Page 47 of Cowboy's Sinful Bargain

"He was performing acupuncture on Bucky when I arrived. Not only had it slowed the bleeding, but it was keeping Bucky calm enough for me to work on him. Then he made some herb mixture that I've never heard of, spread it on the wound, and Bucky calmed right down. Dangest thing I ever did see."

I only understood about half of what the vet said, but I did know I had Miko to thank for my horse still being alive. That was clear enough. I needed to thank him, assuming I could get him to talk to me.

I had the distinct impression that I had pissed Miko off in some manner. I just wasn't quite sure how. It was obvious I needed to go talk to him and work this out.

"Wade, can you keep an eye on Bucky for me?" I asked as I stood. "I need to go talk to Miko."

"Yeah, sure, but I doubt it'll do you any good. He's pretty pissed."

I was afraid of that.

"I still need to try." Having Miko pissed because of something I'd said or done didn't sit well with me. "Do you have any clue what he's upset about?"

I certainly didn't.

"Pretty sure it has to do with Bucky," Wade replied. "When I arrived in the field, you were passed out cold. Miko told me not to wake you until after he dealt with Bucky. He said if we had to put him down, you didn't need that image in your head."

I frowned as I glanced back at my horse. "Miko didn't want me to be the one to put Bucky down?"

"That's the impression I got."

Huh.

"Bucky's my horse," I stated. "It's my responsibility."

"I'm just telling you what he said, but what you need to remember is that Miko wasn't raised here. He might not understand."

That was true.

"I'll go talk with him."

"Yeah." Wade snorted. "Good luck with that."

Pretty sure I was going to need it.

I admit, I walked out of the barn with uncertain steps. We'd known each other less than a week. I had no idea how to deal with Miko. He wasn't a rancher or a ranch hand. He wasn't a businessman from town or a customer here to buy cattle. He was a beautiful little man that had my guts in a twist.

I was pretty much doomed.

I could see the light on in the second floor window and knew Miko was probably still awake. I hurried up the steps to the back porch and then walked into the kitchen.

Mrs. Gibbons was at the stove, stirring something in a pot that smelled mouthwatering. "Is that dinner?" I asked hopefully.

She turned and smiled at me. "I know it's a little late, but people still need to eat."

I certainly did.

"I need to go up and talk with Miko. Just call us when dinner is ready."

"It's got about an hour to go."

I nodded my understanding and then walked out of the kitchen. My steps were a little slower when I approached the stairs and then walked up to the second floor. I still had no idea what I was going to say to Miko.

A marriage license, while making things legal, didn't help one bit when it came to communicating with the person you married. Having never been married before, I had no idea what I was doing. I just knew I didn't like Miko being mad at me.

That was a weird feeling for me. I usually didn't give a damn what people thought. Having known I was gay for most of life, I'd had insults thrown at me and a few fists. I'd grown hard against that type of thing.

This was different. The scathing look Miko had given me out in the barn had twisted my guts and made me feel like the scum on the bottom of his shoe. I didn't like feeling that way.

---