Page 51 of The Cowboy Comes Home

“Your dog,” he began, then stopped, not sure what to say.

“He was going to protect you,” she said. “I didn’t even have to send him. He wasnothappy when he saw you go down.”

“But he barely knows me.”

“He obviously knows enough. And he had fun this morning, something sadly lacking in his life before Chance got him. You were there for that fun, therefore, you’re to be protected. All I had to do was not stop him. Which I wasn’t about to do until I knew you were all right.”

Would she have sent the dog in if he hadn’t taken it upon himself? It sure sounded like it. That cop protective instinct again? Or…something more? Something personal, maybe? If she—

Before he could complete the thought, he heard a horsey snort and a doggy yip, and spun around. Splatter was dancing on his front hooves, side to side in an almost rhythmic way. Lobo was in front of him, head and tail up now, no sign of the ferocious growl he’d heard before. In fact, the dog almost seemed to be teasing the horse now, darting forward, then backing up. Then the paint made a similar move, toward the dog, and in that instant Tucker tensed, ready to dive between them; if he landed a hoof on the dog he could really hurt him.

Then he felt that touch on his arm again, and heard a quiet, “Wait.”

Lobo backed up. Splatter danced forward. Then Lobo darted forward again, and the horse backed up, all in that flashy, strutting kind of movement. Then the big paint came forward again and Lobo backed away again, head and wagging tail up. Then the dog crouched down in front, looking up at the horse as he gave another little yip that seemed so odd coming from the dog who had sounded like he wanted to tear the much bigger animal’s throat out.

“Are they…?” Tucker began, staring in disbelief.

“I think they are,” Emily said, sounding as bemused as he felt. “They’re playing.”

“They went from a snorting, teeth-bared standoff to playing?” He was sure he sounded the same, because he was gaping at them both, the collision between him and Splatter completely out of his head now.

Lobo suddenly darted to his right, and Tucker’s breath caught as he ran toward the big paint’s hindquarters. He started to move. The dog could really get badly hurt if he kicked out, and—

He stopped dead as Splatter spun on those hindquarters so that he was again facing the dog, who looked delighted that his big companion had figured out the next step in the game.

“I don’t believe this,” he said with a slightly awed shake of his head. “That horse has been a pain in the backside since Jackson got him, and now he’s out here playing with a dog. A police dog at that.”

“And Lobo clearly has skills even Chance didn’t know about. I can’t wait to tell him.”

“Might want proof of that,” he said with a grin.

“Good point.” She pulled out her phone and started to video the dancing duo. They were gathering an audience now. People were lining up along the fence to watch, and before long were laughing and applauding. Which made Splatter prance even higher.

And then Jackson was there, clearly curious. And by the look on his face, as astonished as Tucker was. “What the…?”

“Yeah,” Tucker agreed.

When Lobo darted directly under the horse’s belly to make his track a figure eight, and the horse spun all the way around on his right hind hoof, the applause got even louder.

“He’s got an actor’s ego. Who knew?” Jackson said, shaking his head in disbelief.

“I’d be checking his pedigree for some Lipizzan blood somewhere,” Tucker said with a laugh.

An echoing laugh beside him made him turn to see Emily right there, smiling so widely it was impossible not to smile back.

“Maybe Nic needs to check him out a little closer,” Jackson said.

“Definitely,” Emily said. “Reining or cutting potential there.”

“Cutting, definitely,” Tucker said. “He sure put me in my place.”

As Jackson went off in search of his fiancée, Emily held his gaze with those impossibly golden eyes. “I’m just glad he didn’t hurt you.”

His amusement vanished. “I’m not fragile.”

She looked puzzled. “I didn’t say you were.”

Her earlier words ran through his mind.It had to be awful for you. It makes me feel horrible just thinking about it.His stomach churned.

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