by Katie Lane
“Now I don’t know about that,” Sawyer said. “A lot of ranchers have moved away from horses and just use all-terrain vehicles to do their ranching. Have you ever driven one of those? They’re a hoot. And the seats are a lot more comfortable than being bounced around on the back of a horse. Plus, all they need is gasoline and the occasional tune-up. Horses need much more work and attention.”
“You can say that again. I didn’t realize how much work until I purchased one.”
Maisy perked up at his words. “You could always sell him and buy yourself a four-wheeler.”
Daryl hesitated for a moment before he shook his head. “Black Beauty has become somewhat of a project for me.”
“A project?” Maisy couldn’t keep the anger out of her voice.
Sawyer put an arm around her waist and pulled her close as if he was worried she might attack the guy. It was a legitimate concern. “Well, you’re probably right about not selling Black Beauty. You wouldn’t get much for him, anyway. Not with his major health issue.”
“Health issue?” Daryl said. “What kind of issue? The guy I bought him from said he was in perfect health.”
Maisy didn’t know what Sawyer was talking about either. He hadn’t mentioned any major health issue to her.
Sawyer shook his head. “Well, the man who sold it to you probably didn’t known what signs to look for. But I’ve had two horses with equine mambolitis.”
“Equine mambolitis? What’s that?”
Maisy didn’t have a clue, but Sawyer seemed to. “It’s a virus that’s transmitted by a tiny horse fly. It causes swelling in the legs—I bet you’ve seen that on Black Beauty.” When Mr. Bradley nodded, Sawyer went on. “But mostly it affects a horse’s brain and behavior. It’s no wonder you haven’t been able to train him. Even an expert trainer wouldn’t be able to train that horse.”
What was Sawyer talking about? They’d been doing a great job of training Angel.
“So there’s no fixing him?” Daryl looked truly concerned, and suddenly Maisy realized what Sawyer was doing. He was talking Daryl out of wanting to keep Angel.
“I’m afraid not,” Sawyer said. “All he’ll be good for is making manure.” He paused. “Of course, I can always use manure.”
“Are you interested in buying him?” Daryl asked.
Seeing a chance to help, Maisy jumped in. “Oh, please, Saw. I don’t care if he has a bad brain and bucked me off and broke my collarbone. I love that horse and want to keep him.”
“Now, Maisy, we can’t keep someone else’s horse. And Daryl has just said that he doesn’t want to sell.”
“I might think about selling him,” Daryl said. “If the price is right.” He glanced at Maisy. “I mean, it seems like your wife has really gotten attached to him.”
She thought Sawyer would correct him, but he didn’t. “It does seem that way. I guess my life will be a living hell if I don’t please the little woman.”
The amount Daryl wanted for Angel made Maisy feel sick to her stomach. There was no way Sawyer had that much money and she resigned herself to the fact she would have to let Angel go. But instead of declining, Sawyer nodded and held out his hand.
“Then it’s a deal, Daryl.”
Chapter Thirteen
Sawyer saw the shocked look in Maisy’s eyes as he shook Daryl’s hand. He was pretty shocked himself. What the hell was he doing? He didn’t need a horse. Nor did he have thousands of dollars to spend on one. He knew where to get the money, although he knew it would come at price. If it would keep Angel safe and take the sadness from Maisy’s eyes, he was willing to pay that price.
“You can just Venmo me the money,” Daryl said.
“Sorry, I don’t have that app.” Or the money to send through it. “How about I meet you at the bank in Simple tomorrow morning?”
Daryl didn’t like the idea. “How do I know I can trust you to show up?”
Maisy jumped in and played the part of indignant wife to a tee. “If he doesn’t show up and buy me my horse, he won’t be sleeping in my bed for a month.”
That seemed to appease Daryl. After they made arrangements about what time to meet, he hopped in his truck and drove off. As soon as the trailer lights disappeared from view, Maisy turned to Sawyer.
“You have that kind of money?”
“No. But I can get it.”
She stared at him for a second before she hugged him tightly. “Thank you, Sawyer. Thank you so much.”
“I didn’t just do it for you, Maze. I’ve gotten attached to that horse too.”
“I know. I was just so sure we were going to lose him to that idiot. But you played Daryl like a fiddle.” She drew back, but kept her arms looped around his waist. He liked them there. “Equine mambolitis?”
He grinned. “He fell for it, didn’t he?”
“But if he looks it up online, he’ll know you made it up.”
“He doesn’t care enough to look it up. Getting a ranch and a horse were just a whim. The excitement of playing cowboy will wear off shortly—if it hasn’t already—and he’ll sell his fake Texas ranch and head back to the big city. He’ll never give another thought to Angel. Or should we call him Black Beauty?”
“Don’t you dare. He’s Angel.” She winked at him. “Just like his new owner.”
“Don’t try to brown-nose me just because I saved that damn horse. I need a horse like I need a hole in the head. What am I going to do with him when I leave? I can’t leave him with Chester and Lucas when he won’t even let anyone ride him.”
“I’ll get him saddle broke.”
“Of course you will. Maisy Sweeney can do anything . . .except blow bubbles.”
“I’m working on that.”
Just the thought of Maisy sitting in her trailer with her face all scrunched up in concentration as she chewed bubble gum and tried to blow bubbles made him laugh. She joined in. Seeing Maisy laugh up close was like watching sunlight dance across water. Her brown eyes sparkled and her freckled nose crinkled and her soft lips opened to reveal the gap in her front teeth.
At the sight of the gap, the memory of sliding his tongue over the slight space popped into his head. Hot, thick desire unfurled inside him and his hands tightened on her waist.
She stopped laughing and her gaze locked with his. She must have seen his lust reflected there because her eyes registered surprise.
“Sawyer?” His name came out all breathy and sexy. He wanted to let her go and step away, but his body refused to listen. He drew her closer as his head dipped.
Her lips were as soft as he remembered. As he brushed a kiss across them, they separated and welcomed him inside a warm, wet mouth that tasted like sweet nectar. He devoured the sweetness with deep pulls and gentle tongue sweeps as his hands slid down to her butt and lifted her up on her toes, pressing her against the growing need beneath his zipper.
She moaned into his mouth and scraped her fingers through his hair, knocking his cowboy hat off as she fisted his hair in her hands like she never wanted to let him go. The kiss grew hotter and wetter and Sawyer grew needier. He had never felt need for a woman as strong before.
He walked her back towards the barn. When they were hidden inside, he slid his hand under her shirt and filled his palm with soft, naked breast. He brushed over the little nipple that had been teasing him for the last few weeks and groaned as it tightened. He now understood what had happened on their tequila night. It hadn’t just been the alcohol. Or his heartache over Lauren. It had been this all-consuming desire. He and Maisy had sexual chemistry in spades. Lincoln had seen it at his and Dixie’s wedding. Which was why he’d asked Sawyer to keep his distance.
But Sawyer could no longer keep his distance from Maisy.
He started to move her back to the pile of fresh straw he’d spread that morning, when his phone pinged with an incoming text. He planned to ignore it, but Maisy pulled away. Her eyes were desire-drugged and her lips moist from his kisses. He went to draw her back, but she shook her head.
“You need to answer that, Sawyer.”
“I’d rather kiss you.”
She stepped out of his arms. “He’s your brother. Do you know how much I would love to have a brother or a sister? Someone I could share all my hopes and dreams with? Someone who doesn’t feel the need to smother me like a mother and supports me no matter what I choose to do? If the texts are any indication, your brother loves you. And you aren’t even going to his wedding. That’s just sad. I don’t know what he did, but whatever it was, you need to find it in your heart to forgive him.” She stared at him with big brown eyes that held all the innocence he’d lost. “You have a big heart, Sawyer. You just proved it by buying a horse you didn’t need. Now prove it again.”
Without another word, she turned and walked out of the barn.
When she was gone, Sawyer sank down to the hay bale and ran his hands through his hair. Maisy didn’t understand what Mattie had done to him. She didn’t understand the pain of finding out your brother and the woman you were planning to marry were cheating with each other behind your back.
For over a year, Sawyer had pushed any thought of that fateful day from his mind—refusing to relive the hurt and pain—but now he let the memories come.
He had been late getting home because he’d broken a rib at the Cheyenne rodeo and had spent a few days resting up before the long drive back to Dallas. On the way into town, he’d stopped to buy a big bouquet of flowers for Lauren, and he planned to take her to a nice dinner to make up for his delay. But when he got to their apartment, she was already having dinner . . . with Mattie. Sawyer hadn’t thought anything of the candlelight or the nice meal spread out on the table. He had asked Mattie to keep an eye on Lauren while he was traveling for the rodeo. Mattie was just doing his job.
But it turned out his brother had done his job a little too well.
Sawyer realized something was wrong when he went to kiss Lauren and she burst into tears and ran from the room. He turned to Mattie for answers and the guilty, sad look on Mattie’s face said it all. His brother had lifted shaking hands and signed the words that ripped out Sawyer’s heart.
We didn’t mean for it to happen, Sawyer. We didn’t mean to fall in love.
When Mattie confessed, Sawyer felt like the ground had disappeared from under his feet and he was freefalling into a black abyss. And if he was honest, it hadn’t been Lauren’s betrayal that hurt him the most. It had been Mattie’s. For most of his life, Sawyer had given up center stage so his brother could have his turn to shine, and Mattie had stabbed him in the back by taking the only thing Sawyer hadn’t wanted to give.
At least that’s how it had felt at the time.
Looking back now, Sawyer realized he had pretty much given Lauren to Mattie on a silver platter. Sawyer spent a good eight months out of the year traveling to different rodeos. When he’d been home, he’d tried to make up for it by taking Lauren out to dinner and dancing. But he’d never given her the two things she’d wanted most: a stable life and a wedding ring. He’d thought up every excuse under the sun why they couldn’t get married yet.
Maybe that was why Sawyer wasn’t angry with Lauren and why he was still so mad at Mattie. Mattie had found happiness and accepted it with open arms, while Sawyer just kept pushing it away.
His cellphone pinged again. He only sat there for a second before he picked it up and read it.
I can’t do it. I love Lauren, but I can’t marry her if it means never seeing my brother again.
The words knifed right through Sawyer’s heart. He had wanted Mattie to pay for his betrayal, but now he realized he didn’t want his brother to pay for the rest of his life. That’s exactly what would happen if Sawyer made Mattie choose between him and the woman he loved. Maisy was right. Sawyer was lucky to have a brother like Mattie who had always supported him in whatever he wanted to do. It was time Sawyer did the same.
He sat there struggling to find the words to text back. After typing and deleting numerous messages, he decided to keep it simple.
What time is the wedding?
It took a long, anxious moment for Mattie to text back. Had he already broken it off with Lauren? Sawyer would never forgive himself if he had. Thankfully, Mattie’s response finally showed up.
I never meant to hurt you.
Sawyer knew that. But damned if it hadn’t hurt. Although the pain had lessened in the last few weeks, and Sawyer knew Maisy was the reason. He liked being with her. She was funny and witty and never let him get away with anything—like ignoring his brother. If not for her, he wouldn’t be standing there texting with Mattie.
We’re good, Mattie. We can talk more at the wedding. After sending the text, a thought struck him. He had planned to ask his parents for the loan to pay for Angel, but Mattie had always loved horses so he fired off another text. How would you like to give Lauren a horse as a wedding gift?
Mattie quickly replied. I’d love it, but Lauren wouldn’t. She hates to ride. And if you bring a horse to the wedding reception, she and Mom will kill you.
Sawyer laughed. It had been a long time since he laughed with his brother. He texted him back with Angel’s story. After hearing about the abuse, Mattie didn’t hesitate to offer a loan. Pay me back when you can, but you keep the horse. It sounds like you’ve already fallen in love with him.
It was true. Sawyer did have a soft spot for the ornery animal as much as Maisy did. As he said goodbye to his brother and headed out of the barn, he felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He didn’t just have a horse. He had his brother back.
Outside the barn, he glanced around for Maisy and saw her in the paddock with Angel. He picked up his hat and started to join her when he noticed Chester and Lucas sitting on the porch.
“So I guess that was Angel’s owner?” Chester said.
Sawyer dusted off his hat and pulled it on before he walked to the porch and climbed the steps. “Not anymore.”
Lucas laughed and slapped Chester on the arm. “You owe me twenty dollars, Chess.”
Chester shrugged. “I’ll gladly lose a bet if it means that city slicker can’t get his hands on Angel again. I’ve never wanted to blow a hole in someone so badly as I did that cartoon character of a cowboy.” He looked at Sawyer. “You should’ve at least punched him in the nose.”
“I got the horse. That’s all that matters.”
“You planning on taking him with you when you go?” Chester asked.
“I’m not leaving. At least not for a while.” For some reason, the thought of not returning to bronc riding right away didn’t make him feel as anxious as it usually did.
“What happened to you being antsy as hell to get back to the rodeo?” Lucas asked.
Sawyer shrugged. “The rodeo’s not going anywhere.”
Chester and Lucas exchanged smiles. “No, I guess it ain’t,” Chester said as he spit a stream of tobacco off the porch. “I don’t guess this has anything to do with a certain cowgirl, does it?”
“Not a thing.”
About then, off-key singing drifted from the paddock. The words to the Willie Nelson song were all wrong, but just hearing Maisy’s singing made Sawyer smile. The smile deepened when he noticed the saddle on Angel.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” he said. “She does speak horse.”
“I think the horse is just stunned,” Lucas said. “I like that little gal, but she has the worst voice this side of the Pecos.”
Sawyer laughed, but his laughter faded when Maisy hooked a foot in one stirrup. “Damn that stubborn woman!” He started down the porch steps, but Chester grabbed his arm.
“Now don’t go running in there with your pants on fire or you’ll spook that horse and he will throw her.”
“But she can’t handle him. Especially with her injury.”
“It looks like she’s handling him pretty well to me,” Lucas said.
She was. Even with only one hand on the reins, it was obvious she had control of the horse. She started Angel
at a walk and then moved him into a trot. It was mesmerizing to watch how attuned she was with Angel.
Sawyer’s cellphone pinged with an incoming message. He took out his phone and read it.
Lauren wanted me to make sure you know you can bring a date. But I told her few women can handle wild Sawyer Dawson.
Sawyer glanced back at the corral and the woman riding the big black stallion and singing at the top of her lungs.
“My heroines have always been cowgirls . . .”
He smiled as he texted Mattie back.
I think I can find someone who can.
Chapter Fourteen
“Why are you so nervous?” Maisy shot a glance over at Sawyer—something she’d been doing a lot of since he’d met her in the lobby of the fancy Dallas hotel dressed in a dark western suit that hugged his broad shoulders and a black Stetson that cast his blue eyes in tummy-tingling shadow.
Sawyer stared out the windshield. “I’m not nervous.”
She looked down at his knee bouncing up and down. “Really?”
He finally glanced over and noticed where she was looking and stopped bouncing his knee. “That’s just a twitch.”
“Funny, but you’ve had that twitch ever since we left Simple.”
“My leg wouldn’t be twitching if you’d let me drive. I feel antsy when I’m sitting in the passenger’s seat.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault your old truck wouldn’t start and we had to take mine. My truck. I drive.”
He snorted, and his leg went back to bouncing. It bounced faster and faster the closer they got to the church where his brother’s wedding was being held. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore and reached over and placed her hand on his knee. He stilled immediately and looked at her. The same raw and needy thing Maisy had been fighting ever since their kiss at the Double Diamond flared up inside her. It took a real effort to pull her hand away and concentrate her attention on the road.
