Page 8 of Sara’s Dom (The Doms of Madison County)

“Okay.”

He turned back when he got to the nearest barn and saw her sitting with her back to the dog. And he could see her lips moving but couldn’t hear a word of it from where he stood.

For the next hour, he had his men walk up to him to ask questions, but he kept his eyes mostly on Sara. He had no idea how long he was supposed to give her.

“I’ll be dammed,” one of his men said that stood next to him.

Grant looked over and saw she had coaxed the dog out. She stayed still and just talked. The dog crouched a foot from her and stayed for a few minutes before rushing back under the house.

She stood and wiped the grass and dirt off her butt before walking to him. She wasn’t exactly smiling, but she looked pleased.

“How’d it go?” he asked.

She grinned. “Good. It’s going to take a few more times before he trusts me. Is it okay if I bring treats for him?”

“Sure.”

“I’m going to put medicine in them for his fleas and ticks.”

Grant nodded. He hadn’t thought of doing that.

“We can head out unless you’d like to see Dream Catcher?” he asked.

Her eyes lit up. “Yes. I’d like that.”

He took her hand and led her into one of the stables. He’dhad his men put the horse into the yard closest to the stables and put a few of the gentler horses with her so she wouldn’t get lonely. They came to a gate.

She gasped and smiled. “She looks so happy.”

“I hope so. We take pride in taking care of all our animals’ needs,” he said.

“Can I go into the yard?”

“Sure.” He opened the gate, and they both stepped in. He was amazed when she called out for the horse. The mare’s head jerked up, and her ears pointed toward where they stood. She whinnied and trotted over to them. He was about ready to push Sara behind him because the horse was coming in a bit fast, but she stopped a foot away.

Sara put her arms around the horse’s neck, and the mare held her against her chest with her head. It looked like they were both hugging each other, and he could feel the happiness surrounding them. He’d never seen such a display of affection between a horse and a human.

Sara patted the horse and stepped back before she turned to him. “Thank you. It was great seeing her.”

“I want you to see her every time you’re here, Sweetheart,” Grant said. He saw the surprise in her eyes at the endearment, but she didn’t say anything.

He took her hand and led her back to the truck. He got her settled and then climbed in.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

“Yes. Why?”

“How about pizza?”

She smiled. “That sounds good.”

He took them to a privately owned pizzeria he loved. When they walked through the door, the owner lifted his hands in the air dramatically and shouted, “There’s the man!”

Grant chuckled. “Hello, Antonio.”

The small man came over and shook his hand.

“Are you going to introduce me to this beautiful lady?” Antonio asked.

---