Page 8 of Cowboy Stole My Heart
“I’m not giving up on that horse, Kat. Not now, not ever.” She owed it to Kimberley to look after him, and she would find a way to get through to the difficult horse even if it took her years. “When I received that phone call when I was away, that he’d finally been found, it felt like a reason to come home. I want to give him a real chance.”
“Well, let’s get another bottle of wine, stop talking horses, and eat that pizza. I’m starving.”
Mia grabbed her friend and gave her a big hug, holding her tight. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Kat mumbled against her.
“For not giving up on me even when I’m a pain in the ass.”
They both laughed and Mia finally let her go. Things had been rough for a long while now, but she’d always had Kat to make her laugh and get her through the hard times, and she wouldn’t have survived without her friend by her side.
“Just promise me that if he hits on you, you won’t go all mean girl on him again.”
“Kat!” Mia yelled, sliding the pizza expertly onto a plate before she followed her friend out the door.
Kat was holding the bottle of wine she’d retrieved from the fridge and sporting a smile so innocent it was ridiculous.
“I’m just saying. He’s a handsome guy and you’re a gorgeous girl. Sometimes…”
“I know how the world works, Kat. I don’t need the birds and the bees talk, okay?” She grinned. “Right now I think he hates me, but I promise, if he deals with Texthentries to rip my clothes off and take me to his bed, I won’t say no.”
Kat giggled, and Mia felt like they were teenagers talking about a crush all over again.
“See, it wasn’t that hard to admit he was hot, was it?”
Mia groaned. “Seriously, tell me why you’re my friend again?”
***
Sam had his arm slung around his dog as he turned into the River Ranch driveway for the second time. The big, dominant trees waving their limbs above the extravagantly wide driveway still caught his eye, and he admired the pristine timber fences and perfectly mown grass. It was one hell of an entrance.
Earlier in the day, when he’d been sitting out on his porch watching the sun come up, sipping his coffee before going down to the horses to feed out, he’d wondered what the hell he’d agreed to. But something about the stallion had stuck with him, something he couldn’t shrug away, and there’d been a look in Mia Ford’s eyes that told him the horse was special. He’d probably been a jerk to her, but he’d met her type a hundred times over, except for the getting her hands dirty part, although he hadn’t actually seen her do that yet. It wasn’t that he was jealous of the money she’d grown up with—his best friend had his boots firmly planted on the ground, and his family was worth a fortune—but then his friend had forged his own way in the world. He doubted Mia had ever gone a week without using daddy’s credit card.
“We’re here,” Sam muttered to his pooch, raising his eyebrows as he looked at Blue. They’d been glued at the hip since he’d arrived back, and his dog had taken the seat beside him and ridden shotgun the entire way. “How the hell am I so damn good at training horses, but I can’t ever get you trained to sit in the back?”
He scratched Blue’s head and then signaled for the dog to wait in the vehicle. He received a whine in response, butthe dog did lie down, head on his paws, looking woefully unimpressed.
“I won’t be long. Let me see if you’re allowed out first, huh?”
Sam crossed the gravel forecourt outside the stable complex and looked around for Mia. She’d said the horses were her domain, but he didn’t see her. He walked over to the stables and smiled when three sets of noses poked out over the wooden half-doors, checking out the stranger. It was one thing he loved about horses, how innately curious they were, and how settled they always seemed to be in his company for some strange reason. Around the stables was immaculate, freshly swept and free of anything out of place. He wondered if Mia kept the place herself, or whether she was just a fussy boss to a poor ranch worker.
He spoke softly to the horses under his breath as he passed and kept walking, out the back, towards where he’d met the stallion the day before. And then he saw her.
Sam moved a little closer to the arena, not wanting to disturb her, but it was obvious it was Mia. Her blonde hair was in a long plait that hung in a straight line down her back, a black velvet helmet shielding her face from him. She was as elegant in the saddle as she was on the ground, and he admired her straight posture and steady hands. He smiled. It was time to see her in action.
He leaned on the fence as she cantered around, moving fast around the arena. Her horse was stunning, and he recognized it as the mare she’d been giving attention to the other day. The horse was unusual looking, with a pure white mane and tail and a warm, rich brown coat. Aside from a tiny star on her forehead, she had no other markings that he could see.
Mia had a course of show jumps set up around thearena, and he was impressed at the height of them. He’d never jumped himself, other than the odd fallen log or fence in his way when he’d been younger and working on ranches, but he knew good style when he saw it.
The horse was compact and much smaller than many of the show jumpers he’d seen before, but her ears pricked and her speed accelerated the moment Mia pointed her toward the jump. He watched as they soared over it, not missing a beat and heading toward the next. He liked the way she rode, was impressed with how soft she was with her hands, not yanking the horse around the course but working with her, using her legs as aides, her straight back showing how confident she was. But he could see they’d started to travel too fast, and the mare had knocked the last two rails of the bigger fences.
Sam ducked through the low timber fence and moved closer to the center of the big arena, never taking his eyes off the duo. The mare glanced at him, but she was loving her work. He could tell that she was a natural and loved jumping as much as her rider seemed to. He wondered who’d planned the arena and surroundings out—it was slightly elevated and it gave an impressive view of the sprawling ranch, endless acres of fields dotted with trees as far as the eyes could see.
“You’re letting her get away on you,” Sam called out, focused on Mia now. “I love that you’re gentle, but you need to be more firm with her when she pulls like that. Sit up tall and force her to go deeper into the fence before taking off.”
He didn’t know if Mia heard him because she never acknowledged him, but he saw that she did ride more aggressively into the next fence and they soared over it. Sam grimaced when they went too fast into the next one thoughand took a rail. He walked over to collect it and place it back on top, impressed with how perfectly the striped poles had been painted, all red and white like candy canes.
Mia had slowed now, her canter turning into a trot, and he watched as she let the reins slide through her fingers until she was only holding the buckle, before transitioning into a walk. He’d expected a smile, but she looked fierce, and not in a good way.
