Page 5 of Trusting a Cowgirl

Riley

This was just great.Not only did he have to do one-on-one therapy at this ranch place, but he also had what looked to be the most inexperienced person of the bunch as his therapist. There were all kinds of cowboys wandering this place and the owner couldn’t find anyone better than a tiny woman.

Riley wasn’t even sure she was equipped to handle the horse, let alone someone who suffered with PTSD. What was this country coming to?

There was only one good thing to come from this session.

The horse.

Dolly didn’t have a temper at all, from what he could tell. She had the most soulful brown eyes he had ever seen. When he brushed her, she turned toward him, nuzzling his arm with her nose.

Okay, so maybe being here with the horses wasn’t so bad. But that didn’t mean he needed to sit and talk about his feelings. Talking wasn’t going to change anything. It wouldn’t bring back the people who’d died. It wouldn’t ease the guilt that flooded his chest, making him feel like he was drowning before he even woke up in the morning.

More than once he’d caught her staring.

What did she expect? That he was going to sprout horns and turn into some kind of monster? That’s probablyexactlywhat she thought would happen. Well, she’d be disappointed because he wasn’t a monster. Not even close. He would be amicable and do exactly what they told him to do. Then he’d get out of here, head home, and make sure he didn’t drink so much.

That’s what got him into this problem in the first place.

The scowl on his face deepened. How could a judge think that coming out here in the middle of nowhere and riding horses would do a lick of good? It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so backwards.

The space grew quiet.

Too quiet.

The hair on the back of his neck stood stiffly at attention and he whirled around only to come face to face with Callahan’s angelic face. Her arms were folded over the side of the stall and her chin was placed atop them.

Here it was—the moment she started asking her therapist questions. And if it weren’t for the fact that those large green eyes were so clear and innocent, he might have told her right where to shove it.

Where the rain don’t shine, that’s where.

But that strange feeling returned with a vengeance.

People weren’t supposed to behave like magnets. Human bodies were capable of so much, though. He probably shouldn’t even be surprised that something about her seemed to call to him.

Wait. She was talking.

Riley cleared his throat. “I’m not in the mood to talk about what happened to me.”

She smiled. But it wasn’t a typical smile. The one she wore was like the ones his teachers used when he answered a question wrong in grade school. What had she asked?

He swallowed down a curse and turned his attention back to his horse.

But instead of pointing out his mistake, she moved on. “Have you always had a way with animals?”

Riley stiffened. The muscles in his arms twitched, flexing as if to ward off an incoming torpedo. “What kind of question is that?”

His brusque tone didn’t seem to bother her. “Most people who come here like animals, that’s all. Dogs are a big one. Do you have a dog?”

“No,” he grunted. “I don’t have time for a dog.”

“Maybe you should reconsider.”

Before he could argue with her on what it actually meant to not have time for something, she draped a pad over the wall that separated them. “We need to inspect this and make sure there isn’t anything that could rub against Dolly to hurt her. You’re putting your whole weight on her back and even the tiniest little prickly thing could cause major damage.” She tilted her head and a thoughtful look crossed her soft features. “Kinda funny how we can draw parallels to our lives, don’t you think?”

He clenched his teeth. If she was suggesting that what he went through equated to a tiny prickly thing, then she was more out of touch than he thought.

The look on his face must have been enough to make her reconsider her words because the woman wouldn’t stop talking.

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