Cowboy Comes Back / The Cowboy's Convenient Bride: Cowboy Comes Back / The Cowboy's Convenient Bride. Wendy Warren

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СКАЧАТЬ now that the emergency was over, knew that she hated owing him. Well, he’d give her a chance to even things out.

      “I need a favor, Libby.”

      “What?” she asked cautiously.

      “Have you ever seen Blue when you’ve been doing your BLM horse stuff?”

      He could see relief in her eyes. “A couple of times.”

      He forgot himself and smiled. Blue was alive. “I went searching for the herd a few days ago. Couldn’t find it.”

      “We relocated it after the fires two years ago.”

      That explained a lot.

      “How’d he look? How was he doing?”

      Libby pressed her lips together. “He was getting a little poor the last time I saw him.” Her expression softened then, the mask dropped, and for a moment she was the old Libby. His friend. His lover. “He is almost twenty, Kade. It’s a rough life out there.”

      “I want to find him. See him.”

      “Why?”

      He didn’t know exactly. Maybe because the horse had been the one positive thing in his youth besides Libby. And he’d messed things up with Lib, so that only left Blue. “I just … need to see him.”

      She frowned, but didn’t pursue the matter. “I’ll show you on a topo.”

      “Come with me,” Kade said without even knowing why. Maybe it was because of that brief moment of empathy.

      Libby actually took a step back. Not a good sign. No more empathy. “I don’t think so.”

      He tried a different tack. “It would screw with the odds makers.” A bad attempt at humor.

      “As far as I’m concerned, the odds makers can go screw themselves.” She kicked the toe of her boot into the gravel, glanced at the barn again, then met his gaze. “I owe you tonight, Kade. And I’ll be nice to you tonight. I’ll show you where the herd is on a topo map.”

      “Never mind,” he said in a clipped tone. “You can show me later.” As if there would be a later. He got into his truck, and after checking to make sure the dogs were close to Libby he shifted into Reverse.

      When he glanced in the rearview mirror on the way down the driveway he saw Libby walking back to the barn. Alone. And he was driving home. Alone.

      What a waste.

      THE NEXT MORNING Menace pulled into Kade’s place with the Chevy on the back of his tow rig. “Where do you want her?” he asked gruffly.

      “Behind the barn.” To rot.

      “Jason said you may want to sell.”

      “Do you know anyone who may want to buy it?” Because Kade knew someone who could use the cash.

      “Yeah. But I can’t guarantee you’d get much.”

      “I’ll think about it,” Kade said, and then he got to the subject that had been on his mind all morning. “Hey. do you see much of Libby?”

      “Yeah, I do.” It almost sounded like a threat.

      “One of her horses got hurt last night and I thought maybe you could stop by and see if she needs some help changing the bandage. Apparently the vet is out of town.” And Kade didn’t think he’d be all that welcome now that she wasn’t desperate.

      “You know how I am with horses,” Menace said, alarmed. Kade did know. Terrified.

      “Oh. I thought maybe after all these years …”

      “I’ll stop by and see if she needs a hand. If so I can dig up someone.” The big man had gone a little pale.

      “Do that,” Kade said. “And if you can’t find anyone, call me. It’s dangerous doctoring horses alone.”

      “Right. I will.” Menace got back in his towtruck and put it in gear. He unloaded the Chevy behind the barn. “You want to pay me now or drop your insurance information by?”

      “I’ll pay you now.” While he could. He pulled out his wallet.

      “Check on Libby,” he said as he handed over some of Joe Barton’s cash. Menace nodded and got into his truck.

      “WHAT THE HELL do you mean, Kade told you to check on me?”

      Menace glared, his black beard making him look fierce. “I mean what I said. Kade thinks it’s dangerous to take care of the horse by yourself and he’s damned well right.”

      “Well, maybe he is, but I don’t have to like it.” Libby pulled her curls back in a rubber band, then grabbed her gloves off the kitchen table. “Come on, then. Let’s go take care of business.” She was aware that watching her doctor a horse was the last thing Menace wanted to do, but when she’d made a call to the vet in Wesley earlier that morning, he’d told her he had another client in Otto and it would be late afternoon before he could get there.

      “Maybe we could call Benny Benson….” Menace ventured.

      “Maybe you can just watch while I change the bandage. If the horse knocks me around, you can pick me up.”

      Menace’s body stiffened. “If Kade’s so worried about you, maybe he should have come over himself.”

      “He’s welcome to do so,” Libby lied as she led the way to the pen, “but apparently he doesn’t want to.”

      “Gee, I wonder why,” Menace muttered.

      Libby turned, took a long look at her big friend and then let out a sigh. “Sorry. Kade did me a favor last night. I hated asking and I don’t like feeling beholden. Things are kind of … weird between us,” she finished. Which was an understatement.

      “Libby,” Menace said, “if you’re gonna live in the same community as him, you’re gonna have to suck it up.”

      “I’m trying,” she said as she opened the barn door. But it isn’t that easy. She’d just rolled the door back when a truck pulled into the drive. Libby smiled. “Look, Menace … the cavalry.”

      “Hey, yeah.” Menace brightened considerably as he recognized Sam Hyatt’s vet truck. The Wesley vet jumped out and Menace started for his truck. “I really gotta get back to the shop, Libby. Call me if you need some help.”

      “I’ll do that,” Libby said with a note of irony. Menace didn’t slow down as he waved in response.

      THE HORSE’S LEG was swollen, just as Kade had said it would be, and he was hurting, so Libby was glad that Sam had been able to stop by early. The travel costs from Wesley to Otto were going to kill her, though, since Sam’s other client had canceled and she’d be paying the entire fee herself. She had a feeling that Sam would waive it, since she’d agreed to go to dinner with him next Saturday night, but she wouldn’t let him do that. Libby always kept СКАЧАТЬ