Page 17 of Trusting a Cowgirl

“She’s just an animal.”

She shook her head. “It’s more than that. You have a strong capacity to love, and it shows.” That was probably too forward—too on the nose. Once again, her skin betrayed her and she blushed violently. “I know we’ve been over this before. But I’m here for you. You can tell me anything without judgment. You don’t have to hide any of it, and I won’t tell anyone either.”

His brows lowered. “If I don’t like dealing with my past, why would I want to put that burden on someone else to carry?”

Before she could answer, he strode away toward the cabins.

One more reason for her to like him. He would rather suffer with his own demons alone than ask someone else to live through them. It wasn’t healthy, but it was chivalrous in its own little way.

7

Riley

The small cabinwas nicer than a lot of the places Riley had stayed in before. It only had one bedroom, but there was a quaint little kitchen nook and living room attached. If he didn’t have a small apartment back in Denver, and if this place wasn’t reserved for clients, he might have liked to stay. It was cozy, calming, and made him feel like he could hide away from the world.

Riley pushed his foot into his boot and tied the laces. He stared at his shoe. Even though it wasn’t the exact one he wore when he was last deployed, it was similar enough to dredge up some of the old memories and the craving for some whiskey to go with it. He winced, shoving the darker ones aside. It was better to focus on other things. That was why he was here, wasn’t it?

No more booze. No more dark thoughts. The whole concept was laughable—until Grace had made him start to believe otherwise.

She was getting to him. Riley had to admit that first before he could figure out a solution. Why did she have to be there at every turn with something smart to say? He was quickly losing his battle to keep a handle on what he had locked inside.

Grace didn’t want to know what he had hidden. She was kind and patient and… innocent. She was everything good that he didn’t have, and he refused to drag her to the depths of the despair he dealt with on a daily basis.

Day after day, he got closer to spilling something about himself that just wanted out. That couldn’t be normal. Who was he kidding? Itwasn’tnormal.

Sure, one day he might find someone who loved him for who he was, and he’d love her. They’d grow closer and he’d end up telling her some of the things that kept him up at night. Grace wasn’t that person.

Grace.

When had he started referring to her that way instead of by her last name?

Strange. Using her first name actually feltright. He attempted to shake off the thought, but it wouldn’t leave him alone.

Would it be so bad to use the name she told him to?

Yes. Because it would weaken that line of professionalism he’d drawn in the sand.

Grace—Miss Callahan was barely a therapist, but that was what she called herself so that was how he’d treat her.

And clients couldn’t be interested in their therapists. There was some kind of rule about that. Just because he was getting attached to her didn’t mean he wanted something more from her. Except when he grabbed his jacket before leaving the cabin, he couldn’t deny the way his heart skipped just for a moment.

It was okay that he looked forward to seeing her. He didn’t have to blame this change on anything. Generally, people who struggled with depression could make it better when they had a change of scenery.

That’s all it was.

The dirt path was worn and led straight past the barn. He’d get there before Grace did, as usual, which allowed him to spend additional time with Dolly. The closer he got to the building, the heavier his thoughts from their conversation the other day weighed on him.

Grace wanted him to open up to her—to tell her how he felt. Even if he thought she could handle that kind of conversation, he didn’t want to saddle her with any of it. There was already so much pain in the world. It was better for him to deal with this the way he always had.

Riley stepped into the barn and froze in his place. Grace was already there. She had a different horse saddled, one he hadn’t seen before. While she smiled at him, she didn’t look too happy about what she was about to do. Immediately, Riley’s defenses went up. He edged closer, slowly. “Where’s Dolly?”

“Dolly is our introductory horse. She’s meant to give us a feel for what your needs are. She’s been at this for years. This is Maple, and she’s going to help you to identify your feelings.”

Riley stiffened. “I don’t need to identify my feelings. I’m not a child!”

Maple’s ears swiveled back and forward swiftly and she yanked against the lead rope. Grace glanced at her and patted her neck. “It’s okay. You’ll be fine.”

His heart rate increased even more. “I keep telling you. I don’t need therapy. This is ridiculous.” Riley folded his arms. “I’m not doing it.”

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