Page 22 of Wrangling Hearts
I froze. “Wait, really?”
“Yes, really,” Oliver laughed. I let out the breath I was holding, and the ground stopped feeling like it was going to swallow me whole. “We’d definitely want to meet with you and Delilah together to go over this plan.”
I grinned. “Of course! That’d be no problem at all.”
But nothing ever went well for me for long, so everything just kind of…went to shit from there.
Vincent van Goat, our most mischievous goat, squirmed his way out of his pen and barreled straight for us. “Vincent, no!”
He dodged my attempts to stop him and slammed his head right into Trent's shin.
“Oh my God,” I gasped, hands cupping my mouth as Trent doubled over. “I’m so sorry. He’s our escape artist.”
“It’s okay,” he gritted out, clutching his leg. Oliver bit back laughter, hiding his mouth behind his clipboard.
I chased Vincent around for an embarrassing amount of time before I got hold of his collar. “I feel terrible. Can I get you some ice?” I asked, breathless, as Vincent fought me, bleating like a banshee while I dragged him back to his pen.
“It’s fine. Really,” Trent said. His pant leg had a smear of dirt, and his pristine Lucchese boot was scuffed to hell and back.
Before I could even lock Vincent’s pen, the sound of pounding hooves made my heart drop. I turned to find our newest colt, Nip, spooking. I had been working with him all week, trying to desensitize him, but nothing really desensitizes one against the sound of goats screaming. Nip reared back, kicking up dust and knocking his water bucket over. Said dust turned into mud, and that mud got slung right at Oliver’s face.
So there went the partnership for me.
I wanted to panic, but knew that would only make it worse. I went over to Nip slowly, stroking his muzzle and whispering softly to him. He calmed within seconds as if nothing had happened. If only recovering the situation his freak out put me in could’ve been that easy.
Once I scraped up enough courage to face Trent and Oliver again, they looked less than pleased, and I knew it was really over for me.
The sun seemed to grow hotter the longer we stood in heavy silence. Sweat trickled down my back. The men wordlessly turned and began walking back to their truck, and my chestcaved in. I looked over their shoulders to find Beau leaning up against a paddock, smirking with triumph. He’d seen everything.
Call it desperation or determination, I didn’t care, but this could not be how I lost to Beau McLeod. I refused.
I chased after the reps, my muddy braid flopping against my shirt. And when I stopped in front of them, they let out exasperated sighs. Trent opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off.
“Look, I know I don’t have the space or money Circle M does. Or the perfect pitch. Or the flashy brother-in-law. And y’all are covered in mud and pissed. But I have the perseverance that they never will.” Their hardened expressions faded slightly, so I kept going.
“My family’s blood, sweat, and tears are in this land. And I truly mean that. After the merger fell through, my family had to devoteeverythingthey had to training horses. They gave their lives to this ranch, to horses, because they didn’t have any other option.”
“Our livelihood for the last two hundred years has been training horses, something Beau knows nothing about. In fact, I know he’s been thrown off more horses than you can count. And while Joseph’s reputation is stellar and he is a gifted trainer, he doesn’t have what I do—passion. Horse training is in my blood, in my soul. Honestly, it’s my life at this point.” Trent’s brows raised a fraction at Oliver, and I took a step towards them.
“Your company values pedigree, but it also values legacy. They might have the pedigree and can offer you pristine arenas and never-used stables, but I have the legacy and can offer you heart and care. So, if you give me the chance, I really think we can create something special together.”
Trent and Oliver looked at each other, having a silent conversation. “We appreciate your candor, Claire, really,” Trent said, and my heart withered at the but I knew was coming. “Butyou’re right, you don’t have the space to accommodate the kind of expansion we’re looking for. More importantly, how do we know you can control and train our horses when you can’t even control your own?”
My lips parted with a ragged breath as if he had sucker punched me right in the gut. It took everything in me not to fall to my knees and beg. I probably would have if Beau hadn’t been watching.
“You have to admit she calmed that colt incredibly fast,” Oliver pointed out to his partner. “And this could be a satellite location for the equine therapy specifically. We could pitch it as a kind of test run situation.”
I could barely breathe with the spark of hope he planted in me. I clasped my hands in front of me, bringing them under my chin, while I watched them mull it over. I hadn’t hoped this hard since my barrel racing days, waiting to see my time in a close race when the winner was decided by a thousandth of a second.
“It does have that…cozy feel,” Trent said. It was as if he thought the ranch was the size of a matchbox with the way he spoke, but I didn't care. Not if he was actually considering Oliver’s idea. “We could pitch it to Richard, see what he says.”
“Yes,” I said, nodding emphatically. “Talk to him.” I had no clue who Richard was, but I could only hope that he had the same vision as Oliver. As me.
“Now don’t get your hopes up,” Oliver said. “If he says no, you’re out.” He looked around the ranch. “But I do see potential here.”
I could have kissed him right on the mouth.
I swallowed back the knot in my throat and nodded. “Thank you.” My voice was an emotion-filled whisper.
