Her Small-Town Cowboy. Mia Ross
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Название: Her Small-Town Cowboy
Автор: Mia Ross
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
isbn: 9781474046992
isbn:
“Well, you don’t have to worry about that kind of nonsense with me,” she assured him. “If I end up being a hopelessly terrible rider, I’ll assume it’s my fault, not yours.”
She reached toward the upper shelf where the smallest sizes were, but she couldn’t quite stretch far enough.
“Here, let me.” To his surprise, she pointed out a pair of well-worn brown boots that had once belonged to his mother. “You sure? They’re kinda plain.”
“They look like they’ve had a lot of experience. Maybe they’ll help me catch on quicker.”
Interesting theory, he mused as he brought them down for her. Sitting on a chair outside the storage room, she shed her sneakers and pulled on the boots. They seemed to work, and she held out her feet to admire them. Then, to his surprise, she looked up at the shelf where Abby was perched. “What do you think of these?”
“Perfect,” she announced, her ponytail bobbing as she nodded. “Just like Cinderella.”
“Well, don’t get your hopes up,” he teased. “We’re fresh out of princes around here.”
For some reason, Lily’s smile disintegrated, and she sighed. “I’ve had my fill of princes. The ones I meet always seem to turn into frogs.”
Mike wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he decided it was best to ignore the comment. “Ready for your lesson?”
“Definitely.” She shook off her momentary funk, and that playful grin was back. “Are you?”
Despite his plan to keep a professional distance from her, he found himself returning her smile. “I guess we’ll find out.”
He strolled over and let Abby climb onto his shoulders, then lowered her to the floor.
“Daddy, can I go have a snack with Grammy while you give Lily her lesson?”
“Sure, but save me some of those cookies. They smell real good.”
She thanked him with a quick hug, and he smiled as he watched her zoom back toward the house. Hard as it had been for him to leave his ranch foreman’s job in New Mexico behind, his daughter was happy here, surrounded by his large, chaotic family and now a class full of new friends. Much as he hated losing his independence, her happiness made it all worth it to him.
Hauling his mind back to reality, he led the way through a sliding door that opened onto the paddock where Gideon was dozing in the sun. When Lily moved out of his sight, Sarge let out a pitiful whimper and jumped up to follow her. To Mike’s knowledge, the dog had never shown much affection for anyone but Captain. That he seemed to have taken a shine to the soft-spoken teacher had to mean something. But right now, Mike couldn’t for the life of him figure out what it was.
“Seriously?” Swiveling toward Mike, she gave him a horrified look. “You couldn’t find a slightly smaller horse for me?”
“Give him a chance,” the trainer cajoled, rubbing the enormous animal’s chest as if he was a golden retriever. “Gideon’s the gentlest horse on the farm. Abby rides him all the time.”
Clearly, that last comment was meant to goad her into leaping onto the saddle that looked to be five precarious feet above the ground. Shaking her head, Lily announced, “She’s a lot braver than I am.”
“I doubt that. Most folks’d be terrified to take on a roomful of kindergarteners all on their own for the first time, but you did just fine with them. After that, this guy should be a piece of cake.”
“You thought I did well today?” she blurted without thinking how it might sound to him. It was a good thing she wasn’t trying to impress this man, she thought ruefully. Coming across as needy was bad enough, but add in a heavy dose of insecurity and most men understandably ran for the hills.
“You were great with them,” he said without hesitation. “Kids are like animals—they know a phony when they see one, and from where I was sitting, I could tell they really liked you.”
His praise rang with sincerity, and she smiled. “That’s nice of you to say.”
“Like I told you the other day, I don’t say things just to be nice. The truth’s not always easy to hear, but at least it doesn’t change from one day to the next.”
Someone had lied to this man, she realized with sudden clarity. Someone he trusted enough to care very much that the person had deceived him. Since she already suspected that this devoted single father was divorced, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to guess that someone had been his ex-wife. Lily was definitely curious about what had happened to their marriage, but she’d never dream of asking a virtual stranger such an intensely—and probably hurtful—personal question.
Instead, she refocused her attention on the horse standing quietly in the middle of the fenced-in space. Now that she’d calmed down a bit, she registered the fact that he was more than big. He was powerfully built and covered in scruffy brown fur that made her think of a retro-style shag rug. To add to his unusual appearance, there was an off-kilter white star on his forehead that led to a strip of white that zigzagged down along the right side of his nose.
As they stared at each other, his large brown eyes shone with intelligence, and she was almost certain he was taking stock of her the same way she was doing with him. The corner of his mouth crinkled, and she couldn’t help laughing. “Is he smiling at me?”
“I’d imagine so. He really likes people.”
Puzzled by Mike’s tone, she glanced at him. “You sound surprised by that.”
“If you knew what this old boy’s been through—” Mike fondly ruffled the horse’s shaggy mane “—you’d be surprised, too.”
That did it for her. Sympathy for the rescued animal flooded Lily’s heart, and she put aside her earlier reluctance to approach him. He nuzzled her hand, and on her other side, she felt something tap her arm. Looking down, she realized Mike had a few apple slices and was trying to sneak them to her.
“Hold your palm out flat.” He demonstrated for her. “He’s pretty careful, but if you curl your fingers he might nip you by mistake.”
“Okay.” Still a little nervous, she held the apples out for Gideon, who blew on her hand before delicately taking a piece from her. His lips tickled her skin, making her giggle like one of her students.
When she was out of treats, he slurped her hand in an equine thank-you and just about knocked her over when he started rubbing his forehead on her shoulder. Thankfully, Mike steadied her until she could brace herself more firmly. “He’s really strong.”
“He’s a Belgian draft horse. Most of him, anyway.” Scratching him between the eyes, Mike continued. “The rest, I’m not so sure about, but it doesn’t matter much. He’s got a great heart, and that’s good enough for me.”
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