Page 11 of His First Baby Rodeo

“Sure, but I was just a kid then. It’s not like I spent any time around you and Jeff. I mean, you know who I am,” she added as she began to groom the horse. “And maybe that’s enough to make this a comfortable situation for you. Maybe it’s good enough that I’m a familiar face. I don’t know. But it can’t be as good as having your house all to yourself.”

“No, it’s definitely not,” he agreed. “It’s just… necessary, for now. I can’t run a ranch in my current condition.”

“You could probably brush this guy down, if you wanted to,” El suggested. “I’m not trying to say I can’t handle it if you’d prefer not to, but you do seem like the kind of guy who doesn’t much like sitting back and letting other people do the work.”

“You’ve got me pretty figured out, huh?”

“If that was the kind of guy you were, I don’t think you’d have come out here with me in the first place,” she said. “Maybe I’m crazy, but I don’t actually think this has anything to do with doubting I can do the job. I think you just want to be involved.” She offered him the brush. “It’ll go faster if we do it together. But it’s up to you. I’m happy to handle it all myself if that’s what you want.”

He stood up and took the brush from her. “I got it,” he said. “This way you can start grooming the next horse.”

She nodded and went to the adjoining stall, thankful that the stable was big enough to allow all the horses to come out and stand side by side. “Have you had these three for very long?”

“I’ve had Driftwood for three years,” Mac said. “He’s the one I’ve had the longest.” He patted the horse he was brushing on the flank.

“Only three years?”

“I don’t keep them very long,” Mac said. “I get them in their prime, when they’re at their most wild and healthy, and then I usually pass them on — sell them to ranches that cater to tourists, sometimes.”

“I see.”

“You sound like you’re not impressed.”

“Well, are you trying to impress me?”

“Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“It doesn’t really matter,” El said. “I was just thinking that it would make me sad to bond with a horse and then see it move on so quickly. I was feeling bad for you, because I’m sure you must miss them after they’re gone.”

“I get more when they go,” he said.

“But don’t you form a bond with each horse?”

“No,” he said. “Not really.”

“I can’t relate,” she admitted. “I’ve never owned a horse that hasn’t been a close friend to me. But I guess it’s not like that when you’re in rodeo.”

“Meaning what?”

“Well, the horse is kind of your opponent in your sport, isn’t he? So it must be a little harder to form the kinds of bonds I’m talking about.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Mac said, raising his eyebrows. “I have a special relationship with the horse when I ride. Weareworking against one another, but it’s not exactly a rivalry. The horse certainly isn’t my enemy. It’s more like…” He hesitated. “It’s more like we’re competing dance partners.”

She’d never thought about it that way. “That’s actually kind of beautiful,” El admitted.

“Do you know a lot about rodeo?”

“Almost nothing.”

“You should check it out sometime. Maybe you’d see what I mean.”

“Maybe I should do that,” she agreed. “I wouldn’t mind learning more about the sport.”

She was much quicker than he was at grooming — of course she was, given the fact that she was using both hands, but she had a feeling she would have been faster than him even if he wasn’t held back by his injury. It gave her a flush of pride.

“Mind if I go ahead and take this guy out?” she asked. “I don’t want him to get stuck waiting here. He seems a little antsy.”

“Aren’t you going to saddle him up?”

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