Page 42 of A Cowboy's Heart

“I’d like to learn how to put the tack on too, Dev.”

“Sure. I’ll walk you through it.”

The morning passed quickly as he taught Rocky more maneuvers on Gypsy. It seemed they liked each other. When Rocky dismounted,Gypsy butted him with her head and almost knocked him over making him laugh. Devin showed him how to remove the tack and where to put it. He explained to Rocky that the code was if you ride, you put the horse up—first with a warm-down then with a cool-down.

“The warm-down is the steady reduction in exercise intensity, and usually consists of five to ten minutes of a relaxed walk. The reason for the cool-down is to prevent overheating following dismounting. The horse should be untacked immediately to allow maximum heat dissipation and then moved to a covered or shaded area with as much air movement as possible. Never let your horse stand in full tack after a ride for too long. One of the best methods of cooling a horse in hot and humid environments includes spraying or sponging with cool water. It’s something you, as the rider, should do after every ride.”

“Got it.” Rocky rubbed Gypsy’s nose. “I want to buy her. Willa asked me how I plan on getting Gypsy back to Hollywood. I told her maybe I could convince you or Jaxon to deliver her for me.”

Devin clamped his jaw down tight then took a deep, calming breath. There was no way he would make a trip to Hollywood once Willa left here.Damn her for wanting to go!

“I know a man who will haul the horse for you. He does it for a living. I’ll give him a call to get Gypsy added at the end of the month.”

“Sure. I just thought you’d want to visit,” Rocky said grinning.

“Yeah, that won’t be happening. I’ll see you tomorrow morning. We’ll start meeting every morning now. The more you’re in the saddle, the better. I’ll send one of the men to help you with Gypsy while you cool her down.”

He gave Rocky a nod and walked out of the barn into the warm sunshine. Summer was being a real bitch this year. The haze was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Literally. At least, it felt like it. The heat of the day almost had him turning around and going back inside but he also knew that the longer the day progressed, the hotter the barn would get too. It was one reason the barns had exhaust fans in the ceilings and large portable fans sitting close to the doors to keep air circulating. At times, it could be stifling inside the barns. It was early morning yet but a scorcher already. He spotted Jose walking toward him.

“Help Mr. Fontaine with Gypsy. I want him to do as much as possible on his own, but I want to make sure he does it right.”

“Got it, boss.” Jose gave him a nod and entered the barn.

He knew he could trust Jose to make sure Rocky learned the basics. He just didn’t have the patience this morning… especially after Rocky mentioned about him and Willa leaving. Damn it, he hated to see Willa go.

How had he fallen so hard, so fast? It was the damn Callahan blood. It flowed through him with the same intensity as his ancestors. All his relatives, who were in relationships, were head over heels in love—including his parents.Married for over thirty-four years, they still acted as if they were on their honeymoon.

Damn Willa. Why couldn’t she see what they had? She was so stubborn about the age difference, and Devin knew that was what was holding her back. She had the absurd idea that he’d leave her for a younger woman. Why the hell would he do that? She was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Here, on Bur Oak. Her ex-husband had been an idiot to let her go. Of course, by the sound of it, he never satisfied her so it was best she got out of that marriage. He sounded like a real ass, and Devin hoped he was happy with the bimbo he was with now. Maybe she’d teach him a thing or two. He smirked. Sounded like two bumbling fools to him.

Taking his hat off his head, he swiped his forehead with his forearm then replaced it. Christ, it was hot. Glancing toward the pool, he saw several people there already. Making a beeline for it, he hoped he saw Willa there. After he walked up the small incline, he stood by the fence and his gaze searched the area, but he didn’t see her. He knew that strawberry blonde hair would stand out.

“Hello,” a female voice said from beside him, and he turned to look at her.

“Ma’am,” he said as he put his fingers to the brim of his hat. She was a lovely brunette.

“I’m Pauline Siebert. My husband, Gordon, and I are here for two weeks. I just wanted to introduce myself. We were on the ride with you this morning.”

“Nice to meet you. We don’t get many introductions done on the ride, but we do try to know all the guests.”

“It’s fine, Mr. Callahan. I don’t know how you’d keep up with all of us anyway.” She smiled at him, and he relaxed a little when he realized she wasn’t flirting, just being friendly.

“Call me Devin. Where is your husband?”

Pauline laughed and glanced around. “He’s not much for swimming. He’s probably taking a nap even though it’s still early in the day. He grumbled about getting up before the sun.”

He grinned. “I can understand that. This life isn’t for everyone.”

“I know that’s the truth. I can’t wait for the next trail ride. Do you take all of those?”

“Not all of them. My brother takes them too. Maybe you and your husband could go on the cattle drive. It’s a two-day trip into the mountains.”

“Sounds good. Have a nice day, Devin. I need to hit the pool.” She smiled then turned from him, and that was when he spottedher.

****

Is it totally impossible for women to stay away from him?

Willa mentally shook her head as she watched the beautiful brunette fawn all over Devin.Damn man.Did he have to be so good-looking? Her mouth went dry looking at his white T-shirt sticking to his pecs and abs. Her gaze ran down his stomach to his jeans. His fly to be more specific. Why did he have to wear those damn chaps? Biting the inside of her cheek to keepfrom moaning, she couldn’t help but think back to Saturday night and it made her want to run over there and tackle him.

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