* * * * *
Back in the truck and on the road again, Wyatt reached into the unused ashtray, pulled out a bag of lemon drops, offered her one and popped one in his mouth. It was a small gesture, one she had little experience with—simple thoughtfulness. She didn’t know why such a gesture should shake her so but it did. It struck her again that Wyatt Brody was dangerous. Not in the way of her daddy, but in a manner that was much worse to her mind. Wyatt was getting under her skin, making her hope for all the things she’d never had—stability, someone to love her, a real family. Wyatt could make her love him. And he could break her heart.
He tucked the candy back into the ashtray and smiled fondly. “Miss Jack got me started on these things when I was a sprout. Can’t seem to give them up.”
Haley savored the drop. “Coulda took up worse habits.”
“That’s the truth of it.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “So, tell me about this breeding and training business you wanna set up. You got a business plan in place?”
Haley shifted in her seat so she could look at him. “Well, it ain’t a formal business plan but I got a bunch of stuff written down in a notebook. How many horses per acre, the facilities I’ll need—you know, the main barn, an arena, storage for feed and hay, an equipment building with a shop to work on tractors and such. Worked up a feed budget.”
Wyatt nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. “Sounds like a good start. You should put it all on a computer. I’ve got a couple of good software programs to help track expenses. You got a computer?”
“Ugh. No. Don’t know that much about them.”
“Felt the same way myself when I first started using the dang things. Couldn’t do without it now. What say we go on into Kerrville after I’m done with immunizations and get you fixed up with everything you’ll need to set up a business office? You’re gonna need a cell phone, too. And I got a gal can get a website up for you. Then you’ll have to meet with Harlan to get the incorporation paperwork rolling—that’ll save plenty on taxes.”
“Shoot…didn’t know it was gonna be that complicated.”
He took his eyes off the road for a second and grinned at her. “Seems like it when you first start out but once you get the hang of it, it’ll be like you been doing it your whole life.”
Haley sighed, wondering what the catch was to all this help and advice.
“How come you’re being so nice to me? You got plenty to do to keep your own place going. Is it just so you can get me in bed?”
He laughed, tickled by her forthrightness. “You don’t mince words, do ya?”
“Never seen the need to.”
Wyatt took off his hat, scratched his head and put it back on. “Well, I won’t lie and say it ain’t crossed my mind. You’re a good-looking woman but that ain’t the main reason. Fact is, I like you. I think you’re a hell of a woman, and I loved your aunt like she was my own ma. I reckon she knew the kind of life you had with your pa. I expect that’s why she left you the ranch. Figure she’d want me to do all I could to help you sink some roots and make a life for yourself. Question is…you gonna let me?”
Overwhelmed, Haley stared out the passenger window, swiped away a tear or two. If she was going to make a new life for herself, she needed to learn to trust someone, didn’t she? And Wyatt seemed like a good bet, if she could manage to keep things on a strictly friendship level. She took a deep breath and nodded to herself.
Wyatt cleared his throat. “Got it settled in your mind?”
She looked at him and smiled. “Yeah. I’d appreciate any help you’re willing to give.”
Wyatt turned on his blinker and started up the road to her place. “Then I’ll give you a call when we’re done and we’ll ride into Best Buy and get you set up.” He pulled up next to the barn, set the parking brake and cut the engine. “Bring your checkbook and prepare yourself. It ain’t gonna be cheap.”
She unclipped her seat belt. “Oh lord. And me tight enough to make a penny scream when I pinch it.”
* * * * *
Wyatt was still laughing when he walked around and opened her door. “There ain’t no women in the world like Texas women,” he declared, and pulled her from the truck into his arms. When her hands went to his chest, he thought she might push him away. Instead, she hesitated a couple of seconds and fisted them in his shirt. He lowered his head and brushed his lips across hers. “I swear, woman, if you don’t beat all.” Then he took his first real taste of Haley Kilpatrick’s sweet mouth.
Lemon drops and sweet Texas sunshine, that’s what she tasted like. He deepened the kiss, his tongue tangling with hers in a mating dance as old as time. Her hands slid up his chest, speared through his hair, and his cock stood to attention. More than anything, Wyatt wanted to drop his hands to her perfectly rounded bottom and haul her against him, let her feel how much he wanted her.
Behind them some fool cleared his throat. Had to be Dooley, who should damn well know better.
Wyatt released her, stepped back and cleared his own throat before turning to face Haley’s foreman. He figured his face was probably as red as Haley’s, caught as they were in the act.
Dooley swiped his hat off his head and nodded. “Sorry.” At least he had the sense to give his boss a sheepish smile. “I was just wondering if you wanted me to unload the stock.”
“Thank you, Dooley. I expect they’d like to get outta there.” She sidestepped Wyatt and the three of them headed for the back of the trailer. “They’re bound to be hungry. My brother sold most of the grain and hay, probably for beer money, so I got no idea how long it’s been since they’ve eaten. And their feet are a mess from standing in filthy stalls.”
Dooley’s mouth compressed in anger when he unloaded their first mare. “Shee-it. White line disease. Thrush too but that ain’t no surprise. Gonna need to doctor them and get some pads. What the hell’s wrong with that brother of yours? You can practically count their ribs.”
Haley snorted. “Been asking myself that question for years.”
“If he was too lazy to feed them, least he could do was put them to pasture.”
“You’d think so, wouldn’t ya?” She unloaded the next mare. “Truth is, Dooley, the boy couldn’t pour piss out of a boot if there was directions on the heel. Should have known better than to think he’d take care of the stock while I was gone.”
Wyatt unloaded the third mare and followed them to a large, overgrown paddock. The grass was a good nine inches tall and the mare smelled it, prancing anxiously beside him. He swore under his breath. Had the horses eaten at all in the weeks Haley had been gone?
Dooley released his charge and hurried back for the last horse. He and Haley unhooked the leads from the halters and the animals immediately tucked into the sweet Texas grass. Haley shook her head and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze.
“They’re gonna be fine. I’ll call my vet, have him come out and take a look at them.”
Haley nodded. “Thank you for taking me to get them. Jesus, they could have starved to death.”
Dooley came back with the final mare and turned her loose. “That boy should be horsewhipped.”
Wyatt laughed. “Haley took a quirt to him. Beat him like a rented mule.”
Dooley tipped his hat back and grinned. “Is that right? I’d give a month’s pay to see that.” He resettled his hat, opened the gate and stepped through. “Reckon I’d best see what kind of damage the boy caused these mares’ hooves.”
The damage wasn’t as bad as they’d feared. Three of the four animals had bad cases of thrush, the fourth had the beginnings of white line disease. Wyatt held onto the halter of a mare named Lolly while Haley trimmed loose flaps of mushy tissue from around the frog, then scoured the hoof in an iodine solution and patted it dry, repeating the process on all four hooves. Next came a generous application of homemade sugardine that Dooley mixed up. All four horses got the thrush treatment.
“Soon as that little sorrel’s th
rush clears up some, we’ll need to get pads on her.” Dooley took the sugardine from her and started working on the sorrel, Fancy.
“Shit. You know a good ferrier?”
Dooley gave her a terse nod. “Emmet Gruber. His name should be in Jack’s Rolodex. If you were to call him now, he could schedule it.”
Haley uttered a deep sigh. “I’ll go make the call. Y’all want some tea while I’m inside?”
Wyatt moved to hold Fancy’s halter while Dooley trimmed around the frog. “Tea sounds good. Dooley?”
“That’d be fine, Miss Haley.”
Haley smiled. “Dooley. I ain’t the schoolmarm. Plain ol’ Haley is just fine.”
“Whatever you say, boss.” Fancy struggled to free her foot and Dooley crooned to her. “Whoa now, Miss Fancy.”
Wyatt chuckled when Haley rolled her eyes. “I’ll be back.” He watched her walk away, enjoying the way her jeans hugged her backside just right.
“Boy, you got it bad,” Dooley said.
Wyatt wasn’t ready to admit to anything. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, old man. Just tend to your own knitting.”
“Hooo-we, son. It’s worse than I thought if the idea makes you that crotchety.”
“I ain’t crotchety.” But he had the good grace to offer up an apologetic grin.
“Hell, it ain’t nothing to get all swole up about. She’s a fine woman and good-looking to boot.”
Wyatt raised an eyebrow. “You’re a married man, Dooley.”
Dooley gave him wink. “Yup. But I ain’t dead.” He finished with the first foot and moved on to the next. “I’m gonna say somethin’ and I don’t want you to get your back up.” Wyatt waited. “That girl, she’s had a hard life. She and my Maria been talking and appears her pa and brother used her as a meal ticket these past years. That little gal’s trying to make a life for herself and to hear Maria tell it, she ain’t looking to get tangled up with anybody. Don’t you be pressing her to do something she ain’t ready for. If all you want is a piece a tail, best you look someplace else. Miss Haley don’t need another ordeal to get through.”
Wyatt didn’t know whether to be mad or happy that Haley had someone like Dooley watching out for her.
“You make me sound like some cowboy Cassanova and I ain’t. And I’ve had my own ordeals to get through.”
Dooley released the horse’s leg and stood, stretching his back. “I know that, son. But that one’s got a real tender spot around her heart. All I’m saying is take it slow and be sure she’s what you want before it goes any further.” He leaned back, groaning as his spine cracked. “Ah, that’s better. Here she comes with the tea.”
Wyatt and Dooley hopped up on the fence and took the tea Haley brought them. Strong and sweet, just the way he liked it. Liked his women that way, too, if he was to be honest, and Haley Kilpatrick fit that bill to a T.
“Fancy behavin’ herself?” Haley asked.
“She don’t much like having her feet messed with but she’s tolerating it.”
She took a drink of tea. “Gruber’ll be here first of the week. Says he’ll use a CVP gasket pad.” At Wyatt’s raised eyebrows, she elaborated. “That’s copper sulfate, Venice turpentine, and polypropylene felt. He’ll pack her hooves with the felt soaked in copper sulfate and turpentine. It’ll kill any leftover bacteria and stop the moisture from gettin’ to the hoof. He’ll leave it on until it’s time for re-shoein’ and she’ll be right as rain.”
Wyatt shook his head. “I thought I knew horses but I’m a kindergartner compared to you. Where’d you learn this stuff?”
“Picked it up over the years. When you’re a kid growin’ up on other people’s ranches, you learn to make yourself useful. I took to horses from the time I was little so I gravitated toward the wranglers. Made a point of watchin’ and askin’ questions. By the time I was sixteen and old enough to earn a paycheck, wasn’t much about horses I didn’t know. You’re like that with cattle, I expect.”
“Yes ma’am, I surely am.” He drained his tea and hopped off the fence. “Speaking of which, I’d best head on back home and make sure the hands ain’t rustled the herd.”
Haley nodded. “I’ll walk you to your truck.” The way she was wringing her hands, he knew she was struggling to find the words for whatever it was she wanted to say to him. When they got to the truck, he leaned against the bed and waited. She looked up at him. “I’m sorry you had to see that today…my brother behavin’ like a horse’s ass the way he done.”
“Haley—”
She shook her head. “Please, let me finish. I reckon I can count on one hand the number of times people didn’t treat me like trash because of my pa and Conner. I ain’t never had nobody open doors or pull out a seat for me. You made me feel like I was worth somethin’ and I thank you for that. For everything you done. I know you was just bein’ neighborly but you made me feel special and I appreciate that.”
Wyatt’s chest tightened. Jesus. What must it be like to go through life never knowing the milk of human kindness? To be grateful for the small considerations he’d show to any woman? She stood there, pink-cheeked, staring down at the tips of her boots, embarrassed by her gratitude. “Haley.” He tipped her chin up. “Look at me. You are special and you deserve to be treated with respect. Any man that can’t see that is a damned fool. So, you’re welcome.” He leaned down and kissed her, a gentle press of his lips against hers. He would have left it at that if her hands hadn’t fisted in his shirt. He deepened the kiss, pressing his tongue between her lips for a taste before pulling away. He reached up, tapped the brim of her hat. “Sweet as a spring morning, but I got to get home and get to work.”
She stepped back, nodded. “Me too. I’ll see you later.”
“Count on it.” It pleased him that she watched him go, waving as he pointed his rig down the driveway before turning back to her work. Still, Dooley’s words weighed on his mind.
* * * * *
Haley pressed her hand against her mouth. Wyatt had kissed her, and damned if she hadn’t kissed him back. Why the hell had she done that? She didn’t want him kissing her. Didn’t want any man kissing her. Near as she could tell, every mother’s son of them was nothing but a bucket full of trouble—even the nice ones—and she was dumber than a bag of hammers if she let any one of them weasel his way into her life. If her pa and Conner had taught her anything, it was that men couldn’t be trusted.
Trouble was, she liked Brody and she halfway trusted him already. Her conversation with Maria scrolled across the forefront of her addled brain, wanting her to believe what her friend had told her. That Wyatt was different. That he was a good man. As if such a thing existed. Oh, Dooley was all right but Dooley was a married man and wasn’t interested in her the way Wyatt was, and the fact that she liked him, had liked kissing him, made him dangerous to her new found peace of mind. “Stupid, stupid, stupid.” She scrubbed at her mouth, trying to wipe away the feel of Wyatt’s lips on hers.
Chapter Five
Haley could barely contain her excitement. For the first time in her life, she had the money to do more than look around at a stock auction. Today, she could afford to buy. The parking areas at the county fairgrounds were filling up fast and it looked as if the entire county had showed up. She found a space, hopped out of the truck, and locked it, before heading for the pens to check out the stock. Walking around, Haley stopped at holding pen full of yearlings. A young girl pointed to a pretty sorrel gelding. “That’s him, Daddy, that’s the one I want.”
“Oh, he is pretty,” Haley said, studying the horse.
The girl looked at her and gasped. “You’re Haley Kilpatrick.” She plucked her father’s shirt. “She’s the best barrel racer ever.”
Haley laughed. “I’ve done okay but I don’t reckon I’m the best ever. Can I give you a little advice about that gelding?”
“Please do,” said the father.
“I’d look for something else. He’s pretty but his conformation ain’t right fo
r a barrel racer.” The pair looked at her and she nodded at the horse. “See how heavily muscled he is in the front there? He ain’t balanced. If he’s heavy on his front feet he could go lame down the line.” She continued to survey the herd. “How long you been riding?”
“I’m taking barrel racing lessons now,” the girl answered, looking longingly at the little gelding.
“She’s got her mind set on barrel racing and I promised to buy her a good horse if she kept her grades up and did her chores. Plus, today’s her birthday,” he said.
Haley nodded. “What a great birthday present. Okay. As a beginner, you’d be better off looking for a more mature horse. One with plenty of training that can teach her how it’s done. Say around ten years old, a nice gelding, no bad habits.
“Your barrel horse has to be fast and agile. Just like athletes. And barrel racing is tough on a horse so it’s gonna take constant conditioning to keep him fit. You get yourself a mixed breed, say, a Quarter with some pony in his line, and you got yourself the perfect barrel horse.”
“A pony?” the girl said with a scowl. “I don’t want a pony.”
Haley laughed. “I don’t mean ponies like those poor little Shetlands you see at the fair, walking around in circles. I mean a horse that’s a little over 14 hands. Short. Compact. Well developed legs, and good muscle.” She squatted down to meet the child’s eye. “See, ponies, they evolved to be fast and sprightly so they could get away from whatever was trying to eat them.”
The confused father looked around. “I don’t know…would you mind? Sara’s a pretty good rider but I don’t know much about horses, other than I should own stock in Purina for what I pay in horse feed. I’d be happy to pay you.”
“I’d be happy to help. Finding young Sara a good horse will be payment enough. She gets good, one day you’ll come out to the One-Eyed Jack and buy a horse from me.” She smiled at the child. “How old are you, Sara?”
“I’m ten today but I’ve riding since I was little. Daddy’s getting me a horse for my birthday.”
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