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“Here are my girls,” he said, stopping between Ivy and Hadley. After greeting Maggie with a knuckle to her soft cheek, he shifted his attention to Hadley. “Sorry I wasn’t here to greet you, but I was delayed on a call. What do you think of the place so far?”
“Impressive.” Warmth poured through her at the inconsequential brush of his arm against hers. “I never expected a ranch to have a barn like this.” She indicated the stone fireplace and the windows that overlooked the arena. Staring around the large lounge kept her gaze from lingering on Liam’s infectious grin and admiring the breadth of his shoulders encased in a rugged brown work jacket.
“It’s been a work in progress for a while.” He winked at Ivy, who rolled her eyes at him.
The obvious affection between the cousins didn’t surprise Hadley. Liam had an easy charisma that tranquilized those around him. She’d wager that Liam had never once had to enforce an order he’d given. Why bully when charm got the job done faster and easier?
“I imagine a setup like this takes years
to build.”
“And a lot of convincing the old man,” Ivy put in. “Calvin was old-school when it came to horses. He bred and sold quality horses for ranch work. And then this one came along with his love of reining and his big ideas about turning Wade Ranch into a breeding farm.”
Liam tossed one of Maggie’s burp rags on his shoulder and eased the infant out of Ivy’s arms. “And it worked out pretty well,” he said, setting the baby on his shoulder. “Come on, let’s go introduce this little lady around.”
With Liam leading the way through the offices, his smile broad, every inch the proud parent, he introduced Hadley to two sales associates, the breeding coordinator, the barn manager and a girl who helped Ivy three mornings a week.
Hadley expected that her role as Maggie’s nanny would relegate her to the background, but Liam made her an active part of the conversation. He further startled her by bringing up her former successes at barrel racing and in the show ring. She’d forgotten how small the horse business could be when one of the salespeople, Poppy Gertz, confessed to rejoicing when Hadley had retired.
“Do you still compete?” Hadley questioned, already anticipating what the answer would be.
“Every chance I get.” The brunette was in her midthirties with the steady eye and swagger of a winner. “Thinking about getting back into the game?”
At Hadley’s head shake, Poppy’s posture relaxed.
“We’re going to get her into reining,” Liam said, shifting Maggie so she faced forward.
Hadley shook her head. “I’m going to finish getting my masters and find a job as a guidance counselor.” She reached out for the infant, but Liam turned away.
“Maggie and I are going to check out some horses.” His easy smile was meant to lure her after them. “Why don’t you join us.” It was a command pitched as a suggestion.
Dutifully she did as he wanted. And in truth, it wasn’t a hardship. In fact, her heartbeat increased at the opportunity to see what Wade Ranch had to offer. She’d done a little reading up about Liam and the ranch on the internet and wasn’t surprised at the quality of the horses coming out of Liam’s program.
They started with the stallions, since their barn was right outside the barn lounge. While Liam spoke in depth about each horse, Hadley let her thoughts drift. She’d already done her research and was far more interested in the way her body resonated with the deep, rich tone of Liam’s voice. He paused in front of one stall and opened the door.
“This is WR Dakota Blue.” Pride shone in Liam’s voice and body language.
“He’s beautiful,” Hadley murmured.
The stallion stepped up to the door and nuzzled Liam’s arm, nostrils flaring as he caught Maggie’s scent. An infant her age couldn’t clearly see objects more than eight to ten inches away, so Hadley had to wonder what Maggie made of the stallion.
“She isn’t crying,” Liam said as the horse lipped at Maggie’s blanket. “I guess that’s a good sign.”
“I don’t think she knows what to make of him.”
“He likes her.”
The stallion’s gentleness and curiosity reminded her a lot of how Liam had first approached Maggie. Watching horse and owner interact with the infant, something unlocked inside Hadley. The abrupt release of the constriction left her reeling. How long had she been binding her emotions? Probably since she’d shouldered a portion of responsibility for Anna’s accident.
“Hadley?” Liam’s low voice brought her back to the present. He’d closed the door to the stallion’s stall and stood regarding her with concern. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes. I was just thinking how lucky Maggie is to grow up in this world of horses.” And she meant that with all her heart. As a kid Hadley had been such a nut about horses. She would have moved into the barn if her parents let her.
“I hope she agrees with you. My brother doesn’t share my love of horses.” Liam turned from the stall, and they continued down the aisle. “You miss it, don’t you?”
What was the point in denying it? “I didn’t think I did until I came to Wade Ranch. Horses were everything until I went off to college. I was remembering how much I missed riding and what I did to cope.”
“What did you do?”
