by Soraya Lane
Tex moved a few steps then and Sam cringed. “Christ,” he swore, before offering comfort to the horse. “You’re okay, bud. Just gonna take a little look.”
Tex was scowling, his top lip pulled back in a sneer that told Sam he was one step away from having the horse’s teeth lodged into his arm. He stood, watching, assessing, thinking.
Holy shit.
Sam backed up a few paces and indicated to Mia to follow him. She looked worried.
“I don’t know how I never thought of this,” he said. “Damn rocks for brains,” he muttered.
Mia stared at him quizzically. “What?”
“He had that huge fall, a fall that he managed to survive, but do we know what treatment he received?” Sam asked. “I mean, how well was he looked after? Who worked on him?”
“I don’t understand,” Mia answered. “There was a vet on site, he was checked over immediately and treated. He wasn’t left with any injuries that I’m aware of, because money wouldn’t have been an object.”
“Treated for what could be seen,” Sam said, “just like we’re looking at some gory injuries right now that need attention, but will probably heal just fine on their own.”
Mia looked perplexed. “I’m not following.”
“He’s in pain,” Sam said, glancing back at the horse and feeling for him, seeing the look on his face that told him how stupid he’d been not to see it in the first place. “He’s turned from happy to grumpy, and he’s only gotten worse. I suspect he’s dealing with chronic pain that’s made him, excuse my language, given him that fuck you attitude.”
Mia’s eyes widened. “How could I not have thought of that?” she murmured.
“Horses have accidents, but we expect more from their bodies than we do from ours. He’s possibly lived with pain for years now, and this accident has made everything worse for him. To get him to trust again,” Sam said, “we need to treat the root of his problems.”
Mia laughed, the noise a cross between happy and hysterical. “So what exactly do you suggest we do, horse whisperer?”
He leaned in, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. When her eyes met his he smiled, letting himself go with it instead of pulling away. “I say that I call in all the favors I have, and get the best massage and physical therapist there is here to work on him. I think cold laser therapy might help, too.”
Mia paled, her eyes shutting for just longer than a blink. “You expect someone else to get near him?”
He shrugged. “I don’t care whether he needs sedation before every treatment. If this is his last chance, then we’re going to give him a damn good shot of living past the end of the month.”
Mia leaned into him, her head to his shoulder as they both looked toward Tex. Sam slung his arm around her, content to stand there and stare. Mia was calming, made him feel that after so long pretending to be someone that didn’t come naturally to him, he was finally having the chance to be himself.
“Sorry I had to call you over,” she said.
Sam dropped a kiss into her hair. “Trust me, it’s fine. I was getting a hard time from my brother-in-law, so it wasn’t exactly a hard decision to leave.”
“Still,” she said, turning to him, tongue darting out to moisten her lips in a move he doubted she even knew was so tantalizing to him. “I feel bad dragging you away.”
Sam glanced at his watch, saw that it was almost four now, and he didn’t particularly want to call on his contacts and beg for special favors late on a Sunday afternoon.
“You know, there’s something you could do to make it up to me,” Sam murmured, claiming Mia’s mouth before she had time to reply.
“Oh yeah,” she mumbled against his lips. “I can’t imagine what that would be.”
The sun was hot, her lips were pillowy, and her body pressed to his was warm. He couldn’t have thought of a better way to spend his evening than with Mia.
“You want to come back to the house with me?” she asked when he pulled back and smiled down at her.
“Sounds like a damn good idea to me.”
* * *
The next day, Mia stood and watched as Sam edged close to Tex, holding a needle that the vet had decided was much better off in Sam’s hand than his own. Tex was calmer today, but it didn’t take a trained veterinarian to see that the horse was miserable.
“This the horse I’m here to see?”
Mia turned and came face to face with a middle-aged woman with a big smile, holding a case in one hand, her other extending out.
“Yes. I’m Mia,” she said, shaking hands and introducing herself. “And over there is Tex. We’re just waiting for the sedation to kick in.”
The woman frowned. “Tina. Pleased to meet you. I’m not happy about the sedation, but I trust Sam enough to know that if he says we can’t touch a horse without that, he’s more than likely right.”
Sam appeared then, leaving Tex to relax. “If you want to keep all your limbs and avoid teeth marks, then I’m definitely right,” he said with a chuckle, enveloping Tina in a big hug. “I owe you big time, thanks for coming.”
Tina’s smile was warm. “He tell you that he worked wonders on a young filly of mine? I always told him I owed him anything and everything, so I guess this makes us even, huh?”
Sam laughed. “Yeah, if you manage to help this big guy then we’re more than even.”
Mia noticed that Tex’s bottom lip was droopy, which told them all that he was starting to relax.
“Is there anything we need to do to help you?” Mia asked.
“I’ll have both of you in there with me so I can focus on my work and not worry about what he’s doing,” Tina said. “Sam, you clip his lead rope on and keep hold of it, and Mia, you can be my eyes and ears.”
Within minutes they were all in position, and she watched as Tina started to massage Tex, her movements strong and purposeful. She hadn’t doubted for a moment that Sam’s friend knew what she was doing, but seeing her in action was impressive.
“Will he feel any relief straight away?” Mia asked quietly, never taking her eyes off the horse.
“Look, it’s hard to know,” Tina replied as she worked over his hindquarters. “From what I can feel already, we’ve got something deep going on in his back end, and if he’s out in other places and has been for years? It could be that he gets worse before he gets better; then again he might feel relief. I’ll do my best today, and follow this up with the cold laser therapy, and that should definitely provide some pain relief. But I’m warning you that he may need treatment over a long period of time if the issues are as deep as I suspect they are.”
Mia traded glances with Sam and then watched Tina work. It took an hour for her to finish, and Mia noticed she had a bead of sweat across her forehead from the physical work. Within moments she’d retrieved the case she’d been carrying and was holding a machine, which Mia guessed was the cold laser. It was something she’d read about but not seen used before.
“I’d usually alternate treatments, but given the state of this horse and the fact he’s been sedated, I think we’re better to do as much as we can today to help him.”
Tex had moved a little, less floppy looking than he’d been before, but the moment Tina put the machine on his hindquarters, the area she’d flagged as a potential problem, the horse’s bottom lip hung down again, the ultimate sign of relaxation. Mia didn’t doubt he was enjoying it.
“I love this treatment because the horses respond so well,” Sam told her, voice low as he stroked Tex’s neck. “My old mare just stands there, no need to even head collar her, she’s so relaxed having the treatment done. This could be a breakthrough for this one.”
“I hope so,” she answered, watching still, hoping and praying that this was the miracle they needed. Because time was fast running out.
Once the laser treatment was finished, Mia let Sam walk Tina out and she stood and stared at the stallion. She’d done everything she could, she knew that, but giving up on him would be hea
rtbreaking, and no matter what anyone said, it was a promise she’d made that she didn’t ever want to break.
“What are you thinking about?” Sam asked, surprising her, his arms looping around her from behind. She grinned when he rested his chin to the top of her head, making her feel ridiculously short beside him.
“Just about Tex. I really hope it works for him.”
“Me too,” Sam said, and she knew he meant it. He was already seriously invested in the horse, and she doubted he’d like to admit defeat with any project. “What do you say to dinner tonight? I hear there’s this little Tex-Mex place not far from here.”
Mia leaned back against him, his face now beside hers as she snuggled into him. “Been doing some research have you?” she asked.
Sam laughed. “Actually I was just thinking it’d be nice to take you out instead of you having to cook. What do you say?”
“I say that sounds fantastic,” she said honestly, spinning in his arms. “And if you want to feed my horses for me while I go make myself look beautiful, that’d be even better.” Mia gave him a quick kiss then broke free from his hold, walking backwards.
“Hey, isn’t that what grooms are for?” he grumbled.
She grinned. “Don’t have one. Sorry!”
Sam was grinning straight back at her as she left him to do her chores for her, knowing he wouldn’t mind throwing her horses their hay. Especially if it meant not having to sit on her sofa waiting for her to get ready to go out.
Chapter 16
“WOW.”
Sam leaned into the doorway as he looked at Mia. She did a little twirl and laughed at him, which made his mouth twitch into a smile. She was nervous, her cheeks flushed and her shoulders slightly rounded, and when her eyes finally met his he wasn’t about to stand there and let her blush.
“Gorgeous,” he said, gently touching his fingers to her jaw as she lifted her head. Sam paused, looking down at her mouth, lips plump and parted, kissing her slowly and carefully so he didn’t ruin her makeup. She’d made a big effort and he wanted her to know he’d noticed.
“You sure know how to make a girl swoon,” she teased. When Mia’s fingers brushed his he clasped her hand, their palms pressed together as he tugged her toward him and out the door.
“I think I could be a little overdressed for where we’re going,” she murmured, looking uncertain.
Sam shrugged. “You look great to me.” He looked her up and down, her tight faded blue jeans, heels, a cute little top with tiny straps that he was sure could break with one tug, and a leather jacket slung over her arm. “I’ll wait if you want to change back into your riding gear though?”
She laughed and leaned into him. “Ha-ha, very funny.”
Sam opened his mouth and then shut it, pulling the door closed behind them and walking down the path with Mia to where his vehicle was parked. He was going to tell her that she looked just as beautiful when she had her hair pulled back and her old boots on, but he didn’t. This was already feeling too much like a date, too much like something more was happening when it wasn’t supposed to feel like that.
“So what’s on the menu tonight?” Mia asked.
Her eyes were bright, her smile warm as they reached his car and he opened the door for her.
“Hmm, chili chicken, and maybe some delicious but hard to identify meat?”
Mia laughed and he found himself trying to think of something else witty just to see her look like that again. He closed her door and walked around, getting in beside her.
“Bluey!”
Sam groaned as she threw her arms around his dog. Blue was standing in the middle, separating the driver and passenger seats, and making it impossible to glimpse more than the top of Mia’s head now.
She lavished some more love on his canine before Sam muttered and pushed him back. “Stay,” he said firmly.
Mia patted her hands on her jeans and he grimaced.
“Sorry, he really needs a bath.”
“I don’t care,” she said simply, wiping her hands and then leaning back into the chair. “Honestly, I don’t.”
He believed her. Now that he’d seen her so many times, in her element with her horses and out on the ranch, he doubted she cared a bit about a smelly dog, but he’d still have liked to have a vehicle that smelled less old socks and more … anything other than that.
“You’ve never told me all that much about you,” Mia said, breaking the silence as he reversed then turned around.
“I’ve told you plenty,” he said, ready to dive head-first away from this particular conversation. “What is it you want to know?” He regretted asking her that the moment the question shot out of his mouth.
“Well,” she started, shifting in her seat. He glanced at her and saw she was facing him now, one knee tucked up. “Do you think you’ll always live in Texas? Have you always lived here?”
He nodded. “Yes, ma’am to both,” Sam said, relaxing somewhat. He didn’t mind those types of questions.
She reached out and ran her fingers down his arm, the one he had resting between them. Her touch was light as she stroked him.
“Have you been in love before?” she asked.
Sam almost drove clean off the road. “Next question.”
Mia laughed, her fingers leaving his arm. “Sam! Come on, it’s just us here. Do I take it there’s one who got away who you’ve never stopped loving?”
He gripped the steering wheel, about ready to spin it and turn straight back the way they’d come from.
“Wrong on both counts. Now can we please talk about anything other than me?” he asked, exasperated. He sure as hell wasn’t about to start talking to her about all his past screw-ups, especially where his love life was concerned.
Mia went quiet then. He glanced at her, taking his eyes off the road twice to see her side profile, the way she was so obviously deep in thought as she sat there, staring straight ahead. Sam sighed and decided to lighten the hell up. She wasn’t asking to be nosey, she’d been trying to make conversation and he’d been an ass about it.
“Mia, I’m not the best at—”
She shook her head when he paused and looked at her again. “It’s fine. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“There’s no great love to speak of, but I’ve had my heart broken before if that’s what you were asking. Haven’t we all?”
“Yeah, I suppose,” she said. “Although I’ve more had tiny pieces of my heart broken off multiple times than one big break.”
He softened, his jaw losing the tight clench he’d been holding it in before. “How so?” he asked.
“Oh, well, I guess I fell for a guy before realizing he was no different than the last. He liked me because of my money, he wanted to meet my father. Did I mention wanting my money? That’s kind of been a recurring issue for me.”
He liked that she was trying to make light of it, her humor making it sound funny when in reality he knew it would have been so hard for her.
“I suppose it didn’t take me long to figure out that I’d somehow been choosing douchebags over and over again, but then it became easier just not having expectations and not dating.”
“That’s one of the saddest things I’ve ever heard,” he said, finding it hard to believe that someone as smart and beautiful as Mia had found it hard to meet someone decent. “If you couldn’t find someone half decent, it doesn’t leave much hope for the rest of us.”
“Very funny,” she chuckled.
“Come on, Mia. You’re beautiful and talented and smart, you’re so much more than the money you’ll inherit one day.”
She went quiet, and he glanced over at her more than once, wondering what she was thinking and whether he’d said the wrong thing.
“Mia?”
Her smile told him she was fine. “That’s very sweet of you to say. Thanks, Sam.”
Sam kept quiet, not about to tell her that she was welcome because it was true. Mia was way too good for him, and even now he wondered what he thought h
e was doing, working on her ranch and then sleeping with her in his downtime. At least tonight he was taking her out instead of just being another in a long line of men who only wanted one thing from her. At least his thing wasn’t money.
He kept driving, then pulled off the road when he saw the sign. It was a little place in the middle of nowhere, but he’d heard good things about it and he was hoping Mia was open-minded. He’d grown up eating plenty of food like this, in places like this, but he wasn’t so sure about her.
“You like hot food?” he asked as he cut the engine.
Mia leaned in and kissed him, expectantly. “I think it’s a little late to be asking me that.”
He kissed her back, forgetting all about not wanting to upset her makeup, cupping the back of her head, not able to let her escape that quickly. Her hair was soft in his palm, her lips painfully soft against his. One thing he’d never expected was to be necking like high-school kids in a half-empty parking lot with one of the wealthiest heiresses in the state.
* * *
Mia dabbed at the corners of her mouth and below her bottom lip, wondering if she had any lipstick on at all, and whether the remnants were smeared across her face. Sam was holding her hand, and when they walked inside she had to wait a moment for her eyes to adjust. The place was dimly lit but had a nice enough feel to it, even though she noticed that she was perhaps the only non-Hispanic person there.
“I’m guessing this is going to be authentic Mexican,” Mia said with a grin, leaning into Sam. “Which means our mouths are going to be on fire soon, right?”
“Have you ever been to Mexico?” Sam asked as they took a seat at a rustic timber table, sitting across from one another.
“A few times.”
“Ever eaten at street stalls?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I’m not going to say. You’ll just think I’m a princess.”
“Hey, most people go to Mexico and stay at over-priced resorts, that does not make you a princess,” Sam said, leaning closer across the table, fingertips tracing a pattern on her hand. “When I went, I was pretty young. The memories blur together now, but I was there to see relatives on my father’s side. My grandfather was Mexican, and we’d go visit sometimes. So when we were there we’d eat all the street food, and it was amazing.”