Page 68 of Cowboy Stole My Heart
Chapter 18
MIAcouldn’t believe it. A week after his first treatment, she watched as Tex moved around Sam, his movements extended, his body supple. It was like the horse knew that his trainer had been the one to help him, and when he was asked to stop, he tossed his head and turned in toward Sam, eyes bright, ears forward.
“It’s like he’s a different horse,” Mia said, incredulous as she swapped glances with her father. He was standing by the railing, watching, and she hoped he realized that Sam had been worth every penny and then some. If he hadn’t figured out what was wrong, there wasn’t a person who would have supported her to save Tex’s life.
“Impressive,” Walter called out. “Good work.”
Mia crossed over to her dad, surprised by the genuine smile on his face as he watched Tex.
“Sam’s worked wonders with him,” she told him. “Seems like he’s been in a lot of pain for a very long time, and once that was solved…”
“He’s got that horse eating out of his hands now, hasn’the?” Her father chuckled. “Seems he was worth the gold I had to pay him.”
“I need to say thank you,” Mia said, reaching out to her dad and touching his arm. He looked surprised and she took it even further, giving him a long, warm hug. “If you hadn’t been so generous, he’d be dead by now. I don’t even know what to say other than thank you so, so much.”
Tears filled her eyes when her dad held her at arm’s length. “You know, you’re my only child who’s never asked me for a penny, Mia. The others think they haven’t, but when they were younger there was always something they wanted. You were different.”
“You know how I feel about making my own way,” she said, her voice husky with emotion. It wasn’t often she had moments like this with her father—he’d never been big on talking about their feelings.
“When you came to me as good as begging for help with this horse, I knew it meant something to you. And it seems you were right.” He kissed her cheek. “You made a good decision here, Mia. I’m proud of you.”
She felt like a little girl beaming back at her father after receiving praise. “Thanks, Daddy.”
“Just don’t go asking me to pour money into any other horses. You hear me?” he asked, sounding gruff.
He was probably as surprised as she was at their little heart to heart.
She watched him go, smiling as she thought about what he’d just said. Maybe it was just because she was getting older, or maybe her father was slowly seeing how much she enjoyed what she did for a job, that she was good at working horses. Either way, it was nice to be getting along so well with him.
Once he was gone, Mia ducked between the rails andwent over to Sam. He was stroking the stallion’s neck now, his movements slow and deliberate. When she touched his back he turned.
“That horse owes you his life,” she whispered, standing on tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. “Even my father agrees that you’ve been worth every exorbitant penny we’ve had to pay you.”
“Hey, the horse had a bad few years,” Sam said simply. “And I’m not the one who’s been working magic on him. Although you’ve definitely been getting your money’s worth from me, huh?”
She ignored his sexual innuendo. “You’re the one who figured out what was wrong, Sam, and that counts for everything,” she reminded him, letting him unclip the horse before slipping her arms around his waist.
Sam chuckled and wound the rope around her, hauling her gently towards him until she bumped into his body. Mia tipped her head back, looked into eyes that seemed to be smiling at her, twinkling as he brought his face closer, the rope still loosely swayed around her.
His lips were warm as they brushed hers, sending the familiar tingle through her body, the rush of excitement that touched all the way to her belly as she kissed him back. For a man who’d started out by driving her crazy for all the wrong reasons, he’d certainly redeemed himself.
When she pulled back and gazed up at him, Mia knew she was playing a dangerous game. She’d agreed to something that was fully physical and non-emotional, but the way she felt about Sam, it wasn’t just about the sex and the fun for her. She felt something real for him; for the first time in her life she wanted more, she’d met someone who challenged her and thrilled her, someone who saw her for who she truly was.
Mia swallowed, wondering what to say, wishing she knew the right way to tell Sam how she felt.
“As much as I’d like to kiss you some more, I’m feeling like we’re being watched.”
He nodded behind her and Mia turned, laughing at the way Tex was staring at them. Even though he was no longer attached to a rope he was still standing where they’d left him.
“Don’t worry, I don’t think he minds,” she teased.
“Hey, I’m the one he loves. I’m just worried that he might see you as a threat and take a chunk out of your shoulder with those big teeth of his.”
Mia knew he was only being silly, but it wasn’t so long ago that Tex had tried to do exactly that to her. “Fine,” she replied, stealing one more kiss before pushing away from him as he laughed and unspun her from the rope. “I’ll see you back at the house.”
Before she walked away, she turned back to him, holding her hand high to shield her face from the late afternoon sun. “Why don’t you stay tonight?” she asked, nervous as she asked the question. If he stayed, it would be the first time, and it felt strange asking him when he’d never said yes before. “We can open champagne and celebrate, and—”
“Darlin’, I can’t,” he said, throwing her a smile even though he was saying no. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate.”
