Page 9 of Captivated

“MaybeIshould be the one asking if everything is okay.” Nate frowned. “Did anything happen at the ranch? Anything you can tell me about?”

“I had a long chat with my friend Robert. He owns the ranch. I think I told you about him.” Nate nodded. “Well, we got to talking one evening, and the conversation came around to you.”

He stiffened. “And was this the first time I’d been the topic for discussion?”

He cursed himself for his reaction. The feelings of mistrust he’d fought so hard to overcome clearly still lurked below the surface, not gone at all, but waiting.

So much for therapy.

Dad sat upright and placed his cup on the coffee table. His gaze locked on Nate’s. “Until last week, all he knew was that I had a son called Nate. Period. But I’ve been thinking about you ever since we had that meeting with Dr. Lacey last month. You remember when he started talking about equine therapy?”

He nodded.

Dad seemed to breathe a little easier. “Have you given it much thought?

Nate frowned. “I had the feeling he’d only suggested it because I’d gotten so frustrated with my lack of progress.” The idea of working with horses had never entered his mind, and if he were honest, he’d approached the concept with a hefty dollop of skepticism.

But since that meeting, he’d recalled their conversation.

“Ihavethought about it a little since he brought it up.” Maybe therewassomething about building a relationship based on mutual respect and understanding that appealed to some part of him. Horses were nothing like human beings, thank God. And it wasn’t as if Dr. Lacey was suggesting equine therapy as a replacement for his regular therapy: it would be more of an add-on, something to complement his sessions.

Emotional walls surrounded Nate, looming around him, towering above him, walls of his own construction. Maybe this form of therapy would act as a last-ditch effort to break through them.

To crush them into nothing but rubble.

Then he realized he was pinning far too much hope on the idea.

“I’m not suggesting equine therapy will magically heal all your wounds, by the way.”

Dad’s voice jolted him back into the moment with another reminder that this man knew him better than anyone.

Nate smiled. “I’m glad about that.”

“But maybe it’ll open doors that have been closed for far too long.”

And suddenly Nate was listening, because dearLord, although that scared the fuck out of him, he wanted it too.

He leaned back. “What’s on your mind?”

“Salvation has a lot of horses, and then there’s the food.”

Nate smirked. “You might have already mentioned that part.” He cocked his head. “You’re not suggesting I stay with a whole lot of guys in leather, are you?”

Not my thing. At all.

Dad chuckled. “Deliverance only happens one week per month. The rest of the time it’s a dude ranch. A very different dynamic.”

His frown was back. “A dude ranch? Living with cowboys, up before dawn, riding the range?” It didn’t appeal to him in the slightest.

A dude ranch meant People.

“I’ve already discussed this with Robert. You’d have your own space.”

Nate grinned. “I’ll be sleeping with the horses, won’t I?” Not that he was considering the idea. Going to Salvation was a huge step out of his comfort zone.

Unknown territory, and that was scary as Hell, enough for him to break out into a cold sweat.

Dad regarded him in silence for a moment, and Nate knew he saw the walls closing in on him.

---