Leave Me Breathless: A second chance romance

by Douglas, Katie

  Once Dylan was done reopening the wound, cleaning it out, then stitching up Betsy’s leg, she got up.

  “Keep her indoors for the next two weeks. Don’t let her get excited or spooked. I’ll come back to check on her, and if you still want to let her go, I’ll move her to the sanctuary once she’s well enough to travel, and no sooner.”

  “Thanks,” Lawson said amiably. “We owe you anything for the vet work?”

  She sighed and shook her head. “I can’t take money for that. I was just giving her the best chance of recovery. Seriously, though, you need to find another vet.”

  “Got any suggestions?” Lawson asked.

  She shrugged. “Gilders can’t be the only vet in these parts. There’s too many ranches. Call around and see who everyone else is using, or just pay a call-out fee to get someone from Phoenix.”

  “That’s fine for routine work, but what are we supposed to do in emergencies?” I asked.

  “Figure something out. That man is dangerous. He left your horse injured and suffering, after a misdiagnosis. If it were up to me, I’d be pressing charges against him, never mind calling him to work again!”

  I understood where she was coming from, but every vet we’d ever called had said they couldn’t cover this area.

  “You only live twenty miles away,” Lawson pointed out. “Why don’t you do it?”

  “Do what? Be your vet? Because I don’t practice anymore. Anyway, I already have a full-time job, and I need to get back to it.”

  She turned and left.

  “Still as stubborn as ever,” Lawson commented, once she’d gone.

  “Never made much sense, why she’d stop doing a job she’s obviously good at,” I replied. I guessed it was one of the many mysteries of Dylan Pines. She was a Rubik’s cube I was never going to solve, and I’d long-since made my peace about that.

  “At least she didn’t throw a bucket of feed at you this time,” Lawson pointed out. “That’s progress.”

  I chuckled, and nodded. Dylan really knew how to lose her temper.

  “You know,” Lawson added thoughtfully, “if you could just get her over your knee...”

  “We’ve been there before. She won’t even contemplate it.”

  “That was before three other women moved onto the ranch. If you could find some reason for Dylan to talk to Alana, Harper or Kinsley, I just bet she’d reconsider. She’s practically begging to be spanked.”

  “Her whole attitude used to make me think she wanted me to take control, but the one time I did, she lost her shit and called the cops.”

  “After consenting,” Lawson added. He knew the story. He’d had to deal with Sheriff Bob Halsey after he’d arrested me. Dylan had dropped all charges, but there was no way I was ever going near her butt unless she signed something to prove she’d agreed.

  Not that she’d ever let me get that close again. She was a cactus.

  “That girl is one big bag of mixed messages.” I sighed and went to look for a bottle of water. Dylan got me hot in ways a cool drink couldn’t fix, and I was relieved she’d gone, even if part of me wished she’d stay forever.

  Chapter 3

  Dylan

  On the drive back to Blueberry Sanctuary, all I could think of was Jake Fucking Royston. I knew exactly what he wanted from me and I couldn’t give it to him. He wanted a submissive housewife sort of woman who simpered and said all the right things and didn’t mean anything that came out of her mouth. And I was a swearing, drinking firecracker who would fight any man if I saw them mistreating a horse, no matter the consequences. He needed a woman who could put up with the fact she’d always be second after his horses. And I needed a man who would put me first.

  My heart and body were on high alert. They kept telling me over and over that he was right for me, even though my head knew he wasn’t. Anyway, that ship had sailed two years ago. Visiting the ranch had been an unexpected blast from the past but that was all.

  I would go back in two weeks for the horse, bring her to Blueberry, and I’d never have to think about him again.

  Why was that such a disappointing prospect?

  Because no one else made me feel like we were galloping at the same speed. No one else ever took me on. He was the only man I ever fell for.

  It had ended so badly, though. I knew better than to ever go there again.

  Didn’t I?

  Back at the sanctuary, Lisa ran out to see the new arrival. Oops, I never called with an update.

  “Where’s the horse?” She frowned in confusion.

  “Couldn’t move her. I mean, I guess I could have called for Dr. Hicks to put her out completely, pad the leg and transport her that way, but I really don’t like doing that because it’s not safe in a crash.”

  “The doc’s in Providence, right now, anyway, dealing with an emergency.”

  “I made the horse comfortable and I think she’ll be safe to move in two weeks.”

  I deliberately omitted the fact I’d stitched her up.

  “Great, you can collect her, since you’ve already built a relationship with the owners.” Lisa’s words were innocuous enough, but they made my face flush again. Putting the concepts of ‘Jake’ and ‘relationship’ in the same sentence was too close for comfort.

  “I’m sure anyone could follow up,” I countered, still wondering where a tropical disease was when I needed it.

  “Was there a problem?” She looked up at me, and I contemplated telling her the issues with Malcolm Gilders, but I decided against it. Not everyone had the same black-and-white mentality that I did when it came to people not doing their best for the animals in their care, and I didn’t want to start an argument. Anyway, she’d only remind me I’d never actually met him, just seen his work, and then she’d tell me what a nice guy he was.

  “No, everything was fine.” It was a lie on so many levels, but I couldn’t confide in Lisa about Jake. I didn’t even like admitting to myself what had happened between the horse guy and me.

  I headed inside while Lisa caught me up on the day’s events.

  “Steve went to collect a horse last night and it had already been taken,” she told me.

  “Another one?” I didn’t know how many had disappeared in total, but I did know this had happened more than once. There seemed to be a spate of horse thefts on the farms around here.

  “Steve got there, the owners took him to the stables, and the stall was empty,” Lisa explained.

  “Yeesh. I hope the cops are investigating.” It came to something when retired end-of-life horses were being stolen.

  Once I’d checked the day’s paperwork, I finally got an opportunity to go out and tend to the horses.

  We kept them in comfortable surroundings with room to roam. A lot of the animals we got were from people who just didn’t understand how to take care of horses, or who fell on hard times and couldn’t afford them anymore, but we also took in working equines when it was time for their retirement, like Betsy.

  “Hey there, Woodrow,” I greeted my favorite pony. He was warm brown with a white streak down his nose, and he loved when I gently stroked it.

  He snuffled the palm of my hand as soon as I held it out, and I knew what he wanted.

  “I got one for you, right here,” I told him, digging into my pocket and pulling out a sugar cube. I didn’t give the animals a lot of treats, because I was ever-wary that they needed a healthy diet, but the occasional sweet brought them joy and I didn’t see the harm in it, unless they were sick.

  Some of the horses that came to us were so malnourished, they couldn’t stand by themselves. It made me hopping mad to know people would buy horses then not feed them. Whenever I went to collect one of those, it was really hard not to give the owners a piece of my mind, especially since they were at least trying to do the right thing by surrendering the animal to our sanctuary, even if they’d messed up so badly in the first place. I wasn’t very forgiving when horses got hurt.

  Harder still was knowing how many mis
treated equines were out there in the world, whose owners wouldn’t hand them over. If we could get the SPCA or cops involved, sometimes we could rescue them, but there was plenty of low-level animal mistreatment going on that didn’t technically count as a crime, and it grated on my conscience.

  I let Woodrow finish his sugar cube in peace, while I went to check on the other animals.

  * * *

  Jake

  Dylan was supposed to return to check on Betsy, today. I’d hoped she’d come early, because we were all having a barbecue in Lawson’s backyard and I didn’t want to miss out on the food, but as the clock continued ticking, I realized that she was more and more likely to show up when Lawson was carving beef for us all.

  He always did two things together; a big slab of barbecue beef or ribs, and a smaller, quicker thing for us all to nibble while we waited for the main course. Sometimes it was sausages, but today it was hamburgers.

  Alana was out with her new baby, Poppy, who stole the show, like she always did. Today, the ranch’s youngest resident was looking lovely in a bodysuit covered in tiny green dinosaurs. That baby was just too damn adorable. Harper and Kinsley must have seen the baby pretty much daily, since the three women were near-inseparable, but as usual, they were all cooing over Poppy and taking turns to hold her.

  “Here’s hoping we can actually finish the barbecue, this time,” Clay remarked, from by the grill, and everyone laughed. Last time we’d had a cookout, Lawson and Alana had to abandon it to go to the hospital, and the rest of us had been too busy helping to eat the food for hours.

  “None of our girls are expecting, so I think we’re good,” Lawson said.

  Barrett coughed loudly, and I wasn’t the only one to look straight across at Harper, who had colored red. The same color as the can of Coke she was drinking from.

  Alana and Kinsley exploded into high-pitched cheering. I glanced back at Barrett who looked slightly sheepish and very proud.

  “Congratulations, man,” I said, unsure what else was appropriate. None of us had known Alana when she first got pregnant, not even Lawson, although he loved Poppy as if she were his own, so this was the first time anyone on the ranch had announced they were expecting.

  “Thanks. Guess I’ll have to buy new furniture and stuff,” he replied.

  “Hello? Is anyone here?” A familiar and slightly-exasperated voice called out.

  I turned and saw Dylan emerging, making her way down the path that circled Lawson’s house. She looked devastating, even in her deep blue jeans and plaid shirt, and I was rendered speechless.

  “Hey! We’re all having a barbecue! Want to join us?” Alana asked. None of the women would know Dylan and I had a history, so it made sense that they’d be hospitable, where the guys might be more wary of opening a can of worms.

  Dylan glanced at me. I shrugged, like I didn’t care what she did.

  “I don’t know, I was only here for the horse—oh my goodness, isn’t she just the sweetest little thing?”

  I stared in disbelief. Apparently, baby Poppy had magical powers. She could thaw out even the bristliest, prickliest block of ice. Dylan was completely smitten with the baby on first sight. I turned back to Barrett, feeling completely wrong-footed.

  “Told you so,” Clay murmured in my ear, before he began serving up the first burgers. I couldn’t wait to nibble on something while we waited for Lawson’s mouth-watering beef to be ready.

  * * *

  Dylan

  I’d gone over to follow up about the horse and no one had been around. When I heard excited shrieking from behind one of the houses, I followed my nose until I reached a backyard barbecue. The lemon tree in Lawson’s yard was such a familiar and dependable sight that my heart contorted.

  I remembered spending long evenings out here with all the guys, while they talked ranch stuff and drank beer. Today, everything felt so comfortable, like I was coming home after a long time at sea or something. Surprisingly, Jake was spending time with other humans and he didn’t look uncomfortable. That was new.

  I wondered what else might have changed about him over the past two years. I didn’t recognize the three women clustered on the patio. I guessed time had moved on. With a wobble in my gut, I had to face the very real possibility that one of those women was now Jake’s girlfriend.

  “Hey! We’re having a barbecue! Want to join us?” A natural-looking blonde-haired woman with slightly sun-reddened nose and cheeks called over to me.

  I looked sideways at Jake, sure he’d be frowning at the idea of anyone inviting me for food. It had been a long drive from the sanctuary, this was my third ranch visit today, all of them spread far out, and I hadn’t had time to eat lunch, yet. My stomach told me I wasn’t allowed to turn down food, especially when it smelled that good. Lawson’s barbecue was legendary, and I’d sorely missed it since things had gone bad between Jake and I.

  “I don’t know. I was only here for the horse—” My eyes fell on the baby which one of the women held. “Oh my goodness, isn’t she just the sweetest little thing?” My heart melted. The baby wore dinosaurs, which was my personal favorite thing any baby could ever be dressed in. Her head was covered with a frilly bonnet tied on with a sweet pink ribbon and her enormous blue eyes caught mine. I was captivated. She was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes.

  “Come for the horse, stay for the barbecue and the baby,” one of the women remarked. “I’m Harper.” Her bleached blonde hair was unnaturally light but it really suited her.

  “Dylan.” I’d shake her hand, but she was holding the baby.

  “Kinsley.” Another woman, with long brown hair and big eyes, waved. She looked barely old enough to leave school.

  “I’m Alana, and this is Poppy, mine and Lawson’s baby,” the woman with the mild sunburn said.

  “Hey. And congratulations to you and Lawson. I had no idea he’d... settled down.” There was no reason I should know these things. Why would I? But somehow, the fact Lemon Tree Ranch had moved on without me made me a little sad, and I didn’t know why.

  “Yeah, we’ve been together almost six months,” Alana said, then her eyes widened. I did the math, and it was obvious Lawson couldn’t be Poppy’s biological father, but I said nothing.

  “Poppy is the most adorable baby in the universe,” Kinsley confided. “She has all the guys wrapped around her little finger already.”

  I looked down at the baby. “Who knew the guys were such big softies?”

  “You sound like you’ve known them a while,” Harper said. She was too astute. I colored red and looked away.

  “Maybe I should go. I really shouldn’t be here,” I murmured. This wasn’t where I should be, anymore, no matter how cozy and familiar Lawson’s backyard was.

  “You’ve got history with one of them,” Harper added.

  “Harper! You’re doing that thing again!” Alana chided her. “Sorry, she has this knack for figuring stuff out, even when you wish she wouldn’t.” Alana gave Harper a pointed look and I couldn’t help chuckling, even if I didn’t want to bring up my past right now.

  “Jake and I had a thing. We crashed and burned about two years ago. It’s ancient history,” I said, trying to keep my voice level. It was so hard to talk about, even now.

  “Wow,” Kinsley exclaimed.

  “So you’re the girl he’s caught up on!” Alana said, looking over at the cluster of men laughing and joking about something.

  I frowned. “Caught up on? What do you mean? I’m pretty sure he never wants to see me again.”

  The three women exchanged a look.

  “Jake’s been completely chaste the whole time I’ve been here,” Alana explained.

  “That’s just because he loves horses more than people,” I countered. Surely all three of them had figured that out by now.

  “Nope. He doesn’t even look at the cheerleaders when they all watch football together,” Harper added.

  Okay, that was pretty weird. Even Jake had always had a healthy interes
t in the opposite sex. I glanced over at him again, at the exact same moment he looked this way. Our eyes met, and inwardly I panicked. Instead of looking away quickly, to make it clear I wasn’t trying to get his attention, I froze. The intense gaze that passed between us took my breath away. My mouth fell open.

  Somebody waved a hand in front of Jake’s face, but we continued just staring at one another, as if there was no one else in the yard. My legs grew weak and I sat heavily down on the grass.

  “Yep. I think we found her,” Kinsley said, while Harper handed me a beer.

  “Oh, boy,” I breathed.

  There was still something between Jake and I; an attraction so strong it reached inside me and squeezed my heart. Something I couldn’t possibly begin to fathom. It had waited, for two years, when I’d thought all feelings between us had long-since been extinguished.

  The realization made me want to cry and vomit at the same time.

  Chapter 4

  Jake

  I had been trying my best to avoid looking over at Dylan. Feigning disinterest had seemed like the right way to handle her presence at this barbecue. But when I’d glanced over, I’d been surprised by the fact she was looking at me at the same time. Our gazes had locked and I’d been mesmerized once more.

  That whole thing about eyes meeting across a crowded room? I was pretty sure it had just happened to me, and my insides were now churning into mush.

  Jeez. I needed some excuse or other to get out of the rest of this cookout, but my mind was drawing a blank.

  Someone waved a hand in front of my face and I ignored them. I was too drawn to Dylan, like if I stopped looking at her now, she’d disappear out of my life, and I’d never see her again.

  She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. I’d watched her do that so many times and it never got old. She sat down on the grass and Alana, Kinsley and Harper all crowded around her like mother hens.