Page 47 of Captured By the Billionaire Cowboy
“And you’re sure you had nothing to do with it?”
“As sure as you are.”
She chuckled lightly. They both knew he’d arranged it. At first, she’d been annoyed by his high-handedness, but later she was glad a professional examined the ankle, just in case. Frank, Rowan and his brothers all insisted, and it was impossible to say no to five determined, overprotective men. Fortunately, the doctor agreed with her diagnosis and didn’t recommend further treatment unless it worsened.
Right now, Jasmine was her main concern. She spent as much time as possible with the horse, talking to her, playing soothing music and keeping her calm. Yet no matter what she did, the animal remained agitated, stressed and uncomfortable.
“Ciara, where are you? Rowan, are you around? Where is everyone?” Davey power-walked into the stables, wearing crisp blue jeans and a red t-shirt with the phrase “World’s Best Brother” embroidered in big block letters. Rowan had nonchalantly handed Davey the shirt last week, and Davey had literally jumped for joy. He’d already worn it three times.
Now he was clearly excited, his eyes sparkling above an extra wide smile. Despite this, he slowed down when he entered the stables. He knew to avoid overstimulating the sensitive animals. “Come to the house.” He waved them forward. “We have amazing news!”
Ciara placed down her gloves and stepped forward, while Rowan traveled by her side. “I could always use amazing news.”
“Then what are you waiting for? Come on!”
Ciara laughed as Davey took each of their hands and dragged them out of the stables. His stride lengthened after they left the animals, and he was practically running by the time they reached the house.
Rowan slowed them down. “Not too fast,” he said gently. “Ciara’s ankle just got better.”
“I’m fine,” she insisted. “I’m excited to hear the good news.”
“Spencer said to wait until we’re all together. So hurry.” Davey held the front door open, gesturing them in. “I can’t wait another minute!”
Ciara blinked in surprise at the room’s inhabitants. Despite the time, both of Rowan’s brothers and Uncail Frank were seated in the big country kitchen, on wide spindle backed chairs. Quinn and Spencer’s smiles were nearly as wide as Davey’s, and Frank seemed practically jovial. Excitement sizzled in the air,tangled with the scent of freshly baked bread and brewed coffee. Something goodhadhappened.
Rowan held out a chair for Ciara. Too excited to sit, she shook her head with a mouthed thank you. She traded her gaze between the smiling men. “What’s the good news?”
Davey looked eagerly to Spencer, who nodded his approval. The youngest brother squealed, before turning to Ciara and clapping. “Your dream is coming true.”
“My dream?”
“That’s right.” Davey winked. “The horse rescue is a go.”
CHAPTER 9
“The horse rescue is a go.”
Caught between confusion and a dare to dream, Ciara stared, as the words echoed in her mind. The men’s widening smiles gave credence to Davey’s claim, but how could it be true? What could they possibly know that she didn’t, something so tremendous it made the horse rescue tenable? “What do you mean?” she asked cautiously.
“The horse rescue is happening!” Davey exclaimed. “It’s going to work.”
She exchanged a glance with Rowan, whose obvious confusion mirrored her own. “I don’t understand. Of course, we hope to open the rescue, but there are still obstacles.” Mainly the lack of capital and little opportunity to gain it. It was not impossible, but the chances never seemed so slim.
Davey frowned at his brother. Spencer nodded encouragingly. “Tell her about the contest.”
“Oh yeah. The contest is a success!”
Ciara blinked, as the tiniest sliver of excitement sparked. “It is?”
“It is,” he confirmed with a big smile. “We went viral.”
“Viral?” The implications slowly churned, kindling the spark. “You mean the contest spread on social media?”
Spencer nodded. “Because traditional advertising is expensive and limited by market, we focused on social media.” He opened his laptop. “I hope you don’t mind, but we shared the story of how you rescued the horses. Our family has a wide network of contacts, and we asked everyone to share the story on social media, and they asked their friends and so forth. We hoped it would spread through the Internet.” He smiled widely. “It worked. Guess how many times it’s been viewed?”
“A few hundred?”
“Try thousands.” Spencer beamed. “Hundreds of thousands and growing.”
