Page 51 of The Guy Who Stole My Ranch

“And cranky.” Beth took a step back as Snowstorm sidestepped to the door and kicked it with a front leg. The wood jumped and I moved away.

“I can see that.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out a package of pitted dates.

“I see you came prepared,” Beth said.

“Sure did.”

She pointed at me. “He will bite.”

“Duly noted.” I opened the package, knowing the horse would smell the treat, and eventually get close enough to investigate.

Beth patted me on the shoulder. “I’ll leave you to it and go help Rick with the boxes.”

Snowstorm’s nostrils flared, and he took a single step toward me.

“Hey there, Snowstorm, you smell something good?” I gently shook the package.

His ears pricked forward, and he moved again. They had him tethered to the wall with a lead rope so even if he tried to escape, he wouldn’t get far. However, he had enough leeway to get his head through the window.

I stood there with my arms on the ledge and waited.

In the typical fashion of a horse that had been mistreated by humans, he got close, then he’d dance away, before smelling the dates and coming toward me again.

My first goal was to get him used to my scent. To associate me with something good, thus the treat. Then we’d get acquainted.

After a few minutes, Snowstorm’s nose came out into the hallway. His nostrils flared again, and when I rattled the package, this time harder than before, he jerked back.

Okay, so maybe plastic was a bad thing for him. I took a couple of dates out and put them in my hand. I didn’t want to give him the chance to bite me, which he might do just out of spite, but I did want him to get used to people. So I steeled myself and held my hand out, palm up, so he could smell it.

As soon as my hand breached the plane of his stall Snowstorm tossed his head and moved back.

“I’m not going anywhere, darlin’,” I said.

Snowstorm stood perfectly still.

“He’s been through something bad.”

I jumped, and may have let out a little shriek, at the sudden intrusion of a voice at my side.

And not just any voice.

William’s voice.

Snowstorm danced away again, eyes wide.

I wanted to deny the fact that William was just a few feet away, but I could tell it was him by his cologne. He’d worn the same fresh scent each day since he’d arrived. It would forever remind me of him. Of when I’d bandaged his arm, of when he’d helped me lift a heavy part into the tractor, and of when he’d sat almost touching me when we’d taken a break for lunch.

My brain wondered what he was doing here, but it quickly answered its own question.

This had to be Rick’s meddling.

The whole family had been teasing me via text about spending so much time with the most eligible bachelor in the country, even though he likely wouldn’t live here, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that one of them had taken my love life into their own hands.

Rick likely thought he’d done me a favor by inviting William today. My brother should know better than to do me any favors.

I gritted my teeth and took a breath.

This wasn’t William’s fault. He was as much of a victim as I was. So I gathered my anger and pushed it back, making it a promise that it would get to chew Rick out later, then turned to William with a smile. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

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