Page 21 of No Bones About It

Garrett nodded. “Whatever they’ve been through, I think they had a good life before it. They’re clearly subdued, but I don’t think it’ll be long before they’re happy again.”

She bumped his shoulder with his. “You’re doing a good thing here, Garrett.”

He nodded but didn’t respond. The man wasn’t comfortable with praise. They hung the halters in the tack room and checked on Kitty.Garrett tried to talk her into joining her new friends, but the mare remained reluctant.

“Maybe tomorrow.”

He nodded again. “I’ll keep trying, but I won’t force her. She was found when someone bought an old property in Tennessee. She’d been trapped inside a broken-down shed. No halter or equipment on her. No idea how long she’d been there.”

“The poor girl. She must have been terrified. No wonder she doesn’t trust indoor spaces.”

“What’s the deal with Onigis?”

Kimi sighed. “She was in one of those questionable training centers for racehorses. I know nothing about her background, but I’ve sent away her bloodwork to see if they’re using anything illegal.”

“I’d like to put all of those jerks out of business.”

A man after her own heart. “Me too.”

They moved back to the barn and checked on the geldings. Grover’s eyes were too wide, and he was bouncing in place.

Garrett talked to him softly from the aisle, patting him when he came within reach.

Kimi sat on one of the hay bales Garrett had placed in the aisle and watched, intrigued by this man with a big heart.

Eventually, he sat beside her and they chatted quietly while the horses got used to their new stalls. Occasionally, they needed to get up and settle them, but they were coping very well.

After a while, she and Garrett headed outside. He checked on Kitty while she climbed over to do the same with Onigis. When she broke through the trees, she laughed at the sight in front of her. “Way to go, girl. You’re such a brave mare.”

The horse stood with her butt backed into the shed-stable and her body on the outside. Popcorn had curled up in a ball directly in front of Onigis so that she couldn’t step forward without disturbing the goat. Butter and Raspberry slept to her side.

Garrett appeared beside Kimi. “Those are pretty impressive goats. I heard you laugh and had to see. Did you snap a photo?”

She shook her head but didn’t reach for her phone. She wasn’t oneto take many pictures. Garrett pulled out his and snapped a couple, grinning at the results.

“Do you need to stay here with them?”

He was such a sweetie. “No. Popcorn will move if Onigis gets stressed. They’ll be good.”

They strolled back to his land. The yard lights were bright enough for them to see as they moved through the trees and to the fence. When they climbed it, Kimi stopped and just breathed in the night. “Sometimes it’s hard to believe how beautiful it is here.”

He swung up to sit beside her on the fence. “Is this where I look deeply into your eyes and agree that the view is beautiful? Because it is.”

She laughed and reached out to swat him playfully, but he grabbed her hand and lifted it to his lips to kiss it. “It might be cheesy, but it’s true.”

The zing she felt every time they touched zipped from her palm to her toes, stopping at the good parts in between. “The view’s really nice from this angle, too, Stetson.”

His grin was quick and hot. “Good to know.” He scooted himself closer to her on the fence. She was facing his property, and he’d straddled the fence. He closed in until one leg touched her knee, and his other thigh brushed against her butt. Caging her, although she knew it would only take a look to get him to back up. She didn’t want that.

Shivers shot through her at the look in his eyes.

He took off his Stetson and reached slowly past Kimi to hang it on the fence post just beyond her. His arm brushed her, and more chills and shivers covered her skin. He ran that hand up her arm and into her hair. She leaned into his touch with a smile.

“I’ve been wanting to do this since you held that rifle on me.”

That surprised a laugh out of her, and then his lips captured hers.

The kiss wasn’t tentative or fumbling. He teased her lips until she opened for him, and then their tongues were touching. Teasing. Learning.

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