Page 101 of The Cowboy’s Intriguing Love

Ty smiled when she patted the horse’s neck and spoke to him. She brought him to a halt and had him back up a little way. She circled him to the left and then to the right. Then she took him out on a circuit around the outside of the arena. After a few minutes, it looked like she and the horse had been partners for years. She had him loping circles, changing leads, and just when Ty thought she was going to bring him back over to them, she took him to the gate that opened into the arena. The horse stood while she unlatched it, then moved quietly while she swung it open and then closed it, before standing quietly again while she closed the chain and latched it again.

She was smiling as she trotted back toward them.

“You lucky bastard,” Tanner said quietly before she reached them. “She’s gorgeous, a total sweetheart, she knows what she’s doing in the saddle and …”

Ty scowled at him when he waggled his eyebrows. “Be careful what you say next, Tan.”

Tanner laughed. “All I was going to say is that it’s obvious that she’s head over heels in love with you.”

Ty grinned. “That’s the last thing I expected you to say.”

“Seriously? Don’t tell me you don’t know it – even I can see it!”

“I don’t mean that – I know it. What I meant was that I didn’t think you’d consider that to be lucky. You run scared at the first hint of commitment.”

Tanner shrugged. “Yeah, but … maybe seeing all you guys …” He shrugged again. “I dunno.” He turned to Shayna when she reached them.

Ty couldn’t believe that she looked uncertain as she asked, “What do you think – how did I do?”

Tanner grinned. “You’re hired – if you want to be. Whatever hours you can spare, I’d love to have you work with me. And I mean training. No mucking out stalls for you, lady. You’re too good for that.”

Ty’s chest buzzed with happiness when she smiled at him, and he nodded. “Your talents would be wasted on the ground – you need to be in the saddle.”

“Thank you! But I don’t mind helping wherever I’m needed. I can do …”

Tanner grasped her shoulder when she dismounted. “Just because you can do anything, it doesn’t mean you should have to do everything,” he told her with a smile. “You’ll learn that around here.”

Ty gave him a grateful nod as she climbed back over the fence to join him.

“You guys figure out what kind of schedule’s going to work for you, and I’ll give you all the hours you want.”

“Thanks so much!” said Shayna.

“Thanks, Tan. Do you have anything you think might work for her?”

Shayna gave him a puzzled look, but Tanner grinned – he knew exactly what Ty meant.

“I do. That palomino I picked up at auction? I reckon she’ll be the perfect fit. She’s a stunner.”

Ty nodded happily. He knew the horse Tanner meant. He’d taken a liking to her himself when Tanner brought her home from the auction a few weeks ago. She really was a stunner, and there was nothing marish about her temperament – she was a sweetheart.

Shayna was giving them a puzzled look.

“You’re going to need your own horse,” he told her. “You’re not just going to be riding for work. We can hit the trails.”

The way she smiled made him feel like he grew two feet taller.

“Really?”

He nodded happily. “Really, sweetheart.”

Tanner had climbed back into the saddle. “Let me know what you want to do. And if I don’t see you before then, are you guys going to the bakery on Friday afternoon?”

“Probably,” said Ty, not wanting to commit to it until he’d told Shayna what the deal was.

“I’ll ride over with you if you are,” said Tanner. “Oh, and before I forget, Ford wants a word when you get the chance.”

“Okay. Do you know where he is?”

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