Page 22 of Rough Stock
“Everybody always hates me before it’s all said and done,” she muttered.
Jensen shook his head. “I don’t hate you. I won’t hate you. So that’s not true.”
“Just wait. You’ll see,” she said, and he could tell arguing with her would do no good.
As soon as his truck pulled up at the university farm, Shyanna peeled out of the cab and practically ran to the fence. She hadn’t even made it there before she whistled loudly and in seconds, Rhubarb was galloping full-out toward her. The bigmare stopped short of the fence and when Shyanna climbed it, Rhubarb pressed her face against her mistress’s chest and waited while Shyanna rubbed her neck. Oddly, Cobra and Snowman were nowhere to be seen. “You love that horse, don’t you?” Jensen asked, grinning.
“This is going to be hard. We’ve never been apart, especially after Rainmaker disappeared,” Shyanna said as she scratched behind her mount’s ears.
“You mean overnight?” Jensen was floored when Shyanna nodded. “You’ve never gone anywhere overnight without her?”
“Who’s going to take care of her? And where the hell would I go? It’s not like I’ve got family to visit, and I don’t have anywhere else to stay except the trailer.” Her eyes narrowed as she stared into Jensen’s. “Haven’t you noticed that little window over my trailer’s bed?”
“No.”
“Well, take a look at it. It opens right into her stall in the trailer and she can stick her head in. I slept like that for years, at least anytime she wasn’t in a stall in a barn on site at some fairgrounds or arena,” Shyanna said, and Jensen watched as her gaze fell and her lashes drooped in embarrassment. “She’s been my best friend since the day I got her.”
Her only friend had been her horse. No wonder she felt weird leaving her behind. “Did you get her as soon as you started competing?” he asked, trying to find out more about their bond.
Shyanna nodded. “Almost as soon as I left the facility. They gave me a little bit of money and the first thing I did was go to the auction and buy a horse. That was two days after my grandpa loaned me the money for the trailer and gave me his old truck to drive, since he couldn’t drive anymore. I managed to make it last until the trailer was paid off and then bought another one. But Rhubarb’s been down that road with me every mile of the way, haven’t you, girl?” Shyanna said to the horse and rubbed hermuzzle gently. The mare lipped her fingers and butted her head against Shyanna’s chest again.
“You bought her at an auction?” Jensen was a little surprised. He’d thought she’d probably saved up and bought good stock.
“Yeah. She was way underweight and had sores all over her. She’d been beaten and starved. The auction is where they brought horses to… I don’t want to say it. Let’s just say they met with an unfortunate end and leave it at that. But there was something in her eyes, a spark, that told me she was a survivor. I wanted to honor that, and I thought maybe she’d be as good for me as I was for her. I wasn’t wrong. She’s a phenomenal horse, and I’m lucky to have her.”
“She’s lucky to have you. You obviously love her,” Jensen said as he watched the two of them together. The horse watched her mistress constantly for cues, and every touch of Shyanna’s hand on the animal’s hide was gentle and loving.
“I do. I can honestly say she’s the only thing in this whole world that I love,” Shyanna answered. “I mean, I like you and… it’s too early to… what I mean is…” she stammered.
Jensen smiled. “Stop. It’s fine. I understand, really. The two of you have been together for a very long time. Of course you love her. That’s only natural.”
“I daresay you love Cobra and Snowman,” Shyanna said with a grin, never looking up at him.
“I’d say I do, the hardheads. Cobra’s just an old lunkhead. I can predict every step he’s going to take because he doesn’t do anything new?ever. And Snowman’s just about as rattled as a church lady at a strip club.” That made Shyanna laugh. “Today he’s startled by a piece of paper blowing past on the ground. Tomorrow he’s afraid of a bird sitting on the fence. I never know with him. But when he steps into the arena, he’s all business, and I can trust him.”
“That’s what matters,” Shyanna said, finger combing Rhubarb’s mane.
“Lemme check on my boys and we’ll go back to the house, but I’m sure they’re fine. Roger assigns students to care for the horses, so they’re getting plenty of attention.” He grabbed Shyanna’s hand, pulled her down off the fence, and they walked to the barns, Rhubarb following them the whole way along the fence line.
Sure enough, Cobra and Snowman were tethered in the corridor of the barn, a girl beside each one. As soon as the two interlopers walked up, one of the girls, a dark-haired, green-eyed beauty, looked up and smiled at Jensen. “You CoachStrader?” she asked.
“Used to be,” Jensen answered.
She held out her hand, which Jensen promptly took. “AmberThompson. You’re a legend around here. Pleasure to meet you. Hey, SammyJo, come over here!” the girl called out.
Another girl, smaller and thinner with golden-blond hair and big blue eyes, rounded Cobra’s hindquarters to stand beside Amber. “CoachStrader! I’m SammyJoMyers. It’s so great to meet you!” she gushed and held out a hand for Jensen to shake. “Is this Mrs.Strader?” she asked as she smiled at Shyanna.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jensen could see his lover blushing. “No. This is my friend, ShyannaOwens. She’s a roping competitor, but she wants to go into bronc bustin’ and bull riding.”
“Oh, cool! I’ve done a little bull riding,” Amber offered and extended her hand to Shyanna. As they shook hands, she added, “I’m not very good at it. Have you done it before?”
“Oh, yeah, I have, but not much though. I’m hoping to get some practice time in while I’m visiting here,” Shyanna told her.
“That would be awesome! I’d love to help you,” Amber chirped.
“Me too!” SammyJo told her.
“I’d like that.” Shyanna smiled at the two young women. “Thanks for being kind to me.”
