Page 2 of What the Cowboy Wants
Checking to see whether she wasn’t hurt probably hadn’t been a good idea after that punch, but he couldn’t leave her there not knowing whether she was fine.And while running his hands over her, he noticed the spattering of freckles over her nose.For a moment there, he was about to count them.Her hair was too wet to see what color it was, but he bet it was a shade of red if the quick flare in her green eyes was anything to go by.
He rubbed his wet face with his hand.Reacting to a woman so instantly was a first.Probably the reason he’d been so furious.He hadn’t planned to shout, but he had a fright when he saw the car skidding closer to the ditch.
Sighing, he got back into his car.He liked women, all right, but he was yet to meet one who wasn’t only interested in fashion, social media, and taking selfies all hours of the day.Considering Miss Convertible’s car, sexy dress, and ridiculously high heels, she ticked all the boxes.
Rubbing his chest where a strange restlessness had settled, he started his truck again.There had been something in her eyes, though…
Shaking his head, he stepped on the gas.It wasn’t as if he was ever going to see her again.His heart skipped a beat.Or would he?Where did that thought come from?
Chapter One
Four months later
She was askittish one.Beautiful, but nervous.Cooper stepped forward.The sorrel, her red coat clearly in need of grooming and care, retreated nervously.
Never taking his eyes from her, Cooper approached her slowly.“You’re a pretty one, aren’t you?”he crooned, keeping his eyes and voice soft.“What happened?You wanna tell me?There must be a reason I found you near the stables this morning.”
Anxiously, she moved away, turning her head.Cooper stilled.As prey animals, horses’ instinctive response was always fight-or-flight, especially when they felt threatened.Even though she’d arrived at the Weston Ranch all on her own, she was tense, not quite sure whether she was at the right place.
She moved restlessly, her eyes haunted.Focusing on his breath, his eyes never wavering, Cooper looked at her until she finally fixed her eyes on him.
Around them, everything quieted down.All he was aware of was the animal in front of him and the September sun warming his back.Long moments passed.
At last, several images flitted past him.His heart sighed.As social animals horses had a natural desire to be a part of a herd, but the sorrel had deliberately been kept apart from the others, had been humiliated and hurt.That was why she’d come to him, she silently communicated.
“I’m so glad you’re here, I’ve been waiting for you.You’re safe here,” Cooper answered with his eyes.“I have friends who’d like to meet you.”
Behind him, Prince, the three-legged German Shepherd he’d found on the side of the highway a few years ago, slowly approached the horse.Following his lead were Charlie, some kind of terrier-mutt he’d found dehydrated and hurt at the entrance of the Weston Ranch a few years back and Ebony, a black Persian cat with one eye who had slipped on to his truck one day while he’d been in Marietta, the closest town to their ranch.
The sorrel neighed nervously, Prince stopped and lay down.With a whimper, he put his head on his front paws.Charlie followed suit but Ebony, never intimidated by anyone of anything, strutted forward, her head held high, her one eye fixed on the sorrel.
The horse neighed loudly, moving backward, but Ebony didn’t slow down.Captivated, Cooper watched the scene in front of him.Ebony walked right up to the sorrel’s legs where she sat down and began to lick her paws.
Cooper grinned.The sorrel wasn’t sure what to make of this.The neigh turned into a soft whinny and she stilled.Prince and Charlie saw this as a sign.They got up and moved closer.Frightened eyes turned to Cooper.
You’ll be fine.Cooper smiled with his eyes.
Finally, the sorrel bent her head and let the animals sniff her.
Cooper chuckled.“There you go.What do we call you?Ruby?”No, she didn’t like it.“Ginger?”She snorted disdainfully and told him her name.“Okay, Scarlett it is.”He grinned.
It had been a dream to bring animals, particularly horses suffering from neglect or abuse and people with the same problem, together.He’d spoken to his brothers and Willow about it a while ago already, they’d all been very supportive.
So he’d waited.Dogs had arrived.He’d given them to people who needed them.The horses would come when they were needed, he’d known.And one by one they had arrived.Most of them were in a much better condition now, and over time, he’d brought people who needed healing to meet them.He wasn’t advertising what he did, but word of mouth brought a steady stream of people to the ranch.
They had other horses on the ranch as well, and he loved working with all of them, but it was the ones who struggled, who had been treated badly that he was keen to help.
Except for his family, he tried to avoid people as far as possible.Like his sister Willow, he instinctively knew when something was wrong, when someone was hurting, but he’d long ago decided to focus his energy on animals.
He loved working with his two brothers and his sister, loved living on this ranch with his family, loved the mountains, being in nature, and yeah, he loved communicating with animals.It was way better than sitting across from someone immersed in the fictional world they’d created on their phone.He’d stopped dating a while ago because of that.Most of the women he’d tried dating were much more interested in their looks, the conversations on their phone, and the size of his ranch than they were in him.
He preferred animals to people any day.If you took the time getting to know them, they’d tell you exactly who they were and what they wanted.There were no hidden agendas.
“So who are you going to help, beautiful?”he asked as he stroked her face.
Whinnying softly, she pressed her face against him.
Chuckling, he continued stroking her.“You’re probably right, I seriously need help.You see, there’s this woman…”
