Riding Hard. Vicki Thompson Lewis

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СКАЧАТЬ surely do appreciate this.” He handed over the lead rope, but the mare stayed right by his side. Then he dug in the pocket of his worn jeans. “I ain’t got nothin’ but change, but I’ll give you what I—”

      “No, no. That’s okay. You keep it.” She felt like offering him money, instead. “I don’t know if you’ve checked into this, but the county has programs if you find yourself...a little short.”

      He nodded. “I know. I might consider that.” He returned the coins to his pocket. “Much obliged to you for taking Dottie. That’s a load off my mind.”

      “You’re welcome.”

      “She’s a good horse.”

      “I’m sure she is.”

      He stroked the Appaloosa’s nose. “You be a good girl for the lady, you hear?”

      The mare turned her head and nudged his chest.

      “I know. I’ll miss you, too. It’s for the best.”

      Tracy swallowed a lump in her throat. “Mr. Rankin...Jerry, she’ll be right here. If things should start looking up for you, you can come and get her.”

      He touched the brim of his battered cowboy hat. “That’s right nice of you, ma’am.” His voice grew husky. “I’ll...I’ll keep it in mind.” He stroked Dottie’s nose once more and started for his truck.

      “We’ll take good care of her,” Tracy called after him.

      He didn’t respond other than to give a brief nod.

      The mare turned her head to gaze after him. Then she nickered.

      Tracy feared she might start bawling. Apparently she wasn’t cut out for this kind of work. She hoped that dealing with people problems turned out to be less emotionally difficult than dealing with animal problems. Otherwise she wouldn’t be a very effective psychologist.

      Dottie nickered again as the truck and trailer pulled through the gate.

      “Come on, girl.” Tracy rubbed the mare’s silky neck. “Time for a cozy stall and some oats. I’ll bet you haven’t had any of those in a while.” She exerted firm pressure on the lead rope and Dottie followed her obediently to the barn, proving that she was, as Jerry had said, a good horse. Tracy settled her into an empty stall at the far end of the barn and gave her the promised bucket of oats. The mare ate them greedily.

      “Okay, this was a good decision...I guess.” Tracy leaned on the stall door and watched the mare. She was a good-looking horse, the color of rich cream with a rump speckled in black.

      “The thing is, Dottie, I know nothing about prenatal care, and I’ll bet you could use a few vitamins and minerals.” Gazing at the horse’s extended belly, she realized she didn’t know how far along the mare was. It hadn’t been on the form, but she should have thought to ask, anyway.

      She considered her options. She could call the vet in Jackson, who would charge a pretty penny to evaluate the mare and prescribe vitamins. She’d been instructed not to accept any animals, so adding an expensive vet visit seemed wrong when she could get the same services for free. All she had to do was call Drake Brewster.

      Yeah, right. So easy. Just call up Mr. Gorgeous-But-Untrustworthy and ask him to give his professional opinion on the pregnant mare she’d just taken in against Regan and Lily’s specific instructions. She wondered if Drake would mention that she’d overstepped. Probably not, considering his history. Talk about overstepping. He’d written the book on it.

      Still, she knew Regan and Lily would want her to call Drake instead of the vet in Jackson. No question about that. If she phoned Drake, he’d come right over. The guy didn’t seem to have a full schedule. And he’d be very nice. Charming, even. Of course he was charming or he wouldn’t have been able to talk Regan’s fiancée into going to bed with him.

      At least, Tracy assumed that’s how it had gone. She couldn’t imagine a woman cheating on Regan unless she’d had too much to drink and had been wooed by a master of seduction like Drake Brewster. Tracy was outraged by what he’d done. She was disapproving, scandalized and...so embarrassing to admit, titillated.

      Face it, the man was breathtaking. She’d heard his disreputable story before he’d ever walked into Spirits and Spurs. Everybody in town had, and they were all ready to give Drake the cold shoulder and condemn Regan’s fiancée in absentia. But when Drake finally did come into the bar, Tracy forgave Regan’s fiancée immediately.

      Not many women would be able to resist a full-court press by someone who looked like that. Those sleepy green eyes and a smile full of equal parts mischief and sin would make short work of any girl’s virtuous resolve. Pair those attributes with broad shoulders, slim hips and coffee-colored hair with a slight tendency to curl, and you had the promise of intense pleasure wrapped up in one yummy serving of manhood.

      She certainly didn’t want to be attracted to him. God, no! Too bad. She was, anyway. Her line of defense had been a cool, distant manner. Apparently it had worked, because he thought she didn’t like him. Actually, he was right about that. She didn’t like him, or more precisely, she didn’t like the kind of person who would betray his best friend.

      Yet whenever Drake came within five feet of her, she tingled. At the three-foot mark, she burned. She’d made sure he never got any closer than that, because she didn’t want to find out what would happen. She was afraid she’d turn into a hypocrite.

      So calling him about the mare presented a problem. She’d have to keep her distance when he showed up. No one would ever need to know about her inconvenient case of lust. She’d taken in the pregnant mare, and consequently she had to do the next logical thing and summon Drake.

      Pulling her phone from her pocket, she located his number. Her pulse accelerated at the thought of talking to him. That was the other thing about Drake. He had a voice like aged bourbon, complete with the soft drawl of a man born and raised in Virginia. It was a bedroom voice if she’d ever heard one. He sounded like effing Rhett Butler.

      He answered quickly. “Hey there, Miss Tracy. Problems?”

      She hadn’t counted on the effect of his voice murmuring in her ear, and she felt chills down her spine. She brought the phone to waist level and punched the speaker button. “Not a problem, exactly. I took in a pregnant mare today.”

      “You’re kidding.”

      “I couldn’t turn her away. The guy is down to his last dime, but he refused to sell her to someone he thought might mistreat her. He chose to bring her here instead of taking the money, which he obviously needs. He’s being evicted and he has no job.”

      “Did you give him a job?”

      His compassionate suggestion impressed her. “No, but that’s a fabulous idea. Obviously I can’t hire him, but Regan and Lily might. That’s assuming we can find him again. We have no permanent address or phone number. Just a name.”

      “In a place where everybody seems to know everybody, that should be enough. How far along is the mare?”

      “I didn’t think to ask. But I assume she needs special care, and I didn’t want to bring the vet down from Jackson and incur extra expense.” She paused to see if СКАЧАТЬ