Page 9 of His Cowboy

Though it wasn’t my job and wasn’t necessarily on my list of tasks that needed to get done, I spent a good amount of time that night cleaning the stalls. Finally, when my arms were aching, and I couldn’t take it any longer, I knew I had to face the music. I hung up my shovel and walked back toward the house.

Perry was in the kitchen when I arrived. I nodded hello and went to the sink. I scrubbed my hands clean.

“I warmed up a plate for you. Do you want to eat now?” he asked.

I nodded.

We both went to the dining room table and ate our food in silence. Every once in a while, he looked at me like he wanted to say something. Maybe there were some things that I wanted to say, too. Damned if my brain wasn’t communicating with my lips to make the words.

When I was finished, I picked up my plate, took it to the sink, rinsed it off, and put it in the dishwasher and retreated to my office.

Chapter 6

Perry

“It’s just too good to be true, Blossom.” Blossom let out a nicker. Agreeing with me, I was sure.

The wind blew around us, wrapping us in a cool breeze that fought off the heat of the sun. I sat in the pasture, leaning against Blossom. She was lying down on her side and I was sitting just behind her front legs, my head resting on her belly as she breathed in and out.

Back when I was in high school, this was how I studied for most of my tests. I’d grab a book and go out into the pasture. She’d lay down the moment she saw me, and the two of us would sit for hours. More than once, I fell asleep like that.

“You can probably help me study for vet school,” I said.

Blossom let out a sigh and a snort, as if she understood me. I knew of course that she did not.

It had been two weeks since I had arrived at the ranch. Things were so incredibly perfect. I loved my job with the vet office. I was busy. There were always places to go and so much to learn. And every night I came home and had dinner with Reese. We didn’t say much, but we worked side by side companionably.

I warmed up whatever food his mom had left, then both of us worked on keeping the kitchen tidy.

A lot of times I found him studying me. But whenever I caught him looking, he looked away, or moved to a different room entirely. Slowly, he started hanging out in the living room with me while I studied for things or reviewed notes on my phone from the day.

Tonight was a dinner with everybody there. Karilyn told me that was something she liked to do every so often. I was grateful for it, because I owed these people so much. Eventually I would have to find my own place. I had talked with the landlord and he assured me that he would be rebuilding, but it would be months before that was ready. He returned my deposit and promised me he would call me right away if something opened up. I didn’t know if I had a few months of hospitality to stay with Reese at the ranch, but I hoped that I did.

The bell sounded throughout the area and I got up. Blossom lifted her head for a moment.

“Time for me to go to dinner,” I said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Reese was already on his way in when I finally made it out of the pasture. Like I always did when I ran into him, I kept my head low. I couldn’t hold back the smile on that day, though. Everything just was perfect. And fun and exciting. It was everything I was hoping my life would be like when I went off to college and got away from my mother.

I swear I almost caught a smile on his face too, but he turned too quickly for me to be sure.

Inside, Karilyn had the table set out. Rory was there with his partners, plus two of our ranch hands that I had met. They were incredibly nice people who were kind and helpful.

Reese sat down at the chair that was his. It seemed that the only one empty was the one directly next to him, so I took it.

“Did we get the horses back out to the southwest pasture this afternoon?” Reese asked.

Turner nodded. “Yes, sir. They were happy as a clam out there with all that fresh clover.”

He nodded. “Check them tomorrow. Make sure they’re not overeating. We can put a muzzle on them if we need to. Y’all starting on rebuilding those stalls, like we talked about?”

“Yes, sir. That’s a project for next week. We’ll get started as soon as the materials arrive,” Turner said.

“That’s enough shop talk,” Karilyn admonished. “Perry, have you met Craig and Thomas?”

I nodded and smiled at them. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Great. How are you liking your job?”

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