Page 11 of Captured By the Billionaire Cowboy
“I’m just teasing you,” he broke into wayward thoughts. “I was going to tell you. That’s why I called you back.”
If it was hard staying annoyed at a ranch hand, it was all but impossible to begrudge the man who just saved the lives of a dozen horses. Yet far more existed between them than a simple misunderstanding. “It’s been a long time,” she murmured. “You really have changed.”
To a greater extent than at first apparent, and not just physically. Rowan had always been confident and strong, but he had been playful at times, with a genuine smile despite his numerous responsibilities. Now a stark seriousness emblazoned him, a seemingly endless expanse of solemness. Almost like his father…
But not truly. His father would not have helped her. He would not have allowed them to stay on the ranch or employed a vet to examine them. He certainly would not have cared whether they lived or died. Rowan was sacrificing his time, effort andmoney, and had asked for nothing in return. Perhaps he wasn’t as bad as–
Stop.She had allowed herself to be fooled once. She had given him everything, and it had all but destroyed her.
“I hope the changes were positive.”
She looked up sharply. If turning into a virtual male model was positive, then yes. “You’ve matured… well.”
The sides of his lips tugged up, and for a moment he was the kid she used to know. He leaned closer. “So have you. And you haven’t stopped trying to save the world, one housefly at a time.”
She blushed. “I usually focus on larger animals now.” She notched her head to the horses. “These beauties are my favorite.”
“They always were.” His expression didn’t change, and yet somehow she could sense his satisfaction.
“Thank you for this,” she forced out the words. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if Frank hadn’t said yes. Like I said, I plan to start searching for permanent homes today. We won’t be here long.”
Was that a slight frown? “They’re welcome to stay for as long as you need. They’ll be safe here.”
Like her heart had been safe with him? She restrained bitter words, as they stood side-by-side, inches and a million miles apart. He didn’t acknowledge the awkwardness. “Do you want to sell them?”
She hesitated, but why? Only a single answer was possible. “I wish I could donate them, but I broke into my piggy bank buying them. If I want to help more animals – or eat – I need to recoup at least some of the costs. I’m planning to offer very reasonable adoption fees. I don’t want to profit from the sale.”
“That’s fair.” He stood perfectly straight. “If you give them away, someone may sell them to a slaughterhouse. We need to look up the price per pound and make certain we’re above that.”
She stiffened.Sickening.
“First we need to clean and groom the horses.” He retrieved a sleek tablet from his pocket and started typing. “I’ll arrange it. Then we’ll take photographs from different angles and select the best ones to feature. Giving them names might help attract interest. I’ve located the best websites to advertise, and we’ll post listings as quickly as possible. Then we should–”
“Wait a minute.” Ciara touched his arm, like she’d done a hundred times before, and yet nothing like before. Instead of gentle firmness, his arm was solid muscle.Oh my.
She jerked her hand back, fought for distraction to replace this… whatever she was feeling. Aw, yes, anger. “I appreciate your help, but I want to make these decisions. You can’t just take over.”
He folded his arms, stretching the shirt taut against his chest. She stared for an hour or two, fought the urge to back down. The old Rowan would have teased her, fought a duel of witty banter, even as he usurped control. It had been a habit back then, yet something had changed, hardened him. This man was clearly accustomed to being in charge.
Yet he was also helping the horses, which meant she had to remain professional. “I appreciate the help, but you must want to get back to your life. I can take care of–”
“I’m taking a vacation.”
She stopped. She assumed he’d swiftly leave. She also assumed she wouldn’t care. For some reason she was inexplicablynotdismayed to learn otherwise. “You’re staying?” She blinked. “Uncail Frank said you were very busy. He said you haven’t taken a vacation in years.”
“That’s not true. As I was just telling my assistant, I took time off last week.”
“Oh yeah? What did you do?”
“I spent some time lying back and relaxing. Even had a laugh or two, courtesy of the special air.”
“What special ai–
“So anyways–” He rubbed his hands together like an old-time robber baron. “I’m happy to work together. As long as you follow my every order.”
She choked back a colorful yet inappropriate word, thought why bother and opened her mouth to share when his lips twitched. She exhaled, fought threatening amusement. “Just for that, I’m going to name them all Rowan Jr.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you dare.”
