by Elle James
“Then why did you feel it necessary to apply to a mail-order bride site?” Aurelia asked.
“I know I’m capable. Convincing a woman that a one-legged cowboy is a safe bet… Well, the odds were against me.”
“You sell yourself short.” Aurelia cupped his chin. “You’re a handsome man, with or without the leg. You could have any woman you want with the crook of your finger.”
Gavin snorted. “Look where I live. The backwoods of Montana aren’t full of willing women.”
She smiled. “You got me here.”
“Because of a wild idea and a push from a friend.” He brushed a strand of her hair back from her cheek.
“Any regrets, so far?” she whispered.
His lips twitched. “As long as you don’t slit my throat in my sleep, I’m good.”
“I won’t slit it.” She pressed her lips to his throat. “Though, I might kiss it.” She couldn’t resist. They were sitting so closely. He smelled of man and the outdoors, an intoxicating scent. Aurelia leaned closer, daring to dream this crazy scheme might just work. He was the real deal. A man who cared about others.
All she wanted at that moment was to kiss him.
With his thumb and forefinger, Gavin tipped her chin. “If we were deciding based on chemistry, this would be a no-brainer.” He lowered his head and brushed his lips across hers.
“No-brainer,” she whispered and met his lips with her own.
“Help! Percy! Hannah! Someone! Help!” a shout sounded from the direction of the barn.
Gavin’s head jerked up.
The piercing scream of a horse followed the shout and the sound of frantic banging against wood.
Gavin pushed to his feet, pulling Aurelia up with him.
“Help!” The shout came again.
Gavin ran down the remaining steps and across the yard toward the barn, shouting over his shoulder. “Stay here.”
Aurelia refused to stand by while someone needed assistance. She ran after Gavin, following him into the barn where chaos reigned.
Chapter 7
Gavin ran into the barn, his heart pounding, his gaze shooting around the dimly lit interior.
Loud banging and a horse’s frantic scream sounded from the far right corner.
“We gotta get him out of there,” Franklin tugged on the stall door. “I can’t get this to open.”
“Get who out?” Gavin demanded as he ran toward the younger man.
“Vasquez went in to get the feed bucket. Sassy went ape-shit crazy.”
Gavin raced to the stall door. “Get back.”
“You gotta get him out of there,” Franklin said as he backed away.
Gavin pulled at the sliding lever, but it wouldn’t budge.
A moan sounded from the other side of door, spurring Gavin to try harder. He pushed against the wood panel and pulled at the lever at the same time. It moved an inch. He shoved harder on the stall door.
The metal lever released, and the door slid open
The gray mare, eyes rolled back in her head, lunged through the opening, knocking Gavin to the ground.
He rolled to the side and pushed up on his good foot.
Inside the stall, Vasquez huddled in a tight ball in the corner, the feed bucket in front of him. He had a cut on his forehead, and he stared up at Gavin. “About time you showed up,” he said, his voice shaking.
Gavin leaned over the younger man. “Where are you hurt?”
“She reared and clipped me in the head. I fell but managed to get into the corner before she started kicking the shit out of the stall. That horse is crazy.”
Gavin held out a hand to Vasquez. “Grab my hand if you’re up to standing.”
Vasquez placed his hand in Gavin’s and let him pull him to his feet. He swayed but managed to remain upright.
“We should get you to a doctor. You could be suffering from a concussion.”
“Miss George, don’t you go near that horse. She’s spooked,” Franklin called from the other side of the stall.
“Damn,” Gavin released Vasquez’s hand and dove for the stall door.
On the other side of the barn, Aurelia inched toward Sassy, speaking in a slow, even tone. She held out her hand, her palm up, never slowing the singsong sound of her words.
“You’re a beauty, Miss Sassy. A lovely, magnificent animal with fire in your soul and determination in your heart. Someone hurt you, made you afraid. But I won’t hurt you. I’ll be your friend. I’ll brush you and bring you treats. Do you like carrots or apples? I bet I can find some for you. Would you like that? No one is going to whip you ever again. These people only want to help you and make your life so much better.” As she spoke, she moved closer to the animal.
Sassy’s eyes were wide, the whites showing in her fear. She danced backward until her hindquarters bumped into the wall. But she didn’t rear, and she didn’t kick. Instead, she pawed the ground in front of her and nickered nervously.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Aurelia said. She stood so close that if the horse decided to rear, she’d be trampled in a second.
Gavin’s breath caught in his throat.
“That horse will kill her,” Young said as he came to rest beside Franklin. “Do something.”
“We can’t. Aurelia is too close. If we move,” Gavin whispered, “we could startle Sassy and make her lash out.”
“We can’t just stand here and do nothing…” Franklin said softly and started forward.
Gavin gripped the man’s shoulder and held him in place. “We can if we don’t want Aurelia hurt.”
Wishing he could do more, Gavin stood back and let Aurelia work her magic, praying the horse didn’t see her as a threat and trample her into the ground.
“Sweet Sassy, you’re a very misunderstood creature. All you want is to run free and dance in the wind. Don’t we all? Come to me. I promise to feed you sweet treats and scratch behind your ears. You and I will be great friends. You’ll see.” Aurelia reached for the mare’s halter.
Gavin leaned forward, ready to race to Aurelia’s side, but he didn’t need to.
Sassy tossed her head but didn’t fight Aurelia’s hold on the halter. After several more tosses, the horse calmed and let the woman rub her hand over the velvet-soft nose.
“You’re not so bad when you’re handled like the lady you are,” Aurelia murmured. “You just need some TLC. And I’ll give you all you need. Yes, my darling. You will be loved and cared for here.”
Aurelia held onto the halter and ran her hand along the horse’s jaw and up to scratch behind her ears.
“I’ll be damned,” Vasquez said. “She’s got that horse mesmerized.”
“She’s doing a good job on me, too,” Young said. “She’d have me eating out of her hand.”
Gavin stepped toward Aurelia and Sassy. As he neared, Sassy jerked her head up, her eyes rolling back.
“Don’t come closer,” Aurelia warned in a soft voice. “I’ve got her. I think she might be spooked by men.”
“That would make sense, since her previous owner was a male and he whipped her.”
“Do we know who her owner was before the jerk who abused her?” Aurelia asked, smoothing her hand over Sassy’s neck, her tone still soft and musical.
“The neighbor thinks she belonged to a young woman who died of cancer. Her family sold the horse to help pay the medical bills.
“Oh, how sad. To lose the person you love and be sold to a callous, evil man.” Aurelia leaned her forehead against the horse’s forehead. “You don’t even know what you did wrong to deserve that kind of treatment. And you probably miss your lady.”
Gavin shook his head. Aurelia knew exactly what the mare needed. And the horse responded in kind.
Aurelia held her hand out behind her. “I’d really like a lead, if that’s possible.”
Gavin grabbed one hanging on a nail and eased toward her, ducking low to keep from spooking the mare.
Once he laid the rope in her hand, he backed away a
nd let Aurelia snap the lead onto Sassy’s halter.
“Open the door to the barn,” Aurelia instructed.
“She might run away,” Franklin warned. “We struggled to get her into the barn in the first place.”
“I’ll take my chances,” Aurelia murmured softly, rubbing Sassy’s neck.
“Let go if she does try to make a run for it,” Gavin urged. “Don’t get your hand caught in the lead.”
“I’ve led a high-spirited horse before. I know how to handle one,” Aurelia assured him. “Please, open the door.”
Gavin moved toward the center barn door and slid it to the side.
Sassy danced sideways and whinnied.
Aurelia held the lead firmly in her left hand, maintaining control with her right hand on the halter. She walked steadily and quietly to the door.
Once outside in the gathering dusk, she led the mare around the barnyard, making several circular passes before she returned to the barn door. She led her in through the opening and into the stall.
Franklin shook his head. “You’d never believe that was the same animal of a few minutes ago.”
“Mesmerized,” Young said. “I think I’m in love.”
“With the horse?” Franklin said.
“No, asshole, with the girl,” Young said and punched Franklin in the knee.
Franklin hopped to the side, out of Young’s reach. “Hey, that’s hitting a guy below the belt.”
“Just be glad I didn’t aim higher,” Young said. He turned to Gavin. “She’s going to be great with Sassy. Why didn’t we think of the Sassy being afraid of men?”
“Because we don’t think like a female, dufus,” Franklin said. “Aurelia has it right. Until Sassy realizes all men aren’t assholes, we’ll have one of the females take care of her.”
Aurelia crooned to the mare inside the stall and emerged a moment later, carrying the bucket and the lead. “I’ll get her feed, if you point me in the right direction.”
Gavin slid the stall door shut behind Aurelia and led her to the grain bins. He reached for the bucket, but she held it away.
“Willing to work hard was one of the requirements.” She smiled up at him. “I might not know how to cook but let me prove myself around the horses.”
Gavin dipped his head. “Fair enough. I’d say you’ve more than proven yourself. But you scared the fool out of all of us in the process.”
Her eyes widened. “I did?” She glanced at the others standing nearby.
Franklin, Young and Vasquez all nodded in unison.
“You did,” Young voiced their thoughts.
“So, please, don’t put yourself in harm’s way again,” Gavin said. “I can’t afford anymore gray hairs.”
Aurelia snorted. “You don’t have any gray hairs.”
“Sadly, I do. I found one just this morning.” He pointed to the top of his head. “I’m not getting any younger, and witnessing you walking up to a wild-eyed horse didn’t help in that department.”
“You’ll be even more handsome with gray hair. Poor Sassy was in a state. I couldn’t leave her to fret.”
“A state?” Vasquez’s brows twisted.
“Fret?” Franklin raised one eyebrow. “They talk funny in Maine?”
Aurelia’s cheeks turned pink in the dull glow of the lightbulb overhead. “Do you want me to feed Sassy, or do you want to make another attempt?”
Gavin took the bucket from her. “I’ll feed the mare.”
With a grimace, Aurelia stood back. “Are you sure you don’t want me to? She’s pretty skittish. But we can test the theory about her being afraid of males.”
Sliding the stall door to the side, Gavin stood outside the stall, looking in at the horse.
Already, the whites of her eyes grew more disturbed. Sassy tossed her head and pawed at the ground.
Aurelia shook her head and reached for the bucket. “Please, let me. She’s obviously upset.” She took the bucket from Gavin. “Step back behind the door so she doesn’t see you.”
Gavin did as asked, peering over the top of the stall and gauging Sassy’s reaction to the woman advancing into her stall. He’d be ready if the horse decided Aurelia was a threat.
As soon as Gavin stepped out of Sassy’s line of sight, the mare settled onto all four hooves and reached out her nose, sniffing for the bucket of sweet feed.
“I’ll be damned,” Gavin muttered. “She really is afraid of men.”
“That bastard who whipped her should get the whip for doing that,” Young said.
“Agreed,” Gavin whispered.
Aurelia hooked the bucket of feed on the wall and stepped back, aware of the mare at all times.
Sassy stayed back for a moment, her tail swishing.
Aurelia took another step away from the bucket.
Finally, Sassy moved forward and snuffled at the sweet feed. She eyed Aurelia for a second longer, and then stuck her nose in the bucket and munched on the grain.
Aurelia chuckled softly. “You’re going to be all right.” She reached out and patted the horse’s neck.
Sassy pulled her head out of the bucket and leaned her cheek against Aurelia’s face.
Scratching the animal’s neck once more, Aurelia backed out of the stall and closed the door behind her, a smile curving her lips.
“You look like the cat that ate the cream,” Gavin said.
“She’s going to be all right.” Her smile faded, and she glanced at Vasquez. “Are you okay?”
He gave her a crooked grin. “The only thing hurt on me is my head and my pride.” He tipped his chin toward Sassy’s stall. “How did you do that?”
“I think a lot had to do with me being a woman. Sassy didn’t see any threat in me. Whereas, you’re a man. A man hurt her, therefore, she thinks all men will hurt her. Time and patience will get her past her distrust of males.”
“Well, I’m impressed,” Young said. “We have a genuine horse whisperer among us. I don’t suppose you could train a horse to muck its own stall, now, could you?” He winked.
Aurelia laughed. “Doubt it.”
“Where did you learn how to work with horses?” Vasquez asked. “I didn’t know one end of a horse from another before coming to Brighter Days.”
Aurelia shrugged. “My parents made sure I had riding lessons. I spent more time in the stables than indoors. I guess you could say, I didn’t have to be anyone but myself around the horses.”
“And you had to be someone different around people?” Gavin asked.
“Sometimes…” She shrugged noncommittally. “Don’t we all?”
Gavin sensed there was more to her story than she cared to share. He’d give her the time and space to learn to trust him with the whole truth. Until then, he’d have to be satisfied that she hadn’t lied about knowing her way around horses. She was amazing. Any woman who could do what she’d just done was a woman after his own heart. One more reason to fall in love with the her.
Love?
Gavin hadn’t gone into this deal with unrealistic expectations. He didn’t have to love the woman he married. At best, he’d hoped to like and respect her. He wanted a life partner and children he could love unconditionally. The thought of falling in love…excited and scared him at the same time. What if he fell in love with Aurelia, and she didn’t love him in return? Did it matter? As long as he had a partner and children, did he care?
When he’d set out on this venture, he hadn’t thought he’d care.
If he was truthful with himself, now, he knew it mattered. He just hoped it didn’t matter too much. He didn’t want to scare Aurelia away. He was just beginning to know her. And the more he knew, the more he liked.
Though, he could sense there were things she wasn’t telling him. Hopefully soon, she’d feel comfortable enough to fill in all the blanks the application had left unclear.
Chapter 8
Aurelia brushed Sassy and spent time with her, letting her know she wouldn’t hurt her. When she left the stall, Sassy nickere
d as if she was thanking her for her patience and understanding. Aurelia would bring the mare a treat the next day and spend more time with her, until the mare settled into her new life.
Assuming Aurelia would be around that long.
Not even a day had passed since she’d arrived at Brighter Days Rehabilitation Ranch, but she felt like it had been a lot longer. Her body was tired, though her mind was whizzing ahead, calculating the number of days she had left to fulfil the requirement of marriage and a baby before her thirtieth birthday. She had no guarantee that she’d get pregnant on her first try, even if she convinced Gavin to marry her within the next two weeks, she barely had time after that to make a baby. Suddenly, the narrow window of opportunity she had to work with seemed impossible and overwhelming.
And if she didn’t get pregnant within the time she needed, and the reign of her country slipped into the hands of her odious second cousin Rupert, then what? She could be married to Gavin by then, anyway.
The thought of leaving her country behind and forging a path in Montana with Gavin held a great deal of appeal. She would just be Aurelia Blackstock, the bride of a military war hero. She would learn to share the responsibilities of cooking, help to build a house and raise children with a good man who deserved a lot better than to be tricked into marriage to serve as a stud to save the country.
While she’d spent time in the stall with Sassy, Aurelia could sense the presence of Gavin, looking out for her in case the mare spooked again. He shoveled fresh straw into the stall next to Sassy’s and stacked bales of hay for ease of feeding the next day.
When Aurelia emerged, Gavin was there.
“I imagine you must be tired after traveling all day.”
She nodded. “I am.” Aurelia opened her mouth, wanting to confess all.
He took her hand in his and squeezed it gently as they walked toward the sprawling ranch house. “I want to apologize for my actions earlier. I shouldn’t have accused you of wanting to hurt the people here at Brighter Days. I should have trusted you.”
Her heart sank into her gut. Guilt twisted the knot there. “Gavin, you should know—”