Page 10 of The Cowboy's Wild Side

“I’m out of breath,” she declared when they’d finished. “Those alfalfa flakes start getting heavy after picking up a few of them. Do you do all this by yourself? Don’t you have any help?”

“I do now,” he replied with a wink. “And we’re not done. It’s time to fill their grain buckets, then I’ll bring them in. But if it’s too much for you…”

“No, no,” she replied hastily. “I want to learn, I do, and I know when I sit in that western saddle for the first time it will be worth it.”

He grinned again, but it wasn’t innocent. He knew she was on her best behavior. Before too long she’d test him, and would either leave, or be sitting uncomfortably in the saddle.

CHAPTER EIGHT

By the time Cade had finished showing Karen the various supplements and explaining the feed chart, it was time for the horses to come in for the night. Handing her a halter, he told her she could bring in a mare called Lily, then walked outside and pointed to her paddock.

“You’ll start your lessons on her. She’s easy, but make sure you close the gate behind you when you go in to catch her. She’s a foodie and she’ll be lookin’ forward to her dinner. We don’t need another escape. You saw all the stall doors have nameplates, and hers is the third on the left.”

Thrilled at the prospect, and even more thrilled he was trusting her, Karen made her way to the paddock. She had no problem slipping the halter over the mare’s head, and as she led Lily to the barn and into her stall, Karen couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so happy. Cade was bringing the horses in two at at time, including the new rescues, and they soon settled.

“Time to give them their buckets,” he announced. “They’re all named. Just grab a few and empty them into their feed bowls.”

With the two of them working the job was done quickly, and Cade rinsed out the buckets and put them away.

“That’s it, we’re done,” he announced. “Do you still want to be here at seven in the mornin’ to feed and clean?”

“Yes, of course, and thank you again. I’ve had the most wonderful day.”

“You’re welcome, and now it’s time for me to get cleaned up,” he continued, walking with her from the barn. “I’m meetin’ Annie Baker in her studio. Do you know her and her husband Brody?”

“We’ve never met, and I still can’t believe a superstar like her lives out here, and it’s even harder to believe she’s Helen’s sister-in-law. It’s so weird.”

“Annie, Brody, and Helen’s husband Andy and I, along with a few others, have been friends for years. We see Annie as the same girl from back in the day. We all hung out together through high-school, and we’d join up again in the summer when we were home from college.”

“Why are you meeting at her studio?”

“I play the guitar, and sometimes it’s easier for her to use me than bring her guitarist all the way in from Nashville to help her knock out a song. I’d be happy to do it for nothin’, but she insists on payin’ me, and she keeps sayin’ she wants to take me on the road, but I couldn’t leave my horses for that long.”

“That’s so cool.”

“It’s fun. Now I have to get cleaned up and go, but we need to exchange numbers,” he added, pulling out his phone.

Karen’s heart skipped a beat, and for the first time since she’d arrived at the sexy cowboy’s ranch the frightening escape from her condo complex flashed through her head.

“Karen? Are you okay?”

“Yes, yes, fine,” she lied. “I just remembered something.”

“Are you sure? You don’t look okay.”

“Yes, honestly, but I, uh, it’s my phone. I haven’t got one. I mean, I did, but I accidentally ran over it in my car,” she said hastily, saying the first thing that came into her head.

“How the heck did you manage that?”

“It’s a long story and I don’t want to hold you up. There’s a landline at Helen’s cottage. I’ll call from there when I arrive.”

“Sounds good. This has my number on it,” he offered, lifting out his wallet and handing her a business card. “Karen, are you sure there isn’t a problem?”

“Uh-huh. Bye, Jack, bye Diane,” she exclaimed, turning her attention to the dogs to escape Cade’s scrutinizing gaze. “I’ll see you in the morning. Have fun tonight, Cade.”

“I’m sure I will,” he replied. “Get some rest.”

As she climbed into the SUV and settled behind the wheel, she smiled and waved. But when she turned into the road all she could think about was the dire situation in which she found herself.

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