Page 5 of Cowboy Stole My Heart
Sam leaned on the wooden railings of the fence and stared at the stallion. He was gorgeous. He was the kind of horse that he loved looking at, and given the way he’d rolled his eyes and snorted at them the moment they’d come close to him, he was the kind of horse Sam instinctively knew he wanted to work with. His coat was a rich, mahogany brown, and it gleamed in the sun although covered in a light layer of dust. The white blaze down the front of his face was like a paint splash that extended all the way to the tip of his nose.
This was the type of horse he loved, and this was how he’d started out in the business. He took on horses that no one else could train, and he slowly worked them until he gained their trust, and in time changed their entire temperament toward the people trying to handle them.
“He’s a damn fine stallion,” he said to Mia, noticing that she was leaning on the fence too, her elbows pressed against the timber.
He hitched his heel on the rail and turned his body to face her, wishing he’d brought his hat as he squinted into the sun.
“You know, I think we need to start over,” he said.
She kept staring straight ahead, but he saw the kick of a faint smile. “You think?”
He laughed, knowing he’d probably sounded like a jerk. But he wanted the job now, and up until a few minutes ago, he’d thought he’d be fleeing the scene as soon as he could.
“This stallion, he needs my help.”
This time she did turn to face him, folding her arms across her chest. “You’re so arrogant that one look at him and you know you’re the right person to step in and help him?”
He’d offended her earlier and now she had her back up. He deserved it, but he wasn’t exactly sure how to handle the situation. He tried smiling. “Look, there’s only one thing in this life that I’m any good at, and it’s helping horses that have a crappy outlook on life. I can tell just looking at him that he’s too much for you to handle. Look at the arrogant son of a bitch, the way he’s holding himself and looking at us.”
Her stare became ice cold. “Really? You can tell that just from looking at me, can you? And you have the nerve to say thehorseis the asshole?”
Sam knew he wasn’t helping things, and he had no idea how to dig himself out of the hole he’d dug. “Look, I want to help,” he said simply. “You’re right, I have no idea what kind of rider or horsewoman you are, but what I do knowis that there is a big damn horse, and he either has no respect for people or he’s been traumatized. Maybe a little of both.” He frowned, considering the horse again before looking back at Mia. “But he’s too big to behave like that, and one day soon he’ll end up hurting someone, and I’m guessing that someone will be you.”
Mia turned away from him again then, something passing over her, something he couldn’t put his finger on. At the end of the day, he’d walk away and forget about the stallion if he had to, but something about the horse’s eye, the way he’d backed up the moment they’d come near, his defiant stance, spoke to him. Reminded him why he did what he did. He didn’t like giving up on horses that needed his help, and he didn’t want to give up on this one now that he’d seen him. It wouldn’t be so easy to tell Ford no, not now.
“You can’t work with me, but you can watch me,” he said, knowing he had to offer Mia something.
“Should I be thanking you for your generosity?” she asked, looking less than impressed.
“No, but if you want me to work him, then I need space, and I need to be able to do it my way.”
“You don’t work alone when you’re doing your exhibitions,” she pointed out. “I thought you liked teaching people, or is that just part of the act to get us all to come to your shows?”
Sam grinned. So she’d been to one of his shows. “No, but people don’t bring me true problem horses to those events. They bring me horses with quirks, horses they already love, and it doesn’t take me a lot to iron out those kinks. Or the young horses they bring me to start working with, they’re well-loved animals that respond quickly to my training.”
She was quiet and he watched her, intrigued when she brushed a tear from her cheek, eyes never leaving the stallion.
“I love him,” she muttered quietly, “so don’t go thinking he’s unloved.”
Sam went to say something then shut his mouth. He had no idea what he’d walked into, what kind of issues this horse had or why Mia was so loyal to the animal, but he guessed he’d slowly find out.If she let him.
“How long has he been here?” Sam asked, climbing over the railing, his back to Mia now.
“Two months,” she said. “He’s unpredictable, so don’t take your eyes off him.”
“Why him? Why did you buy him?”
She didn’t answer and he decided not to repeat the question.
“I should have bought Tex and had him put to sleep the day he arrived,” she said, her voice so low that he only just heard it. “But I didn’t, and I can’t.”
Sam didn’t need to know any more. The stallion could tell him the rest.
He watched this Tex move, entranced by the noble, arrogant way he held his head and lifted his hooves. When he stopped he snorted, pawing at the ground, his hoof thumping against the hard-packed dirt as he stared Sam down. And then he charged at him. Out of nowhere, with no warning, he aggressively galloped towards him.
“Whoa!” Sam commanded, standing his ground, staring the horse in the eye and moving towards him. He wasn’t about to start with the stallion thinking he had the upper hand, but it did strike him that perhaps his first move should have been a quick leap over the fence.
Sam moved smoothly out of his way, careful with eachfootfall, not blinking as he watched the stallion. He was in his space, and the horse wanted him out, that much was clear. His dark coat gleamed in the sunshine, his four perfect white stockings stretching up his legs to the knee, white blaze high as he defiantly held his head up.
