by Liz Isaacson
“He’s the only operation with horse boarding.” He filled the seat next to her, his cologne like a siren’s call to her. She hadn’t come here to find a boyfriend. Hadn’t even thought about dating a man in a few years now. She’d just needed somewhere that wasn’t filled with memories of her father. Somewhere to find refuge from the storm her life had become without her dad in it.
But as Dwayne rumbled down the lane and then turned on the road and headed back to town, Felicity thought he might just be an added bonus to her move to Grape Seed Falls.
Say something, Dwayne told himself. Say something. Say something. Say something. He couldn’t think of a single thing to say to the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.
Finally he came up with, “So what brings you to Grape Seed Falls?”
“This job,” she said, almost woodenly. He cut her a glance but didn’t know her at all and couldn’t tell if his question had annoyed her.
“My dad said you trained horses at a ranch near Dallas.” His curiosity had always gotten him in trouble, but he couldn’t help himself. He wanted to know everything about her, including how long she thought she’d be with the ranch.
“I did.” Another two-word answer. Anxiety attacked him, making his leg muscles tight and the tremor in his right hand more pronounced. He’d trembled the teensiest bit while they were shaking hands too, but he’d pulled away quickly and hid his hand in his pocket. Felicity hadn’t seemed to notice, something for which Dwayne was grateful.
“Who taught you how to train horses?”
“My dad.” She folded her arms over her stomach, and Dwayne took it as a hint to stop asking questions. He gripped the steering wheel with his right hand to keep his infirmity dormant. At least Levi’s farm was on the west side of town, same as the ranch, so the drive wouldn’t take long.
They arrived in record time, and Dwayne almost leapt from the truck before he flipped it into park. His anxiety couldn’t be caged sometimes, and at least he could release some of it into the wide sky above Levi’s stables.
“They’re down here.” She nodded toward the pastures that bordered the entire east side of the property. “I’ve come to ride them before.”
“Every day, I bet.” He stepped to her side, wishing he could position himself on her right, which was ridiculous really. He wasn’t going to hold her hand. But, if he did, he’d want to hold her right with his left so his tremors could stay secret for a while longer.
Might as well tell her, he thought. She’d find out soon enough. All the cowboys on the ranch knew, and he loved that he didn’t have to hide it from anyone out there. He was more self-conscious when he went into town, held his hand in a fist in the grocery store, and sat with his right side against the wall when attending church.
Before he could say anything, Felicity made tiny clicking sounds with her tongue, and two horses in the pasture lifted their heads and came toward her eagerly. They had similar markings for a pair of paint horses, though one boasted a darker shade of brown than the other. The smaller one arrived first, lifting her nose over the fence and accepting Felicity’s touch.
He watched the woman and felt her love for her horses permeate the air. She seemed crisp around the edges, but possessed softness too. His own smile melted across his face as he gazed at her. With a start, he realized he was staring—and turning into a marshmallow just watching this woman interact with her horses.
“So what are their names?” he asked, reaching out to stroke the second horse as it arrived.
“That’s Linus,” she said. “He’s getting old. This here’s his younger sister, Lucy.”
“Linus and Lucy,” Dwayne repeated, happiness slipping through him. “Funny.”
“The car is named Charlie Brown.”
Dwayne tipped his head back and laughed. “So you’re a real Peanuts fan.”
“My father loved the Peanuts.” Her demeanor changed as if a switch had been flipped, and Dwayne sensed the sadness in her.
“Loved?” he asked, unable to censor himself. “Does he like something different now?”
She shook her head, her throat working as she swallowed. She leaned forward and put her forehead against Lucy’s. “He—he’s—” She exhaled, a blush rushing into her face.
“It’s fine,” Dwayne said. “I’ll go find Levi.” He edged away from her, half-hoping she’d call him back. She didn’t, and he gave her the space he sensed she needed.
He found Levi in the tack room of the front barn, and Dwayne admired the newer equipment, the airy space, the clean floors. His tack rooms out at Grape Seed Ranch definitely needed an upgrade.
“Morning, Levi,” he said, causing the other man to turn.
“Dwayne.” Confusion crossed the other man’s face. “What brings you out here?”
“Felicity Lightburne has her horses here. We’re moving them to my ranch. It’s part of our agreement.”
“Oh, right.” Levi glanced out the window, but it didn’t face the direction of the pastures. “She mentioned she’d be starting there soon.”
“Today.” He ran his fingers over the stitching on a saddle hanging on the wall. “Heard anything about the auction in Austin?”
Levi paused in his work and nodded, a knowing glint in his eye. “Yeah, Clarion Champions will be there. Rumor is they’ll have six horses up for auction.”
Dwayne’s first love was horses, but Grape Seed Ranch was a cattle operation. He couldn’t do everything required to keep eighteen thousand head of cattle cared for and alive and train horses. Thus, the addition of Felicity to the staff.
But Dwayne hoped he could learn from her—and the fact that she was beautiful had nothing to do with his desire to stick to her side and take notes of everything she did. No, it did not.
“Probably be expensive,” Dwayne said, his thoughts spinning from Felicity to horses and back again.
Levi chuckled and went back to organizing his toolbox full of horseshoeing equipment. “No doubt. You gonna go see what they bring?”
“Definitely.” Both men laughed, and peace settled in Dwayne’s soul. Levi was just like him: A first son who’d taken over the family business, and they shared an unspoken friendship because of their choices.
He nodded out the window. “Looks like she’s ready to go.”
Dwayne leaned forward so he could see out the window too. Felicity passed in front of him, leading both horses with a set of reins. “Yeah, and I’m her ride.” He sighed like it was a terrible thing to be.
“And her boss, right?” Levi jostled some tools, creating a metal-on-metal sound that grated against Dwayne’s nerves. He could never be a farrier. Too many loud noises that sounded like explosions. Too much hot iron that reminded him of the scent of a bomb.
“She’s my new trainer, yes.” He reached up and pushed his hat lower on his head as if Levi would see the heat rising through his neck.
“She any good?”
“My father seemed to think so.” Dwayne turned to leave the tack room so Felicity wouldn’t wonder where he’d gone. “You can’t steal her from us.”
“I can try!” Levi called after him. “Especially if she’s good!”
Dwayne chuckled, but his determination was set. Felicity was his horse trainer, and he wouldn’t let her go without a fight. As he emerged into the bright sunlight, a thought struck him like lightning.
He was prepared to do almost anything to keep her at Grape Seed Ranch, and he hadn’t even seen her work with a horse yet.
Inhaling deeply, he told himself to pull back on the reins. Just because she was pretty didn’t mean she was interested in him. She clearly had something plaguing her, the same way he did.
He found himself offering a prayer on her behalf as he hurried over to the horse trailer and got it unlocked for her so she could load Linus and Lucy. They took some coaxing, but eventually she had them tied in and ready to roll.
“So.” Dwayne took a moment to adjust the air conditioning once he’d climbed into the cab of
the truck. “Breakfast?”
She whipped her head toward him so fast, a flash of pain stole across her face. She rubbed her neck and squinted at him. “Breakfast?”
“My mom’ll have somethin’ at the homestead we can eat.” He flipped the truck into gear, cursing himself for making the meal sound like an invitation to dine with him alone. Wondering why the mistrust had entered Felicity’s expression so quickly. Clenching his right fist to keep his tremors dormant just a little longer.
Chapter Three
“Hey, Ma,” Dwayne called as he entered the homestead, Felicity just a few steps behind him. They’d unloaded the horses into their own stalls, and they seemed content for now. With the truck and trailer back in the vehicle shed, Dwayne’s stomach grumbled for something to eat.
And he needed a break from the beautiful woman trailing him around the ranch. He hadn’t been out with anyone in years, and he wasn’t sure if her small talk was meant to be polite or if she was genuinely trying to be friends with him. His brain hurt from spending a couple of hours with her, and his muscles screamed at him for a release. If he could introduce her to his parents, maybe his dad would take over the tour of the ranch.
But today, the homestead stood empty, without the scent of maple bacon, or pancakes, or even coffee.
“Huh.” Dwayne stopped in the large kitchen and turned in a slow circle. “They’re not even here.”
“You don’t know where they are?” She glanced around the comfortable house too.
“I’m sure they told me.” Foolishness blipped through him. “I’ve got a lot on my mind most of the time.” He pulled out his phone and sent a text to his mother, who might answer if she happened to be looking directly at her phone right this second.
He put the device on the counter and reached for the fridge, his hand shaking like crazy. He pulled in a breath and held it, but the tremors assaulted him now, and there was nothing to be done about them. “We had hot dogs and macaroni salad last night for dinner. Sounds like breakfast today, right?”
Felicity, who had yet to do much in the way of smiling or laughing, giggled. Dwayne paused in his extraction of the world’s best macaroni salad and twisted to look at her. Her pink lips curved up, and a blush colored her cheeks, making her freckles more pronounced. She honestly was a vision from heaven.
“I don’t think anyone eats hot dogs for breakfast,” she said, shaking her head like he was a naughty three-year-old but she loved him anyway.
He shook out the traitorous L-word and pulled the bowl of macaroni salad from the fridge. “All right,” he said. “But what about this? It’s pasta, vegetables, and Italian dressing. It’s practically an omelet.” He opened the cupboard, but only took down one bowl at a time. Sometimes, when he was really shaking, he couldn’t grip objects. And holding heavy things? Didn’t happen.
He placed a bowl in front of her with, “I think you’re really going to like this.” As he started to pull his hand away so he could gather two forks, her fingers trailed over his wrist.
Seizing, he froze. Everything in him seemed encased in cement, from his lungs, to his feet, to his eyes as they watched her trace a path from his arm to his knuckles.
Her touch was warm, and welcome, and sent pulse after pulse of desire and heat through Dwayne’s poor, dry, cold soul. He could only think, What is going on here?
Felicity didn’t know what she was doing. She wanted to touch him, so she had. “Your hands….” She let her words fade into silence, because she couldn’t say what she really wanted to.
Your hands are beautiful.
Why do they shake like that?
Are you nervous? Afraid?
Your hands are beautiful.
And he did have wonderful hands. Tan and large and strong, yet soft and comforting at the same time. She slid her fingers through his and pressed her palm to his. One squeeze, and she came to her senses.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, dropping her hand and backing up a step. The scent of the Italian dressing filled her nose with a sharp, tangy smell that suddenly made her queasy. “I’ll….” She fell back another step. “Maybe you can just show me what I should be doing.”
Dwayne finally lifted his eyes to hers, and the wonder swimming in those gorgeous cerulean depths nearly unlatched the floodgate she kept locked on her emotions.
“My hands shake,” he said, his voice no louder than hers had been. It seemed to fill the whole house though. “Well, just my right one.”
Felicity couldn’t help looking at it again. His fingers barely moved, but they definitely trembled the slightest bit. She hadn’t noticed it until he’d reached for the bowls, and then everything in her had wanted to touch him.
She fisted her own fingers, surprised and horrified at her stupidity. On the job for two hours and she was holding hands with the boss?
Stupid, stupid, stupid, she scolded herself.
“Do you want to know why?” he asked.
She did, but she couldn’t bring herself to say so. Or nod. So she shrugged. “I don’t want to intrude. I’m really sorry I touched you. I shouldn’t have—” She stopped talking when he lifted that beautiful, trembling hand in a silent attempt to quiet her.
“It’s fine,” he drawled, and she really liked the way he twanged out the word fiiine, almost like it was two syllables instead of one. He turned back to the pasta salad and used that damaged hand to pull a spoon and two forks from the utensil drawer. He scooped some macaroni into each of their bowls and started eating.
Just the thought of putting anything in her mouth made her squeamish.
“You’re not hungry?” he asked.
“I’m—” Embarrassed. Confused. Ready to get to work. They would all fit. So would Attracted to you in a way I haven’t felt in a long, long time.
Instead of finishing, she picked up her fork and took a bite of the salad, making sure to get a chunk of something green with the mouthful of noodles. Sweet and sour had a party in her mouth. She swallowed and said, “This is really good.”
“World’s best,” he said proudly, a grin gracing his face and making her heart ripple like a flag in a stiff wind. “Its won best salad at the Grape Seed Falls Family Festival for three straight years now.”
She smiled too, the gesture feeling nice on her face. She hadn’t had reason to do a lot of smiling or laughing lately, and she’d done both today already. Felicity hadn’t known why she needed to leave her father’s ranch and come here. She’d only known it was the right thing to do.
Standing in a strange kitchen and eating macaroni salad with a handsome man shouldn’t feel so right—or so scandalous. But it felt like both of those things, and Felicity couldn’t help the second smile that slipped across her face.
Only thirty minutes later, everything she’d experienced in the kitchen—the wonder, the peace, the happiness—had faded to shock.
“There are four unbroken horses here?” She looked at Dwayne like he’d just pulled an April Fool’s prank on her.
“I believe the ad said we needed someone immediately.” He watched the wild horses with his mouth set in a grim line. She much preferred the flirty, fun grin. “Now you know why.”
Four unbroken horses.
Unbelievable.
She usually worked with one horse at a time, as it was exhausting work to break and train a horse. Not only physically but mentally, emotionally, spiritually. She gave everything she had to the animal, and the patience required…well, she wasn’t sure she could do it times four.
“And it’s just me?” She disliked the squeaky quality of her voice on the last word.
His boots scuffed the concrete where they stood. “Well, I was hopin’…that is, I—I’d really like to learn how to break horses better.” His words tumbled out of his mouth now. “You’ll see that some of ours aren’t that well behaved, and it’s because I’m not the best horse whisperer out there.”
Felicity frowned, unsure of everything and turned in a slow circle as she faced the stable. T
heir whole herd was rowdy? She closed her eyes and prayed for strength. “So I’m going to train you too, is that it?”
More boot scuffling, and Felicity’s annoyance lifted another degree. “I don’t have time to train the horses. That’s why we have four unbroken, and a bit of a naughty herd.”
“You don’t have time.” She wasn’t sure why she was repeating his words. At least the stable seemed to be in decent repair, but she hadn’t stepped foot inside quite yet. “Are you the foreman or something?”
“No, Kurt’s the foreman.”
“What are you so busy doing then?”
“I own the ranch. Well, I will, once my father retires. But he’s essentially retired now. I do everything the owner does.” He shot her a quick glance. Nothing long enough to grab and hold onto, see how he was feeling. Although, the defeated notes in his voice didn’t fall on deaf ears.
“You own the ranch.”
“It does decently well,” he said, and she thought about the expensive vehicles in the shed. “But we need help with the horses.” He leaned against the fence now, his gaze on the animals in the pasture. “They’re great horses.”
“You love horses.” She wasn’t asking. She could simply hear it in his voice, see it in his profile.
“Yeah.”
“But you’re too busy running a cattle ranch.” She put one foot on the bottom rung and hoisted herself up so she was standing on the fence. A whistle through her teeth caught the attention of all four horses.
Only the black and white Tobiano spotted saddle horse lifted his head. She extended her hand toward him and said, “Come on.”
The horse took a few hesitant steps toward her and stopped. He was gorgeous, standing at least sixteen hands tall. Felicity felt him burrowing into the soft part of her heart, and she knew they’d get along fine.
“I’ll start with him. Does he have a name?”
“Spotlight.”
She climbed down from the fence and leaned her back into it. “Okay, Dwayne. Here’s the deal.”
He looked at her, and a skitter of nerves raced through her, causing her pulse to pound against the back of her throat. “I’ll start with Spotlight. You choose one you’ll start with, and we’ll train them together. I’ll train Spotlight, and I’ll train you how to train….”