StudinTexas

by Calista Fox

  Before she headed to the stable, Reese told her Sam had gone off to pick up the horse in New Mexico. She was both relieved and disappointed she wouldn’t be seeing him for some time.

  While her fingers skated over the stainless steel of her workstation, and her mind churned, Sky said to Reese, “You might want to think about finding someone to replace me. I still own that land in Luckenbach. I’m toying with the idea of building on it. Work on my cookbook.”

  She felt safe returning to Luckenbach. Mac had, in fact, pleaded no contest to all the charges Sky had rattled off the night he’d been arrested, in addition to arson, breaking and entering, theft of her gun and extortion. The CD alone nailed his coffin shut.

  The judge had sentenced him. He wouldn’t be getting out of prison anytime soon. Sky purposely didn’t check the papers or the Internet to see what might be written about her, though her publicist had contacted her to say he’d received numerous inquiries from the media for a statement. She went with the standard request for privacy.

  Caleb maintained the additional security guards on the property, to make sure no reporters hounded her, but that didn’t fully keep them at bay. One of the reasons she thought it was time to move on, so the press didn’t hinder operations on the ranch. The other reason was equally glaring, what with the distance between her and Sam that she simply couldn’t imagine bridging.

  “No one wants you to leave the inn,” Reese told her in a concerned tone. “Why do you want to quit?”

  “It’s disruptive for me to be here.”

  “The press is dying down,” Reese insisted. “In fact, Silver Monroe’s upcoming wedding is the headlining news now. You are still going, right?”

  Sky turned away, organized a shelf that was already neat and tidy. “I don’t know, Reesie. I’m not much for being on public display these days. Lots of whispering behind my back. That sort of thing.”

  “Skylar Travis.” Reese wedged herself between Sky and the metal counter the shelves hung over, forcing Sky to take a few steps back. “Silver Monroe is your friend. She sent a gorgeous bouquet to the inn for you, to tell you she was thinking of you and to wish you well. She wasn’t the only one.”

  A lump of emotion swelled in Sky’s throat. She’d walked into a fully decorated reception area, the most amazing floral arrangements she’d ever seen set out on end tables, coffee tables, bookshelves…

  “Your friends support you, Sky.”

  “I know that, Reese. I’m not discounting that at all. I just haven’t gotten past how bad this all was. How I tried to sweep under the rug the fact that I was raped. How I thought I could handle this all on my own. How I didn’t see the bigger picture and what its impact might be on Sam…you…the ranch.”

  Reese gently clasped Sky’s biceps. “Honey, there are people on this property and out there in the rest of the world who are deeply concerned about you and monumentally relieved Mac Willet is behind bars. Even Abby has been beside herself, pacing the dining room, asking me time and time again what we can do to help you. Sometimes, Sky, we have to look beyond our personal shame and see that others just want to be there for us. Help us through. And celebrate with us when we’re back on our feet again. I know this, Sky. From my own experience.”

  Sky whisked away a few tears. Then she hugged Reese. “I hear what you’re saying to me. And I’m grateful for your support.”

  “So keep talking to the ladies in Austin that you meet with,” Reese said. “Talk to me. Keep coming to the inn. And for God’s sake, talk to Sam.”

  She let out a sharp laugh. “That’s impossible. He’s busy rescuing horses—as he should be.”

  Sky already knew that after Sam dropped off the New Mexico horse for Caleb to tend to, he was driving up to Washington state to pick up another one. He’d be gone for a week, and then he was off to Nebraska.

  “The two of you need to settle this, Sky.”

  She pulled away and stared at Reese. “You think he’ll get past this?”

  “I think he’ll realize he has no choice. He loves you.”

  Sky’s misty gaze narrowed on her friend. “Is that mere speculation?”

  “Yes. I mean, he hasn’t come out and told me that’s how he feels about you, but it’s not too difficult to see he fell hard and fast.”

  She had too, but didn’t say as much. Instead, she got back to the original subject. “I’ll be sure to give you time to find someone new, if I decide to leave.”

  “I sure hope you put a lot of thought into this. Everyone around here adores you, and you’re doing a great job. I’d hate to see you go, you know that. So would Sam.”

  “Laying low for a while is extremely appealing,” she confessed. She’d bought a guitar and had started working on new songs. She found it therapeutic and a good way to keep from thinking about Sam all the damn time.

  Reese said, “I’ve got a phone interview for the marketing position.” She gave Sky a hug. “Don’t do anything hastily, please. Put some more thought into this.”

  “I will.”

  After Reese left, Sky went down to the stable. She’d been visiting Midnight more often, since Sam wasn’t around and she suspected the stallion missed him.

  She was running a bit late today, though.

  “Dalton,” she said in greeting.

  The mental health specialist grinned at her. “Good timing. Your favorite horse was starting to get antsy. I was about to turn on the sound system so he could hear your voice.”

  “I’ll take care of him.”

  * * * * *

  Sam returned from Nebraska on an overcast Friday. He considered going straight to the inn. It’d been a month since Willet had been arrested and the news had died down, what with various other celebrity scandals and news to eclipse what had happened to Sky. The first week had been a real bitch, with Sam unable to buy something at a grocery store without seeing Sky’s picture on the cover of a tabloid at the checkout stand, along with Willet’s mug shot. The headlines drove him crazy. Made him sick to his stomach.

  He hated everyone knowing her personal business. He hated knowing it probably tore her up too. Mostly, he hated not being with her.

  She wasn’t returning his calls, though he’d finally received two text messages from her, saying she hoped the horse rescues went well. Sam continually had to bite back the overwhelming desire to tell her that, somehow, there had to be a way for them to find their way back to each other.

  Maybe now that the sensationalism of what had happened to her in Nashville was waning, they might be able to put it behind them.

  He missed her something fierce. And there really wasn’t anything Sam wanted more than to be with her again.

  As he considered heading up to the inn, one of his volunteers called out, “Sam, you’ve got a Michigan humane shelter on the phone for you.”

  He took the call in his office. While he discussed the potential for a horse to be temporarily housed at the shelter before Sam came and got him, he caught Sky out of the office window. She delivered more baked goods to his staff. She and Dalton had a brief discussion, then she moved farther into the stable.

  Sam wrapped up his business, the rep from the shelter agreeing to rescue the horse on his end and keep him until Sam made it out that way.

  With his insides knotted from the sight of Sky, Sam left his office.

  But Dalton pressed a hand to his chest to hold him back, saying, “Give her some space. She’s been coming in while you’re gone, and Midnight’s settled down from the night Willet let him out. Must’ve confused him to be freed without a bridle and he wasn’t sure where to go without you or Sky around.”

  “Can’t blame him for that.”

  Dalton’s arm dropped and he stepped back.

  Sam returned his attention to Sky. She entered the stall and, moments later, emerged with Midnight. They strolled casually down the wide aisle. She walked alongside the horse as usual, neither leading him nor tugging on the reins.

  When they reached Sam and Dalton,
she gave Sam a tight smile. Her dark-blue eyes held myriad emotions, none of which he could read.

  So he simply said, “Nice job, getting him back on track.”

  “Took some doing,” she told him. “I think with you gone so much, he needed supplemental companionship. We’ve bonded pretty solidly.”

  She rubbed the horse’s nose with her free hand. He snorted…almost playfully.

  Dalton said, “They spend time at the pens so he can see the other horses. I think he just likes being with Sky.”

  She spoke softly to the horse and then they were on their way out the oversized entrance.

  Sam watched them go. A part of him felt optimistic for Midnight’s sake, because of the progress he’d made. The other part felt an even greater wedge between him and Sky than what she’d mentioned a while back. How the hell was he supposed to remove it?

  With much agitation, he waited around for her and Midnight to return. She brushed the stallion and then cleaned up. Sam rested an elbow on the ledge of Midnight’s gate and tried to appear casual as she came back to say goodbye to the horse.

  “I really am grateful you’re working with him when I’m gone,” Sam said.

  “You have horses to pick up. That’s a necessary function of this ranch. I can pitch in when you’re away.”

  Sam glanced around the stable, and Dalton suddenly made himself scarce, stepping into the stall that housed the New Mexico horse, a very tattered-looking Appaloosa.

  “Reese said you might be leaving us.” Sam’s gut clenched at the mere thought of Sky taking off.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I feel awkward being here. Like every person I pass just wants to give me a hug.”

  “Is that so bad?”

  Her lips twisted in contemplation. Then she said, “In theory, no. In reality, I’m constantly thinking that they’re thinking about what could have happened here if you hadn’t reached me before Mac got me in that boat of his.”

  “John caught sight of the two of you from one of the cameras when Willet dragged you from the corral.”

  She nodded. “I heard.” She splayed her hand over his abs and her fingers curled around the material of his shirt. “How painful was it for you to see me lying on the beach? How painful was it for you to hear me talk about Mac raping me?”

  “Like nothing I’ve ever felt before.”

  Sky blew out a breath.

  He bent his head to hers, and whispered, “But I’m still here, darlin’. Not going anywhere.”

  His lips grazed her cheek and were about to brush over her lips, but she released his shirt and stepped away.

  She stared at him a moment, her eyes misting. Then she turned and left the stable.

  The next day, Sam poured over paperwork in his office. A suitable task on a stormy Saturday afternoon.

  Caleb popped in before dinner. He shook the rain off his hat, plopped into a chair and rested his booted feet on Sam’s desk.

  “Come on in. Make yourself at home,” Sam grumbled in a sarcastic tone.

  “Don’t mind if I do.”

  “To what do I owe the unexpected pleasure of your boots on my desk?”

  Caleb chuckled, his mood infinitely lighter than Sam’s. “Well, I just wrapped up an eval on Midnight with Dalton, and he’s convinced the horse will be ready for adoption in a couple weeks. A month at the most.”

  “Hmm. Good and bad news. I’m happy he’s recovered. Not so thrilled he’ll be leaving us.”

  Caleb eyed Sam curiously, saying, “You know Sky wants that horse.”

  He closed the file he’d been working on and set it aside. “She’s staying out at the Wades’. Jack has a good-size property, but no horse facilities. No corral.”

  Caleb seemed to give this some thought, then told him, “You have plenty of room on your slice of this ranch.”

  Sam stared at him, incredulous. “You think I ought to build on my land so I can keep a horse Sky will take care of?”

  “Oh come on. You and I don’t want that horse going anywhere any more than she does. You want to care for him too. But we need the space here in the stable. Since he’s well enough to be moved,” Caleb said as he dropped his feet to the floor, “the way I see it, you have two choices. Adopt out the horse or board it. The latter comes with a bonus.” He winked conspiratorially. “You get the pretty dessert chef coming down to your cottage every day.”

  Despite the appealing idea, Sam scoffed. “I am not going to use a horse to bribe her into coming down to the cottage.”

  “Well, whatever your current strategy is,” he said as he stood, “it ain’t working for you, bro. I suggest a new game plan.”

  Sam scowled as Caleb left the office.

  Chapter Thirteen

  It occurred to Sky, as the rain pelted the windowpanes of the quaint cottage she rented from Jack, that she had no intention of leaving the inn. If she was serious about it, she would have given Reese her resignation by now.

  Granted, she was wholeheartedly into her songwriting and even considering some performances in Luckenbach. Plus, she’d started in on her recipe book, which would be a work in progress for a while, yet something to occupy her time. Despite her other interests, though, she did not have the burning desire to walk away from her job at the Painted Horse. Now that word had spread that the inn had a baker on staff, she was getting requests for wedding cakes and other desserts for special functions. She was busier than ever—and loving it.

  The only downside was Sam. He was back from his latest trip. Sky didn’t know for how long. Seeing him in the stable nearly a week ago had been hell on her. Her pulse had raced, but her heart had constricted. There’d been a tense air between them, and she hadn’t been able to decipher the look he’d given her, other than seeing that he was impressed she’d helped to calm Midnight after his recent ordeal.

  Dalton had told her the horse would be ready for adoption soon. That left Sky scrambling to come up with a plan, because she was filing an application for him. The easiest solution would be to plop down another manufactured home on the land in Luckenbach while she had a permanent house built there. She could have the property landscaped and arrange for the appropriate facilities and necessities to be set up in a relatively short amount of time. A month from now, she could be prepared to bring the horse out.

  But a little tickle in the back of her brain made her hesitate to take Midnight from the ranch. No, she didn’t want anyone else adopting him—and she was certain she’d get first dibs, given her relationship with the horse and the fact that all of the parties concerned knew she’d take excellent care of the stallion.

  Yet she couldn’t deny he belonged at the Painted Horse. With Sam close by.

  So she made a split decision and picked up her cell phone. She hit a speed dial number and everything inside of her melted when Sam answered.

  “Hey there, darlin’,” he said in his sexy drawl that made her toes curl.

  “Hey.” She tried to get her suddenly quick breathing to slow. No such luck.

  Sam said, “Can’t tell you how glad I am you called me.”

  “I have a proposition I’d like you to consider.”

  “Wouldn’t involve a horse, would it?”

  She laughed, despite the perpetual knot in her stomach. “You talked with Caleb?”

  “He proposed I board Midnight for you on my part of the ranch. Is that something you two discussed?”

  “No. Actually, I’ve been considering taking Midnight—if the adoption goes through—to Luckenbach. I’ll turn my property into the best accommodations I can for him, but… Well, it’s just that… He doesn’t really belong anywhere other than the ranch. Don’t you think?”

  She heard a ruffling noise and figured he was settling more comfortably in a chair or his sofa. That sofa they’d made love on. Christ it seemed as though that night was a million years ago. As were all of the nights they’d been together.

  Sky suddenly forgot the reason for her call and momentarily lost herself in the remi
nder of Sam’s hands all over her body. God, she missed him. She missed his kisses. She missed having him inside her. She missed…everything about him.

  “You’re moving back to Luckenbach?”

  He snatched her from her errant thoughts. The knot pulled tight. “Yeah. Though, I don’t think I’m quitting the inn. I haven’t really made a final decision on that.”

  Sam was quiet a few seconds, then asked, “What are you proposing?”

  “Joint custody. That horse adores and trusts us both. And the feelings are mutual, so why not keep him out at the ranch?”

  More silence ensued. She would have given anything to see his expression. What was he thinking? What was he feeling? What did he really want?

  He didn’t keep her in suspense for long. He said, “The familiar setting and people would help to keep him at ease, I suspect. Aid in even further recovery.”

  “I think so too.” She gave a sigh of relief. Then she told him, “I’ll pay for everything.”

  “You know that’s not an issue.”

  “We’ll work it out.”

  “That’s not all we need to work out,” he said.

  “I’m not ready to talk about this,” she told him.

  “Are you ever going to be ready to talk about it?”

  Sky rubbed her temple where a dull throbbing took up residency. “I’m doing what you alluded to that night after Pietro’s. I joined a group. It’s helpful. I’m trying to work it all out in my mind. My soul,” she added with a pained laugh. “I don’t know. I guess more than anything, I’m just really, really angry about everything that happened, and I have to find some way to release all this anger.”

  “And to stop blaming yourself.”

  She swallowed hard. “I don’t know if that’s gonna go away. Not when I’m constantly thinking about what could have gone wrong. Who could have been hurt that night at the ranch, other than me.”

  “No one was hurt, darlin’.”

  She nodded, though of course he couldn’t see it. “Anyway, I’ve got to go. Think about the joint custody. We can fill out the app together—although, I guess that would only make Caleb chuckle under his breath since you, he and Dalton are the ones who decide upon the new owners for each horse.”