he’d drop any notion of going after her.
Blake turned to get Gillian, hoping he was right. He released his fisted hands. He needed to relax before he saw her. He had no doubt she’d read any kind of tension or anger in him immediately. The last thing he wanted to do was make her think she had to be on guard with him. Well, more than she already was.
Gillian stopped to see the horse. Boots, Blake and her grandfather called him. Easy to see why, when the black at his hooves rose up his legs and turned to brown, covering the rest of him. That is, where he still had hair. His coat was a mess. He needed the thistles in his tail and mane combed out. The poor thing couldn’t be comfortable. She hadn’t been comfortable for days, when she’d been lying on her stomach in a hospital bed. She still wasn’t comfortable with her leg in a brace and her arm in plaster.
She stood by the fence. Quiet. Still. Curious, the horse moved closer but kept his distance, standing several feet away. He hadn’t gone near his food. Tired of hurting, he didn’t care anymore. She understood the fatigue of dealing with the hurt and pain. What she couldn’t understand was giving up. She wouldn’t allow it.
Not an easy task, but she shimmied through the fence. Boots shied away. She wal
ked toward him slowly until she stood about ten feet from him. She waited, mimicking what her grandfather had done this morning. He’d seemed to stand in that pasture forever, waiting on the horse.
Gillian had always been good with animals. They took to her like bees to flowers. Gillian seemed to have something that animals wanted, and she hoped the same would be true of this horse.
“I know how you feel. It hurts when someone is mean to you.” She took a step closer and kept her voice soft and soothing. When the horse didn’t back away or take off, she took a few more steps.
“That’s it, sweetheart. I won’t hurt you. You’d like everyone to just go away and leave you alone.” She took another three steps. Still Boots stayed still, watching her.
“This is a good place. Look.” She pointed to the hay and oats Blake left for him. “They gave you some nice food to eat. I bet if you let them, they’d clean you up nice.”
She took a few more steps and stood only a few feet away from the large animal. She’d never been close to a horse. He hadn’t seemed quite so large from twenty feet back. Now, standing in front of him, she could see that he was scrawny, but tall. His head was well above hers. If she spooked him, he could run her down.
“Blake washed my hair this morning. I bet he’d give you a nice bath and get those thistles out of your coat. He’s real gentle.”
Listen to you singing the praises of a man you barely know. So he’s been nice to you. That doesn’t mean anything. He could be a real jerk who has a string of women trailing after him. Could? He probably does.
Gorgeous. Tall, dark, and handsome. She understood why women fell hard for cowboys. Blake was quite the package. Quite a man.
And you’re twenty to his nearly thirty and have a child to raise. Stop fantasizing about cowboys with hard muscles and a wide chest. There’ll be no riding off into the sunset for you.
She held her hand out to Boots, and after a minute he leaned in to sniff her. His warm breath whispered over her palm. She smiled at the small triumph.
“That’s a beautiful boy. I won’t hurt you.” Her gaze met the horse’s sorrowful eyes. A kindred spirit. “Poor baby.” She held out her arms. She didn’t really expect him to come to her. When he moved forward, she almost stepped away. In the end, his sadness called to her and bolstered her courage. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on. The big animal let out a heavy sigh that reverberated through her chest.
“That’s a good boy. You’re going to be okay.” She ran her fingers gently down the sides of his neck, ignoring the stickers and patches of missing fur. She touched him to let him know she was there. She’d never hurt him.
“I’ll be damned.” Blake watched from the fence, unable to believe the sight before him. “She got him to come to her.”
Dee and Bud came up behind him with Justin up on one of the horses, a huge smile on his face.
“Well, now, I spent the better part of three weeks trying to get close to that horse. Look at her. She just walked right up and hugged him.” Bud could have forced it, but he wanted Boots to come to him and learn to trust again. Well, Boots certainly trusted Gillian.
“She just held out her arms, and he walked right into them. The damn horse wanted a hug,” Blake said, amazed.
“Gillian hugs real good,” Justin announced.
I’d love to find out. Blake wouldn’t mind having her wrap her arms around him. Yes, sir, it would be a real pleasure.
“She’s real good with animals. She saved a bird on the pier once. No one could get close to it. It had a fishing line stuck around its neck and foot. She talked real soft and touched it real slow. He let her untangle the line. She picked him up and took him to the end of the pier and threw him in the air. He flew away. She does stuff like that all the time. She doesn’t like it when animals are hurt.”
Blake understood why. Poor old Boots had been sorely mistreated. He came from champion stock, and his last owner had used him for stud. Then the owner got a better stud and left Boots to rot in a pasture with little food. When Boots turned uncooperative, he was whipped into submission. Blake didn’t believe in the practice. No one on the ranch was permitted to resort to violence, no matter how ornery or mean the horse.
Blake called over the fence to Gillian just loud enough for her to hear him without spooking Boots. “Gillian. See if you can get him to go to his food. See if he’ll eat with you there.”
Gillian didn’t stop stroking Boots when she looked over her shoulder. “What do you want me to do, get behind him and shove?”
Blake held back a laugh but couldn’t hide his smile. Sassy woman. He liked her gumption. “No. Turn around, but keep your arm up around his neck, start walking, and see if he’ll go with you.”
She continued to stroke Boots. “You hungry? I bet you are. How about we get something to eat? I’ll stay with you. I don’t like to eat alone. I bet you don’t either. Come on.” She turned and held her arm up around his neck like Blake instructed. She took two steps, but Boots didn’t move. He watched her every move. “It’s all right. Come on.” She used her arm to pull him.
Blake, along with everyone else, let out a sigh of relief when Boots took a step forward.
“That’s it. Let’s go over here.”
Gillian walked Boots over to the food, but he didn’t take any. He stood looking at her. She bent, picked up a handful, and put it up to his mouth. He sniffed at it and tentatively took a bite. It took him a minute to take the rest. She bent to get him more. He took that handful with more vigor. She bent to get him more. Anxious, he pushed his big head into her back. As she was off balance from her leg brace, he knocked her down. She landed on her casted arm and yelped out in pain.
Blake vaulted over the fence and rushed toward her. Gillian held up a hand to stop him.
“I’m fine.” She turned back to the horse. “Go on now, eat.” Boots chomped away on the pile of food in the trough. Gillian rolled over onto her butt and sat next to him. The muscles in her back spasmed into tight knots. Eyes closed, she breathed through the pain radiating up her spine and broken arm until she could think and relax again.
Blake stayed a good ten yards away, watching.
“You stubborn horse,” she scolded.
Boots stuck his muzzle to her cheek and blew out a breath on her. She actually giggled, making Blake’s heart melt.
“Sure, now you want to kiss and make up after you dumped me on my ass.”
He blew on her hair and made her laugh again before returning to inhaling his food.
Stupefied, Blake stared. The damn horse had fallen in love at first sight with her. He was actually being affectionate. Blake could relate. He’d fallen for her, too.
“I think that horse just fell in love with you.”
“He’s like a giant dog.”
“That big dog can stomp you to death.”
Boots took a minute out of his meal to nuzzle her neck again. “Yeah. He’s a real killer. He’s going to kiss me to death.”
“I’d like to do the same,” Blake said under his breath.
“What’d you say?”
“He’s playing a game,” Blake covered lamely. “Justin’s riding. Want to come and watch?”
“Okay.” She awkwardly rose to her feet and put her arms around Boots again. “Be good. Finish your food.”
Blake wanted to laugh at her treating Boots like she treated Justin. But how could he, when Boots finally ate after days and weeks of existing on little more than the grass he cropped in the field?
“Actually, could you lead him into that stall? It’s just through there.” He pointed to the open door. “I’ll meet you on the inside. After you see Justin ride, maybe you could help me out by brushing Boots down. If you’re up to it.”
She held up her bandaged hand to show Blake that what he was asking wasn’t an easy task. “I’ll give it a shot.”
<
br /> Blake would bet she’d do anything to help Boots feel better. He’d do the same for her if she let him.
Chapter 13
It took some coaxing, but she finally got Boots to follow her into the stall after he inhaled his pile of hay and oats. She closed the outside gate and gave him another rub down his nose before she let herself out the stall door to the stables. She expected Blake to meet her and jumped when another man appeared.
“Hey there. I’m Ken. Damn.” He reached for her face, but she backed away from his calloused hand. He smiled, but it didn’t ease her mind. He took a step closer. She took two back. “No need to run away. You really got yourself banged up, didn’t you? Look at that shiner.”
“Where’s Blake?” Gillian’s heart pounded so hard against her chest that her ribs ached with every beat. Taller than her, he outweighed her by a good fifty pounds. Lean and wiry, dirty blonde hair, and a day’s worth of golden beard shadowed his jaw. Cute, but not as handsome as Blake, with his corded muscles and ruggedly gorgeous face.
When did I start comparing all men to one?
Ken eyed her up and down, obviously liking what he saw, despite her injuries. She’d seen him staring at her when she’d been in the pasture with Boots. Ken seemed okay, but right now she wanted to be left alone. She didn’t want to explain her injuries or how she got them.
“He’s out with your little brother. If you need something, I’m happy to help.”
Too close, he’d subtly closed the distance between them as she’d backed away. “Back off. Give a girl room to breathe.” She tried to keep her tone casual and still get her point across. He didn’t back off, just gave her another gentle smile. It didn’t help dissipate the fear rising to her throat, warranted or not. He still didn’t move out of her way, keeping her trapped with her back to the stall door.
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