Love Me, Cowgirl (The 78th Copper Mountain Rodeo Book 4)

by Eve Gaddy

  Before Honey could blink, Sean was at her side. Gently, he pushed her out of the way. “Go on. Let Halo and me get acquainted.”

  She started to argue, but then decided she might as well see what he could do. Assuming he could do anything.

  After tying the mare to a post, Sean started grooming her, starting with picking out her hooves. Talking to her all the while, he used the currycomb, then graduated to the other brushes. Some of his talk was murmuring, but she heard a good bit of it clearly. “You’re a pretty girl, aren’t you?” he crooned. “Beautiful Halo. Are you an angel?” The mare snorted. “You’re as pretty as one. I bet you have all the stallions going crazy.” Halo sniffed at his shirt pocket. Sean laughed. “Yes, there’s something for you in there. But first, let’s relax while I finish grooming you.”

  He went on like that for a long time, brushing her neck, her flanks, her legs, and her back. Brushing her mane and tail until they shined beautifully. Sean and the horse were completely oblivious to Honey’s presence. Fascinated, she could almost see the tension draining out of the mare. After a while, he gave her the sugar cubes from his pocket. Tanner had told her she couldn’t even interest Halo in her favorites, carrots and sugar cubes. Sean had the mare literally eating out of his hand.

  When he finished grooming her, he clipped the lead on again. This time she didn’t resist. He led her out to the round pen. Docile as a lamb, she ambled along behind him. Once in the pen, he took her off the lead and let her spend some time just being there. After what seemed like forever, he called her and she came immediately. The only other person Halo would go to like that was Honey.

  Honey’s thoughts were jumbled. I’ll be damned. Why didn’t I know this? Sean was a horseman, that much was perfectly obvious. Why was she surprised that he was good with horses? He’d grown up on a ranch. His brother Dylan raised horses. For all she knew, Sean had too.

  Sean stood in front of Halo, patting her nose gently, talking quietly to her. Then he grabbed a handful of mane and swung himself up onto her back. Honey made a strangled sound, certain Halo would get rid of him in no time flat. The mare didn’t even flinch. Damned if he didn’t ride her, no bridle, no reins, no saddle. Nothing. What the hell?

  Not only did he ride Halo, he put her through her paces. All without appearing to need anything more than his knees and his voice to guide her. He walked Halo over to Honey and spoke the first words he’d said to her since he told her he and Halo were going to get acquainted. “I think she’ll be all right now.” He slid off her back and patted her. “I never say I’m a hundred percent sure, but I’d be surprised if she gave you any more trouble. Do you want me to saddle her and see how she does?”

  “Yes. She’s apparently developed an aversion to the saddle. If you don’t mind,” she added.

  “Not a problem. I’ll be right back.”

  He left Halo with her and went back to the barn, returning after a short time with the tack he needed.

  “You’re in love with him,” she accused the horse once she was sure he’d gone.

  Halo looked at her with her liquid brown eyes as if to say, “But of course. Aren’t you?”

  “No. I’m most definitely not,” she said aloud. “Not a chance.” Ha! You’re in trouble. Big trouble.

  “Not a chance of what?” Sean asked, coming up behind her.

  “Nothing. Talking to myself.”

  He had Halo ready to go in no time. Unsurprised now, Honey watched him ride as if he’d been born in the saddle. Hell, maybe he had been.

  What in the world had ever made her think he wasn’t a cowboy? She didn’t care how many medical degrees he had, the man was a damn whisperer.

  He didn’t stay on horseback as long this time. They stopped in front of Honey, and he got off. “She’s had enough for one day. Let’s go rub her down.”

  After they took care of Halo, they washed up and headed for his car. “You’ve hardly said a word since we got here,” Sean said. “Still mad at me?”

  “What? Oh, no, I’m not mad.”

  “Worried about Halo still?”

  “No. You knew I wouldn’t be.”

  “She’s a beauty. A sweetheart, inside and out. Her disposition is as pretty as her looks.”

  Honey nodded. “You’re right about that.”

  “I think you’ll be able to ride her.” He glanced at her and said pointedly, “In another couple of weeks.”

  They got in the car and he started it, pulling out onto the rough road leading from the barn to the highway. He shot her a sideways glance.

  “Sean Gallagher,” she said, “you’re a horse whisperer.”

  *

  Sean wanted to bang his head against the steering wheel. Damn it, this was what happened every time he helped out with a horse. “No, I’m not. Don’t call me that.” He should have known Honey would react like Dylan did. Nothing he said would ever convince his brother that he wasn’t a bona fide horse whisperer. And now Honey thought he was too.

  “Don’t call you a horse whisperer? Why not? That’s exactly what you are.”

  “Goddamn it,” he muttered. “Look, Honey, I’m good with horses. I have a knack with frightened and upset horses. That doesn’t mean I’m a damn horse whisperer. That’s a myth.”

  “A myth? Bullshit. What you did for Halo today was… It was magic. I haven’t seen anything like it. Ever.”

  “You’re exaggerating,” he said. “I soothed a frightened horse. That’s it. Not a big deal.”

  “What’s wrong with you? Why won’t you admit it? You have an incredible gift and you’re acting like it’s nothing.”

  “Can we talk about something else?” Anything but his supposed ‘gift’.

  Honey paid no attention to that request. “You rode Halo bareback. No saddle, no reins, nothing.”

  “I rodeoed when I was a kid. Bareback, mostly. A little calf-roping.”

  “Bareback riding in the rodeo is nothing like what you were doing.”

  He shrugged. Just because she wouldn’t quit yapping didn’t mean he had to answer. She continued on in the same vein, but he was done talking. Finally, she took the hint and shut up.

  As they neared town Honey said, “I’m hungry. Let’s stop at the Diner. We can eat an early dinner.”

  “I smell like a horse.”

  “That’s all right. So do I and so will half the people in there.”

  She had a point.

  They didn’t, thank God, talk about horses while they ate. Or at least, not about his ‘gift’. He hoped that she’d gotten it out of her head that she was going to ride before the next two weeks was up. But he wasn’t sure. Honey was damn near immovable when she made up her mind. Still, when she did ride her, Halo would be back to her usual disposition. He didn’t like to think what could have happened if Honey had tried to ride the mare as she’d been before he worked with her.

  They were finishing up when he heard a familiar voice. “Look who’s here,” Dylan said. “Mind if I join you?”

  “Yes,” Sean said. “We’re finished.”

  “Honey’s not,” Dylan said, pulling out one of the empty chairs and taking a seat. He looked Sean up and down. “You been riding?”

  “Yes. We can’t stay long, I have to get back.” Take the hint, Dylan, and go away.

  He didn’t, of course. “How’s the arm, Honey?” Dylan asked, lounging back in his seat.

  “Better. Annoying.”

  “Broken bones are no fun,” he agreed. “How long will you be sidelined?”

  “Eight to twelve weeks from the surgery, Wyatt said. But I think it will be closer to eight. Of course, there’s a difference of opinion about that.” She sent Sean a challenging look.

  “Let me guess. Sean’s preaching caution.”

  “How did you know?” she asked dryly. “Your other brother—the orthopedist—grounded me from any riding for two more weeks. He thinks I’m out for the season and he threatened me with dire consequences if I hurt myself again. This one—” she jerk
ed a thumb at Sean “—backed him up.

  “Doesn’t surprise me. I’ve known them all my life. They worry too much. I think it’s that doctor gene. Jack has it too.”

  Her eyes lit up and he saw the wheels turning. Knowing what was coming, he tried to head Dylan off. “Sorry you have to leave, Dylan.”

  “Nice try.” He turned to Honey. “What’s going on?”

  “Did you know Sean is a horse whisperer?”

  Dylan laughed, and kept it up until Sean wanted to paste him one in the mouth.

  “Of course. How’d you get him to tell you? He’s pretty closemouthed about it usually.”

  “He didn’t tell me. He whispered my horse, Halo. She’s been jacked up since the accident. Skittish, off her feed. Totally not herself. Wouldn’t let anyone ride her or even come near her with the saddle.”

  “How is she?”

  “She’s great, now. After Sean worked his magic on her.” She shot Sean a sardonic glance. “Which he maintains is nothing more than a knack with horses.”

  “Yeah, he can get mighty pissy about it.”

  “Dylan,” he warned. “Go away. Now.”

  Dylan grinned at him. “I haven’t even ordered.”

  Sean got up. “Are you ready to go, Honey?”

  She looked from one to the other, then shrugged. Maybe she recognized how pissed he was. “All right. Bye, Dylan.”

  “Bye, Honey. Bye, Sean.”

  Sean gave him a look that promised retribution and left.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Do you want to come in?” Honey asked Sean.

  “No. I’m going to take a shower and hit the sack. I have an early day tomorrow.”

  “Okay.” She couldn’t resist adding, “You do know it’s only seven o’clock, right?”

  He looked chagrined, but he didn’t comment.

  “Would it help if I promise not to bug you about you-know-what?”

  “Yes.”

  “Tell you what. We’ll both shower, and then I’ll come to your place and bring a movie.”

  “What kind of movie?” he asked suspiciously.

  “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

  “It had better not be a chick flick.”

  She laughed. “Maybe that’s all I have.”

  He pulled her to him and kissed her soundly. “No chick flicks,” he repeated and left.

  Twenty minutes later, she knocked on his door with the movie, an unpopped bag of microwave popcorn tucked into her sling, and a six-pack of beer in her good hand. “Sorry, it’s light beer. That’s all I had.” She handed him the popcorn.

  “That’s fine. I’m not a beer snob like Dylan.” He took the popcorn bag and stuck it in the microwave. “Popcorn, beer and a movie. Who could ask for more? What’s the movie?”

  She pulled it out of the sling and gave it to him.

  He looked at it and smiled. “Comedy. And not a chick flick comedy, either.”

  “Not only a comedy but a stupid, slapstick comedy.” She patted his cheek. “I’m in the mood to laugh.”

  They ate popcorn, drank beer, and she laughed so hard her sides hurt. Sean had laughed a lot too, and he looked more relaxed than he had since… Since she’d said he was a horse whisperer and he had flat out denied it.

  Honey had a lot of questions. When had he first known of his gift with horses? How did he discover it? Was it a gradual thing or had it happened fast? Why had he gone into medicine rather than something to do with horses? Did he ever regret his choice?

  But she couldn’t ask any of those questions. She’d promised not to bring up the whole business, and she would keep her word. Honestly, he didn’t owe her an explanation. Even if her injury had given them more time together than she’d originally thought they’d have, theirs was still a temporary relationship.

  Except being with him didn’t feel temporary. She didn’t feel like they were having a fling, not that she knew much—if anything—about that. Her previous relationships, all two of them, had lasted a while. Oh, she’d gone out with a number of men, but not very many lasted more than one or two dates. But ever since she’d been injured and Sean had taken care of her, first in the hospital and later at home, something deeper had been going on between them.

  God, this was dangerous. If she had any sense she’d break things off before she got any more involved. But she didn’t want to. She shouldn’t have to. She could do this.

  Oh, suck it up, she told herself. You should be capable of having fun with a man without turning it into something more serious. You know that won’t work. How was she supposed to have a decent relationship with a man, especially one who lived in Marietta, when she couldn’t stick around for longer than a week or two at a time?

  She couldn’t.

  “You’re doing some heavy thinking,” Sean said.

  She put her arm around his neck. “Why don’t you kiss me and then I won’t think at all?”

  But he didn’t. He said, “I’ll be back in a minute,” and got up. A few minutes later, he came back holding a photograph. One that he’d obviously had for some time. He gave her the snapshot and sat beside her.

  “He’s gorgeous.” The snapshot was of a beautiful, black stallion. A quarter horse with powerful hindquarters, a long, graceful neck, a noble head and perfect conformation. “Who is he?”

  “He’s the reason I’m not a horse whisperer. His name was Lucifer.” He laughed a little. “Trite, yes. But I never met a horse so aptly named. At first.”

  Was, he’d said. She had a feeling that meant something more than it had happened in the past. Knowing he would tell the story in his own time, she simply waited.

  “I was about fourteen. I’d been around horses my whole life. I always had an affinity for them. I think I was about ten or eleven when I realized that not everyone could talk to them like I did. Not everyone could calm them down, or… convince them to behave. And everyone sure as hell couldn’t ride them bareback, with no reins.” His eyes held a faraway look. “I didn’t call it whispering. Others did, but I thought of it as talking to them. Being able to get into their heads a little. I worked with a horse here and there, but as word got around, I started doing more. I planned on raising horses, training them. I wasn’t sure what, exactly. Only that they were my calling.”

  Obviously, something had happened to change his mind. Something bad.

  “I was a big kid. At fourteen, I was a little over six feet and I’d already filled out enough that I was no scrawny kid. Of course, being fourteen, I knew everything and had no fear. Not of horses. Not of them hurting me, or worse, me hurting them.”

  He fell silent. Honey took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “What happened?”

  “I got a lesson in reality.”

  “Lucifer.”

  “Yeah, Lucifer. He belonged to a family from several counties over who wanted to breed him. But he didn’t like people. He’d kick and bite, rear up, try to kick down his stall, and God help the person who tried to sit on his back. This family, the Andersons, had gotten him cheap, undoubtedly because of his disposition. I don’t know how they heard of me. The horse world is a small world, I guess.

  “It was summer. I went to live with them for several weeks. I knew he wouldn’t be easy. They were going to pay me what seemed like a lot of money at the time. But damn, it wasn’t the money. Lucifer was magnificent. I took one look and fell for him head over heels.”

  “Was he hard to train?”

  “More like impossible. Lucifer was the devil he’d been named for. It took me a week to be able to get near his stall without him lashing out. A month before he made noticeable improvement. But by the end of the summer, I had him eating out of my hand. He still didn’t like many people, but he tolerated them now. He liked Mr. Anderson. At least, we thought he did.”

  “What did he do?”

  “He damn near killed him. Kicked him in the face. Crushed his cheekbone, his jaw and his nose. Sent him to the ICU for weeks. They had to wire his jaw shut,
and he had I don’t know how many reconstructive surgeries.”

  “But… horses kick,” Honey protested. “They just do. Anyone who knows horses is aware of that.”

  “That didn’t matter. Not to Anderson’s family. They were convinced Lucifer did it on purpose. That he was dangerous and needed to be put down. Anderson was too badly hurt to know what was going on. I was supposed to go home in a couple of days. I called my dad, asked him if we could buy him. I knew that horse. I couldn’t believe Lucifer had knowingly done it. I knew there were bad horses, horses who you could never trust, but he wasn’t one of those.”

  “Did your dad say no?”

  “He said yes. But it was too late. Before we could offer, one of the sons took a shotgun out to his stall and killed him.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. “How awful. How terrible for all of you.”

  “Mr. Anderson recovered. Once he was well enough, months later, he asked me to come see him. It was the last thing I wanted to do, but I went. My dad said I owed it to him. He was right, of course.”

  Honey couldn’t stop crying. Her heart broke for the young boy who’d given so much of himself and who had to endure such a tragic outcome.

  Sean reached out and wiped tears from her cheeks. He got up and returned with a box of tissues. “Don’t cry. It all happened a long time ago.”

  “What did he say?” She dabbed at her eyes and tried to stop crying. “Mr. Anderson. What did he tell you?”

  “He was an amazing man. He told me it wasn’t my fault. And he said it wasn’t Lucifer’s either. It was his. He took all the blame. Even blamed himself for Lucifer’s death. Not that it mattered. Lucifer was still dead, and Anderson would recover but he’d be scarred for life.”