Page 15 of The Cattleman's Unforgettable Love

“Told ya,” called Tanner. “And now that you know, see if you can get away from him.”

Ford turned around and looked up into big, deep brown eyes. “I’m not going to run away from you, but do you want to come for a jog?”

The horse lowered its head and butted his chest.

“See? He’s telling you to get going,” said Tanner.

Ford turned and jogged away, and this time, rather than following, the horse trotted by his side.

When they got back to Tanner, the horse rested his chin on Ford’s shoulder again.

“Looks to me like you’re the one he’s attached to,” Tanner told him with a grin.

Ford turned away, not wanting his face to give away how much he liked that idea. He ran his hand over the horse’s shoulder and down his leg. He lifted his hoof – and the horse turned to nuzzle at Ford’s ass as he bent to inspect it.

Tanner laughed out loud. “Yep. That seals it. The only concern I had about him was that he wouldn’t let anyone lift his feet. Thought maybe he had issues. But you can give them a look over while you’re here – and if we’re keeping him, I’ll want you on stand-by on farrier days.”

Ford nodded but didn’t comment as he inspected the horse’s feet. They were in good condition. “Could maybe use a trim, but other than that…” he told Tanner as he straightened up.

“Farrier’s due next week to see to all of them,” said Tanner. “So, what do you think – do you still want him for Amelia, or you want to keep him for yourself?”

Ford looked up into those big brown eyes again. “I’m too heavy for him.”

“Nah.” Tanner pushed at his shoulder. “You don’t need to keep reminding me that you’re the muscular one. I already know. And this guy’s strong as an ox. You should keep him as yours and let Amelia learn on him. But whether you ride him or not, this guy’s your horse.”

Ford smiled. “Maybe I should, huh? He got a name?”

“There were no papers with him. You can call him whatever you like.”

Ford looked the horse over. “You know I’ve never been any good at that.”

Tanner laughed. “Well, you can’t give him a number, I can tell you that much.”

Ford pursed his lips – when they were kids, he’d thought that numbering the horses would be an efficient naming system, but his siblings had teased him mercilessly – and it had taken years before he fully understood why.

“Maybe I’ll ask Amelia to name him – if she shows any interest.”

“Hurry up about it, can you? If one of you doesn’t give him a name, Ashton will want to do it, and we all know what he’s like.”

“Okay, I’m on it.” The latest litter of barn kittens were apparently Snowy, Blizzard, Flurry, Storm, and Avalanche – reflecting the kid’s excitement about his first winter in Montana.

Tanner looked up at the sound of a vehicle approaching. “You want to take your new friend back to the barn?” he asked.

Ford followed his gaze and smiled when he saw Everly’s car. “Sure, you go see your family. I can take care of this guy. And I might bring Amelia out to meet him later, see if she can come up with a name for him. So don’t worry if you see us prowling around.”

Tanner grinned. “You mean don’t come out and intrude – or worse, let Ash out to spoil the moment for you.”

“No! I…”

Tanner punched his shoulder. “It’s okay. I’m only messing around. It’s all good.”

Ford watched him jog over to greet Everly and Ashton when they got out of the car. The sight of the three of them together always made him smile.

Ashton looked over and waved. Ford waved back. Normally, he would have gone over to say hi, but Everly said something to Ashton and his shoulders slumped. Ford guessed that he was either in trouble, or his mom had said he had to come inside.

He turned away and eyed the bridle that Tanner had left hanging on the fence post. “Do we need that?” he asked the horse.

He chuckled when the animal shook his head, looking for all the world as if he’d understood every word.

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