by Liv Brywood
As he turned to walk back into the forest, his bear grumbled.
She’s our mate.
Impossible, he told his bear.
The creature had to be confused. There was no way that she could be their mate. She wasn’t even a shifter. She knew nothing about their kind and she’d be in danger if she ever found out about them. They could never be in a real relationship, so there was no point in thinking about her as anything other than a sexy diversion for the rest of the week.
Chapter 6
After spending the morning walking around the lake, Donna strolled through the B&B’s property. She’d just stepped into the shadow of the big, red barn when she heard a commotion coming from the other side. Curious, she edged her way around the structure. When she reached the other side, her eyes went wide.
Logan Grant, one of the brothers who owned the ranch, was trying to block the broken gate to the horse paddock. Several horses had already escaped, while a few grazing horses remained in the paddock.
Two horses stampeded by. The whites of their eyes showed fear as they raced past her, almost knocking her over. Apparently they weren’t used to freedom. She knew the feeling.
She ran over to help Logan.
“What can I do to help?” she asked.
“Just go back to the house. It’s too dangerous out here with those two on the loose,” he said.
“Do you want me to help you catch them?” she asked.
“No,” he said gruffly. “I need you to get out of the way so you don’t get hurt.”
She frowned and turned back toward the B&B. On the other side of the barn, she spotted one of the loose horses. When the chestnut mare whinnied and tossed her head, Donna held her hands up to show the horse that she wasn’t going to harm her.
But the horse wasn’t having any of it. She reared up and snorted as the other horse came tearing around the corner. Logan raced over. He froze as the horse bucked and whinnied.
Move! He mouthed. She shook her head no. She knew she could help. This wasn’t the first time she’d encountered an equestrian escapee. Back on her ranch, they’d had a problem with one of their fences and thirty head of horses took off through the valley.
When the horse stopped to paw at the ground, she made her move. She inched closer, carefully watching the horse’s ears. The moment they flicked forward, she paused. When they relaxed, she took another step closer.
“Nice, horsey,” she whispered. “Are you gonna be a good girl and let me ride you?”
“Donna,” Logan hissed.
As the horse whipped her head around to look at him, she closed the distance and grabbed a thick handful of her mane. The horse almost immediately bolted, but not before Donna had hopped up onto her back.
“Holy shit,” Logan said.
She ignored him and focused all of her attention on the furious horse. The beast galloped across the field, but she held on with every ounce of strength in her arms. And who said yoga didn’t do anything?
As the horse slowed to a trot, she patted the side of the mare’s neck.
“That’s right, girl. Calm down,” she murmured.
Logan carefully advanced with a lasso. He captured the other horse and led him back to the paddock.
She dug her heel into the horse’s flank just enough to get her moving again. She used her mane as reins and steered her back toward the pasture. Logan hurried over to open the gate. After walking past Logan, she dismounted. She brushed the horse’s hair off of the inside of her thighs.
“Well, that was enough excitement for me for one day, how about you?” Logan pulled his Stetson off to wipe his brow.
“Absolutely.” Donna patted the horse’s shoulder before exiting the paddock.
“Thank you for your help. I have to say, I’m really impressed. I never expected you to hop up onto Brownie’s back like that. I thought you’d be too afraid to break a nail.”
“I may look like a delicate butterfly, but underneath all this?” She flexed her biceps. “Pure steel.”
He laughed.
“I’ll give you a holler if these guys bust out again,” he said.
“I’m happy to help.”
She brushed a lock of sweaty hair out of her face. Her jeans were completely covered in dirt, but she didn’t care. This was the most fun she’d had—other than the time she’d spent in Brody’s bed—in a long, long time. She missed her horses. When she got home, she’d be sure to do more riding.
While Logan explained the fine art of fence-mending, she spotted Brody striding toward them. His curious gaze darted back and forth between her and Logan. Although he smiled politely, tension tightened his jaw. Was he jealous?
“Hi Logan,” he said before turning to greet her. “Hey there. Are you getting ready for some riding lessons?”
“Nope,” Logan replied. “She just helped me catch a couple of strays. The horses got loose again. I can’t get this damn gate to hold, so I’m wiring it shut until I can replace it tomorrow. Believe it or not, underneath all that hairspray and makeup, she’s a real cowboy at heart.”
“See?” She grinned at Brody. “I’m not always a high-maintenance princess.”
“I can testify to that firsthand,” Logan said. “She’s one hell of a wrangler. I’ll catch up with you guys later. I’ve got the horses penned in for now, but I need to run up to my place and see what I can come up with for a new fence.”
After they’d said their goodbyes, Brody reached through the fence to pet the horse’s muzzle. He cast her a thoughtful look.
“I didn’t know you had experience with horses,” he said.
“I live on a ranch, so it’s part of the deal. Of course I don’t do all of the day-to-day dirty work, but I do enjoy riding them from time to time. They’re such beautiful creatures,” she said as she smiled at Brownie.
“That they are,” he said. But he wasn’t looking at the horses; he was looking at her.
“I don’t mind getting dirty every now and then, as you already know,” she said in a sexy tone. “But I’m not averse to working. I can only sit around painting my nails for so many hours before I get bored. I’m just blowing your mind here, aren’t I?”
“Yeah, a little bit,” he admitted. “I thought you said you didn’t have to work? I mean with all that money… I don’t see why anyone would.”
“I didn’t have to, but I’m not totally inept. I have a cosmetology license and I sit on the boards of a few charities. They really just want me for the money, but I don’t mind if it’s for a good cause. Lounging around doing nothing all the time doesn’t appeal to me, so I try to give back to the community as much as I can.”
“Really?”
“Don’t sound so surprised,” she said. “I’m not a ditzy socialite who sits up on her high horse while blowing money for the hell of it. I try to find meaningful ways to use my wealth. I can only own so many Prada bags, you know.”
“There are a lot of good, small charities in the area. We’ve got one close to where I live. When my sister was growing up, we used to take her to a ranch not too far from ours that specialized in hippotherapy. Spending time there changed her life.”
“Hippotherapy?”
“It’s a special kind of therapy,” he said. “At the ranch, special needs and physically disabled children work with horses to do all kinds of things to improve their lives. It helped Lizzie build up her muscle tone, improve her flexibility, and it even fixed her posture. For autistic kids, just being able to touch the horses helps them express themselves better.”
“I had no idea that was even a thing. And it really helped your sister out?” she asked.
“Yep. She improved so much after she started going to the ranch. All of her psychological, physical, and physiological challenges improved over time. Before she started therapy, she was very shy. She had trouble with spatial judgment and awareness of her own body. She fell a lot. But after she started the hippotherapy, she blossomed into a happy kid and she’s been amazing ever since. I
owe that ranch so much.” His voice hitched and his eyes shimmered with moisture.
“You really love your sister, don’t you?” She grasped his hand and squeezed.
“Yep. That’s why I have to do right by her.”
Brody’s love for his sister tugged at her heart. She loved the way his eyes lit up when he’d explained how hippotherapy worked. If they could do that much good in one child’s life, how much good could they do for others? A sudden desire to see the ranch overcame her.
“Where’s this ranch located?” she asked.
“It’s about halfway between West Yellowstone and Big Sky,” he said. “I volunteer there whenever they have projects that require manual labor. It’s my way of saying thank you for helping Lizzie.”
“I’d really like to go visit,” she said.
“Really?” Brody stopped short. “Well… maybe we could do that sometime in the future.”
“I’d like to go now.”
“Uh, it’s over an hour’s drive from here and we’re supposed to be in the kitchen for the next lesson in an hour,” he said.
“We’ll tell Madison we’ll be back for dinner. And don’t worry about the drive time. I’ll just call my driver.”
“You have a driver?” he asked.
“Better. I have a helicopter.” She winked as she turned and pulled her cell phone from her back pocket.
***
From inside the helicopter, Brody scanned the winter wonderland below. As they followed the winding Gallatin River, he glanced at the incredible woman by his side. Just when he thought he’d known who she was, she’d surprised him yet again. He didn’t know what to make of her anymore. But he didn’t have to. She’d made it really clear that she wasn’t interested in anything other than a week of mindless fun. He just couldn’t understand why he spent so much time thinking about her.
After landing, they walked toward the main barn. The Hooves and Hands sign he’d installed last summer hung over the doors. He’d spent hours carefully crafting the wooden sign and he loved seeing it displayed right out front. Pride swelled his chest for a moment before the pitter-patter of claws against his belly soured his stomach. He had no idea how Donna would react to the therapy center. Maybe this was a huge mistake.
Evelyn, the director of the program, pushed open the door. She grinned when she spotted Brody.
“Sugar, what are you doing coming up over here on such short notice? I would have laid out a spread for lunch had I known you were coming,” Evelyn said. She was in her late fifties with short, bob-style brown hair. She sported her signature look, a well-worn pair of jeans and a sky-blue polo shirt. “And who’s this?”
“I’m Donna Bluestone.” She extended her hand, but Evelyn pulled her into a friendly hug.
“Honey, any friend of Brody’s is a friend of mine,” Evelyn said as she turned to give Brody a bear hug strong enough to crush his ribs.
“Oh, okay,” Donna said. She flashed a crooked smile at Brody as if unaccustomed to affectionate greetings.
“Welcome to Hooves and Hands Equestrian Therapy. I’d be delighted to show you around,” Evelyn said.
“That sounds fun,” Donna said.
“I like the new ‘do,” Brody said as they walked into the barn. “What made you cut it?”
“I thought it was time for a change.” Evelyn laughed, running her hand over her brown hair. “I’ve had the same ol’ hairstyle for over thirty years. Johnny always tells me I still look like the same young girl he married when we were only twenty-two, but I’m starting to feel the years.”
Evelyn began the tour in the horse-petting area within the stable.
“This is where we introduce the kids to the horses.” She swept her hand toward a small ring. “Some of the kids are paralyzed, so we lift them onto the horses and help stabilize them.”
“I had no idea this type of therapy existed,” Donna said. “What made you interested in it?”
“When I was in grad school for physical therapy, I was looking for a new way to interact with patients. I landed an internship in a hippotherapy treatment center and I absolutely fell in love with it. I met my husband on the ranch and I never looked back.”
Although Brody had heard the story several times before, his heart warmed. Evelyn and Jonny were almost like second parents to him. Their happiness gave him hope that he could find the love of his life one day too.
They moved outside to an area dedicated to outdoor training rings. In the center of one of the rings, a young teenage girl sat in a wheelchair with a scowl on her face. The trainer spoke in a gentle but firm tone.
“Ashley, we’ve been sitting out here for thirty minutes and our time is almost up. I promise you won’t fall. I’ll be with you the whole way.”
“No.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
Evelyn opened the gate to the ring and walked over to Ashley. She bent down to talk to her.
“Honey, it’s okay. Sunshine is a very calm horse. She loves to be ridden and I think she’d love to have you sit on her for a minute. Why don’t we try to lift—”
“No,” Ashley said emphatically. “I’m not getting up there on that thing. She doesn’t look very safe and I don’t want to ride her. I’ll just fall off and break my back again.”
Evelyn sighed. “Sweetie, we wouldn’t put you on Sunshine if we didn’t think she was safe.”
“No.” Ashley poked her lip out. “I’m not a cowgirl, so I can’t ride a horse. Horses don’t like me, anyway.”
“You know what?” Donna said as she entered the ring. “I’m not a cowgirl either. But I’ll make you a deal. I’ll get on the horse first to test her out. If she’s nice and calm, then maybe you could ride her next. What do you think?”
Ashley’s brows knit together for a moment before relaxing. When she nodded, Donna grinned. She walked over to Sunshine and stroked her muzzle a few times before hooking her foot into the stirrup and pulling herself into the western-style saddle.
Brody’s eyes went wide. She’d just hoisted herself up as if she did it every day. She’d mentioned having horses, but he never pictured her actually riding them.
She took time to loop the reins through her fingers. Displaying perfect horseback riding posture, she guided the horse around the edge of the ring. After a few laps, she nudged the horse into a trot. As Ashley followed her progress, the grumpy expression on her face morphed into wonder. By the time Donna returned to the center of the ring, the girl’s frustrated, negative attitude had completely changed.
“That was a lot of fun,” Donna said. “Do you want to take a ride too?”
“I’m too heavy with my back brace on,” Ashley said. “I don’t want to hurt her.”
“That’s very sweet, but you don’t have to worry about all that. Sunshine is a very strong horse. She can easily carry both of us, even with your back brace on.”
“Both of us?” Ashley asked.
Donna glanced at Evelyn, who nodded.
“Yes. Would you like to ride with me?” Donna asked.
“I guess,” Ashley said.
The fear returned to her eyes as the trainer lifted her out of the wheelchair. Brody rushed to help lift her onto the horse in front of Donna. Over the girl’s head, Brody met her gaze. She smiled as if she coaxed terrified teens onto horses every day.
Once they’d settled Ashley into the saddle, Donna started out at a slow pace. After several laps, Ashley visibly relaxed. And by the time they’d circled the ring a dozen times, she was laughing.
Brody folded his arms across his chest, slowly shaking his head in disbelief. Donna had a gift. She had the ability to convince a teenager to do something she didn’t want to do. That was a miracle in and of itself. He watched her with a new awareness. The more time he spent with her, the more layers she revealed.
He couldn’t help but wonder if she would be so kind and gentle with all children. Even though his sister was an adult, he never stopped thinking of her as a child who needed to be protected. Would
Donna treat Lizzie with the same amount of love and respect she’d just given to a complete stranger?
After they’d finished the ride, Ashley thanked Donna for talking her into getting onto the horse.
“Ever since the car accident,” Ashley said, “I don’t trust anything that moves too fast. But I liked Sunshine.”
“Would you want to ride her again?” Donna asked.
“Yes.”
“That’s wonderful, sweetie,” Evelyn said. “You did a great job today. Sometimes it’s hard to take the first step toward something new, but you did it.”
Brody glanced at Donna and wondered if she was willing to take the first step toward a new relationship.
Evelyn walked them out to the turnoff on the side of the road where the helicopter waited.
“Thank you so much, Donna,” she said. “Ashley’s a tough case. Today was a major breakthrough and it wouldn’t have happened had you not been here.”
“I’m glad I was able to help.”
“You’re welcome back anytime,” Evelyn said before giving her a hug.
“It was good to see you.” Brody leaned down to hug her.
“Bring Lizzie by the next time you come,” Evelyn said. “I miss seeing her.”
“She practically lived here last summer,” Brody said.
“Well it’s winter now, so bring her around.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said.
After helping Donna into the helicopter, he turned to wave at Evelyn.
“They really care about those kids, don’t they?” Donna asked.
“Absolutely. They’re good people.”
She nodded as if he’d confirmed something for her. Her brown eyes sparkled as she graced him with a stunning smile that rendered him speechless. As the helicopter lifted off, he reached over and took her hand. Maybe he was dooming himself to heartbreak, or maybe he was taking a huge step of his own. Either way, he’d know where he stood by the end of the week.
