Page 21 of The Cowboy's Magic Touch

“Goodbye, Mr Palmer.”

“Goodbye, sheriff.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

As Hank and Annie drove towards Smoky Hill with Brody following and Bella sitting beside him, Hank peppered her with questions about her celebrity life. When he turned off the dirt road and headed towards his property, the gentle slope and forest was to their right, and Brody’s paddocks to the left.

“The horses look so content,” she remarked with a sigh, gazing out her window. “I can’t wait to get back in the saddle. I wish I could ride a horse naked like you,” she added, then laughed out loud. “Maybe I could make that my next album cover and come up with a catchy title.”

“From now on I’m going to call what I do, riding with no equipment,” he said vehemently, shooting her a look.

“No, you can’t. That’s no fun,” she retorted as they crossed the boundary line into his property. “Oh, wow, you only had four when I left. Now it looks like you have two more.”

“Only one. The other is boarding here. I don’t just do guest appearances any more. I teach and train. It’s how I make my livin’.”

“You don’t have the feed store?”

“It’s leased. I almost sold it, but I thought I’d better keep it until I was sure this would pay off. So far it has, but I like things the way they are. And there’s the oversized storage shed near the barn. Brody and I will need to clear out some stuff to make room. Shouldn’t take long.”

“Thanks so much for this, Hank.”

“Hey, it’s no big deal,” he replied, slowing down to turn towards it.

“Do you mind if I get out here and go into the paddocks?”

“Of course not. Grab some treats from the glove compartment,” he said, coming to a stop.

“Fantastic, thanks. I can’t wait to pet them.”

“Have fun!”

Climbing from the truck, and glad she was wearing boots, she hurried to the first fence and climbed through the rails. The two horses sharing the pasture raised their heads, pricked their ears, and studied her.

“I bring tasty food,” she promised, walking slowly towards them. As they ambled towards her, she let out a heavy sigh, then stared up at the forest. “I’ve missed this place so much,” she murmured. “I feel as if I can breathe again.”

But one of the horses gently nudged her, breaking into her momentary reverie. Stroking his neck with one hand, she opened the other and let him gobble up a treat. She was about to head into the adjacent paddock when she thought she saw something moving through the trees. Curious, she climbed back through the fence and she walked cautiously towards the base of the forest. As she drew near, she was delighted to see a big, grey, furry dog trotting towards her.

“Where did you come from? You can’t stay in the forest. It won’t be safe.”

The dog stopped and stared at her.

“You’re so beautiful,” she murmured, thinking the canine must be male because of its size “I have a horse treat. I’m not sure if you’ll like it, but it has molasses in it.”

The dog still didn’t move.

Deciding he was scared and nervous, she sat down to appear less threatening, then softly tossed the treat towards him. To her great delight he padded forward, picked it up and swallowed it in one gulp.

“You liked that? I have another one,” she said, reaching into her pocket and dropping it on the ground just a couple of yards in front of her.

As the big dog drew closer she stayed perfectly still, watching as he gobbled it down.

“Are you a malamute? You sure look like one, or maybe a husky? But you’re not wearing a collar. That’s so irresponsible. I wonder what your name is. I think I’ll call you Moon because you’re so big and grey. Would you like that?”

The furry animal didn’t come any closer, but continued to stare at her, then to her joy, he sat down.

“That’s a good sign,” she remarked with a smile. “I’d love to pet you, but I might scare you if I come too close. We can just sit here together for a few minutes.”

“Annie!”

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