Page 25 of Captivated

“He can tell you’re scared.” Zeeb’s voice was easy, calm, like the ripple of a slow-moving stream. “Horses are like that. They mirror what you’re feeling.”

Nate didn’t look at him. His shoulders were drawn up, rigid, the fine tremor in his fingers betraying how hard he was working to keep himself under control. “I’m not scared,” he muttered.

Hewasn’tscared. He was just wound up tighter than a two-dollar watch.

“Okay.” Zeeb stretched the word out easy and warm. He took a step toward Nate, but not too close, keeping his movements loose and non-threatening. “You know, Sorrel’s not the trusting type either. He came here skittish as hell. Took weeks before he let me near him.”

Nate shifted his weight awkwardly, finally glancing Zeeb’s way. “What changed?”

Zeeb gave him a faint smile. “Patience. And letting him take things at his own pace. You can’t force trust. You gotta earn it.”

For a moment, Nate didn’t respond. His gaze flicked back to the horse, a battle playing out inside him, the instinct to retreat warring with the quiet ache to connect.

“Here,” Zeeb held out the coiled lead rope. “Breathe easy. Don’t rush him.”

Nate hesitated, his body so tightly wound it felt as though he might snap at any second. He unclenched his fists and reached for the rope. Their fingers brushed, a fleeting connection, and Nate flinched at the contact, the sharp, electric awareness of being too close.

“Good,” Zeeb murmured, retreating a little to give him space. “Now, take a step closer and hold your hand out flat. Let him come to you.”

Nate exhaled sharply, trying to push the weight off his chest, and did as Zeeb instructed. His movements were hesitant, but Sorrel’s ears flicked forward. Nate could almost see the tension easing in his body.

He won’t harm me. He’s a gentle soul.

For a moment there, Nate wasn’t sure if he meant Sorrel or Zeeb.

Zeeb stayed quiet, watching the two interact. As a rule he liked to be active, but there were times when he preferred to be patient and still, and there was something about Nate that made him want to tread carefully. Underneath all the jagged edges and defenses, Zeeb could sense something else. Something raw and real.

And maybe, just maybe, worth waiting for.

Sorrel stepped forward, his velvety nose brushing Nate’s outstretched hand. The look on Nate’s face shifted from guarded to something softer—surprise, maybe even a flicker of awe. But as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, buried beneath the mask he always seemed to wear.

“See?” Zeeb smiled. “He doesn’t hate you.”

Nate swallowed hard, drawing his hand back as though the contact burned.

“Can we do this later?”

“Whenever you want. You’re writin’ this schedule.” Zeeb stilled. “I could take you for a ride. Not on a horse,” he added quickly. “There’s a wagon free. We could take that. And you could bring your artist stuff. I could even pack us something for lunch so we wouldn’t have to come back until supper time. That way, if you found a spot you liked, we could stay a while.”

It didn’t take a whole lotta brains to guess what caused Nate’s nervous flinch.

“I know it’s a bit much askin’ you to take a ride your first full day,” Zeeb remarked. “Especially when you’ve known me all of five minutes. But maybe this is one of those times when you just go with it.”

Nate frowned. “But what would you do while I was drawing or painting?”

Zeeb chuckled. “Read. Something I don’t get a chance to do when guests are here. I’ve got a book I started nearly a month ago, and I’m only halfway through.”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather be with the other guests?”

And there he is, givin’ me an out.

Only one problem. Zeeb didn’t want to be with the others. The guy with the guarded green eyes was much more interesting.

Zeeb gave a mock gasp. “You wanna be rid of me already?” He kept his tone teasing and light.

Nate flushed. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Your being here is giving me a chance to breathe, to think.” That much was true. As much as Zeeb loved his life on the ranch, the chance to spend two weeks at a very different pace was something of a rarity.

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