Page 15 of Fix Me Up, Cowboy
“Heck, it’s not too helpful when it comes to cleaning out stables either.”
Lady makes a small sound. I have no idea what it means. Maybe she’s laughing at me. Can’t say that I blame her.
I carefully open the door wide enough so I can slip through the opening. Then I shut it. Charlie waits for me outside the stall.
I wrinkle my nose at the smell of fresh horse poop and cautiously tiptoe the short distance to where Lady is standing watching me. “Please don’t take offense, but this is really disgusting.”
I repeat the steps that Noah showed me yesterday for putting the halter on the horse. She patiently lets me do it without any complaint.
“Thank you,” I whisper, voice a little shaky. I tentatively stroke her neck to show her my gratitude. “How about some breakfast now?”
I lead her outside, to the metal bar in front of the stable, where I tie her halter rope. It takes me three attempts to get the knot right. “I guess that serves me right for never being a Girl Guide,” I tell her.
She bops her head in agreement.
I grab her bucket of food from the tack room and place it in front of her. “All right. Don’t go anywhere. I need to get your boyfriend.” Or husband. Or whatever they are to each other. “Hopefully he’s as sweet as you are.”
Lady makes the gentle sound she made earlier in the stall. I hope that’s a confirmation that Scoundrel is indeed as sweet and obliging as she is.
You’re Charlotte’s great-niece. That must count for something. Just channel your inner Charlotte.
Yep, easier said than done.
I fetch Scoundrel’s halter and approach his stall. My phone rings from my back jeans pocket. It’s not playing “Good Morning,” so I know it’s not Noah.
I remove the phone, check the screen, and accept the call. “Hey, Troy.” My cousin.
“So how are you surviving small-town life so far?”
“I haven’t seen too much of the town yet.” Not that there seems to be a lot to it, judging from what I saw yesterday when I drove through on the way to Charlotte’s house. “But so far I’m surviving it.”
Troy laughs. “That bad huh?”
“You don’t know the half of it.” I explain how I’m now the owner of not one but two horses. “And now I’m about to clean their stable. So not only do I have to clear out Charlotte’s house, I have to clean the stable every day. But that’s not the worst part.”
Troy laughs harder. “There’s something worse than cleaning a stable? Especially for the girl who gets a rash if she sleeps on anything but Egyptian sheets?”
That’s not true about the rash. And yes, I did bring my sheets with me. How could I not? I had no idea what kind of primitive conditions I’d be living under while staying here.
“You haven’t seen the state of Charlotte’s house. It could be on your father’s show.” If the house were in LA. “The interior alone should be considered illegal. As soon as I’m finished here, I’ll send you photos. But be prepared to look at them with a strong drink in hand.” Troy works with my uncle and is super talented. That’s because he has practically grown up on Uncle Jacob’s renovation sites and is a licensed contractor.
“I can’t wait to see them. I think. But now I have a question for you, Kate.”
“Ask away.”
“Since when do you know how to clean a stable? Hell, since when have you even been within a mile of a horse?”
Scoundrel neighs, which I interpret to mean I need to get moving because he’s getting hungry.
“Some cowboy that Charlotte knew came over yesterday to show me what to do,” I explain.
“What cowboy?”
I shrug even though Troy can’t see me. “His name is Noah Daniels.”Tall. Strong. Sexy. But you don’t need to know any of that. “He and his brothers own a horse ranch outside of Copper Creek.” And apparently he likes rusty old cars, if what he’s claiming about Charlotte’s old car is true. I haven’t been able to contact her lawyer yet to confirm Noah’s claim.
“We’re talking about some crusty old cowboy, right?”There’s a shudder in Troy’s tone—out of sympathy more than anything.
I chuckle. “Not exactly. He’s probably about my age. And good-looking. Especially for a cowboy.”
