Page 97 of Roaring Fork Wrangler

It didn’t matter why I was sent here; I knew now why I’d come to East Aurora. Whatever secrets were left to be discovered no longer mattered to me. I was here to meet Juni. The love of my life. Whether I stayed here with her, or she came to Colorado with me, or we went somewhere new to both of us, we’d be together. Nothing in this world was more important than being with the woman I loved. Nothing.

I’d made the decision to go to Colorado to tell my brother what I’d learned, but while Juni and I were there, I had something far more important I needed to do.

29

JUNI

Cord and I made love throughout the night, which meant at dawn, neither of us wanted to get out of bed.

“I have a meeting scheduled with my crew this morning to let them know I’m leaving town but will be back later this week,” Cord said. He scrubbed his face like he so often did. “I have to admit, based on what Buck and Holt told me, they stepped up to help out in my absence. In fact, Jed, who I’d planned to sack, believing he was in cahoots with Hoss Schultz, proved to be a better foreman than I could’ve predicted.”

“That’s good news, right?”

“Sure is. There are still a few I believe should be shown the door, but rather than making that decision on my own, I intend to get his read on them.”

“I heard there’s a horse auction next week.”

“I heard that too. I’m hoping we can find a few solid geldings to add to the stable.” Cord studied me. “There’s something Gray said that I’ve been meaning to ask you about.”

I anticipated the question would eventually come. “Go ahead,” I said.

“He said you boarded a horse here.”

“I do.” I should elaborate so he didn’t have to ask, but I couldn’t bring myself to.

“Do you still ride, Juni?”

I shut my eyes briefly and shook my head. “I do not.”

“Have you since the accident?”

My eyes filled with tears. “No.”

“I have one more question.”

I nodded.

“Is Apache your horse?”

My voice cracked when I tried to answer, and my tears turned into sobs. I’d tried to ride him several times, but never got beyond bringing him out of the paddock. “I should’ve sold him long ago, but haven’t been able to bring myself to do that either.”

Cord brushed away my tears. “I’m glad you haven’t.”

“It wasn’t his fault. It was mine.”

“Never said it was, darlin’.”

I expected Cord to press me about the animal, maybe even suggest I try riding him again, but he didn’t.

“Will you sell the other horses?” I asked after getting my emotions in check.

“That’s another thing I want to discuss with you.”

“It’s been almost two years since I was in the barn. I can’t offer any insight.”

Cord put his finger on my chin and raised my head. “I have an idea. It’s something we planned to do at the Roaring Fork—a therapeutic riding program.”

My eyes filled with tears again. “It’s a good idea, Cord.” When he’d mentioned the average age of the Lilacs’ horses, I’d worried about their fate. Knowing there might be a home for them here, after all, was a relief.

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