Page 25 of Wrangling Her Heart
He could sort out whatever mess Whitney had gotten himself into later. Right now, he had a woman to kiss and to keep her from riding away from him, too.
“Honestly, I don’t need the extra money,” Tillie said.
She quickly glanced over her shoulder, her heart racing as she searched for any sign of Rex. She saw a flash of movement in the reflection of the mercantile window, but when she turned to face it, there was no one there. Her nerves were on edge, not knowing if he would show up at any moment.
Wishing she had never taken part in George’s silly scheme, she just wanted to cancel the deal, collect the money, and be done.
“It’s the least I can do, since the horse isn’t for sale any longer.” The stable master held out fifteen dollars towards her. It was five dollars more than the deposit she made on the horse.
“My circumstances have changed, so it worked out for the best. I don’t need the horse either. I’ll just take my deposit and be done.” Tillie took the bills and handed one back to the man. The other she folded up in her hand.
“I wouldn’t feel right cheating a lady out of a horse,” he insisted, pushing her hand away.
“Is there a problem here?” Rex barged in between them, his tall frame blocking their view of each other. He stood chest-to-chest with the other man, his broad shoulders squared and tense.
Her heart leaped into her throat as she took a step back, the crumpled bills clutched tightly in her hand. She didn’t dare meet Rex’s gaze. His piercing brown eyes could read her like an open book.
“No problem at all,” Tillie stuttered. “Just some business with the stable master.” She waved the bill towards the other man, trying to diffuse the tension that had suddenly filled the air.
“The horse the lady wanted to buy ain’t for sale anymore.”
Rex’s thick eyebrows shot up, causing his forehead to crease. His jaw clenched and Tillie noticed the muscle in his cheek twitching. It was clear that Rex was surprised and attempting to control his response. He turned slowly to look at Tillie, his eyes filled with questions she wasn’t ready to answer.
“Is that so?” Rex said finally, his voice low and unreadable. He took a step back, giving Tillie some space. Turning towards Tillie, he held out his hand. “May I?”
She hesitated, her eyes darting between him and the stable master. She felt like a small rabbit caught between two wolves. With a deep breath, she slowly unclenched her fingers from around the bills and placed them in Rex’s outstretched hand.
He unfolded the bills, his eyes scanning over them quickly before he turned back to the stable master. His gaze held hers for a long moment before he looked towards the stable master again. “She paid fifteen dollars for a horse?”
“No. Ten. The extra five was because of the inconvenience.”
Tillie shook her head, her hands clenching into fists. “That really isn’t necessary, Mr. King.”
Rex handed him the money back. “Let me pay for the horse, Hiram.” He reached for his own wallet, but Hiram held up a hand to stop him.
“Can’t sell it to you either, Rex,” Hiram said firmly, refusing to meet his gaze. “But I’ll give Miss Youngerman her ten dollars back.” He handed the money to Tillie, who reluctantly accepted it, clearly feeling defeated.
“Well then, I guess we’ll be on our way,” he said, turning to face Tillie again. There was a hardness in his eyes that wasn’t there before, a guardedness that made her chest ache.
“I’m sorry for the inconvenience, ma’am,” Hiram said, his voice gruff, as he shoved the bill in his pocket.
“Let’s go, Matilda,” Rex said, as he took her arm and led her to where he had tied up his horse.
Tillie practically danced on her toes over to his horse. “You’re hurting me, Rex.”
He instantly loosened his grip. “What did the doctor say?”
“I may be sore for the next few days. He gave me some willow bark tea to make.”
“So, your leg is all right?”
“Just sore.” She rubbed it through the layers of her skirt.
“Then get on the horse.”
“I don’t know if...”
Rex lifted his finger to her face. “I just saw you walk across the street to the livery without so much as limp. You can get on the horse.”
