Page 54 of Her Last Chance Cowboy

“You got ahorse?” Hannah asked, as the tall Morgan paced in the corral.

Rosie had come to him at the barn one day. “Heard you’re thinking of getting a horse,” she said.

He shrugged. “Just as a pet, you know, maybe one who’s good with kids.”

“I know a couple who want to downsize and have a seven-year-old Morgan. I was thinking about picking him up myself, but then Jesse told me you were looking.”

“I have to admit, I’m not very experienced. But I’ve been doing my research.”

Rosie laughed. “Emma can teach you.”

He guessed his feelings weren’t a mystery to anyone, but he didn’t mind. He wasn’t going to keep it a secret. He wanted Hannah to know… he wanted the whole world to know.

“His name is Trigger,” he told Hannah, unable to look away from her blue eyes. He patted the horse’s neck. “I got him this morning.”

He felt a bit foolish. No, a lot foolish. Even though Rosie had promised him all the help he needed.

“He’s gorgeous. But I can’t believe you just bought a horse!”

“Neither can I,” he said. “I thought it was a good idea, but now, I think maybe I just lost my sanity for a second.”

“Jesse always says you can’t be a rancher without a horse.” Jesse was a real cowboy. He had been riding since his teens, had even gone on the rodeo circuit. He could ride better than anyone Jake had ever seen. Jake was no cowboy… but maybe it wasn’t too late.

“Can you ride him?” she asked, almost as though she was reading his thoughts.

He rested his arms on the fence rail, looking out at Trigger. “I haven’t tried, yet.”

“We should find out.” She pushed off the fence, heading to the barn.

“You can ride?” He was surprised for some reason, although he didn’t know why, considering how much time she spent on the farm.

“Olivia taught me, and I’ve ridden with Emma, when she was little.” Millie followed her into the barn. “Do you have a saddle and bridle?”

“In the tack room.”

He led her into the barn. Trigger wandered in through the sliding door and arched his neck over the rail, seeming a bit apprehensive, but hoping for a treat.

Jake grabbed a small plastic bucket filled with pieces of carrot and apple. Hannah rubbed the horse’s neck as he munched on a carrot, sniffing her hair.

“What exactly made you want to start ranching in the first place?”

“I made a promise.”

She tilted her head. “A promise?”

“At first, it was to my buddy, the one who convinced me I should get pigs.” He laughed, thinking about how Victor would have reacted to Millie. “But now… it makes me happy. This.”

He looked out at the pastures, the fields, and the woods and river beyond.

“It sure is nice,” she said, as Trigger took the last piece of apple off the palm of her hand.

“I want to buy this place from the Wilsons once they decide to sell. Raise more cattle, and eventually work full-time on the ranch, rather than in construction.” He had put in his right of first refusal, but handling a hundred-acre ranch, alone, was daunting, especially when he already had a full-time job that paid well. Why choose to overextend himself, financially and physically, just for the sake of some cows?

“I heard the barn you built is really beautiful.”

She focused on Trigger, and he wondered if she was thinking the same thing Allison had. Why ranch, when you can have a secure job, working for the stepfather?

“Yes, it was a big project, and I’m proud of how it’s coming out. But the truth is, I don’t want to work for anyone else but myself.”

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