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“The house is old, Jillian. It needs a little work. There is a bathroom attached to the guest bedroom, but the shower doesn’t work, and Kim gets a little crazy when it comes to her bathroom. If you want to shower before dinner, you’ll have to use mine.”
I could see the yearning in her eyes as she looked behind her to the bathroom. “Fine. You’re not planning on staying in here while I shower, are you?”
“Worried that you won’t be able to control yourself once you’re naked?” I asked softly as I took a step toward her. She immediately backed up, and I froze. The panic in her eyes hurt more than I wanted to admit. I didn’t want to push it on her first day here. “I’ve still got some work to do. The guest bedroom is on the first floor off the living room. Dinner is at seven.”
“Thanks.” She still looked pissed as I walked out. I knew that she was angry about the marriage counseling comment, but I hadn’t meant anything bad by it. She was here for one reason, and I was going to do whatever it took to make sure this plan worked.
I’d barely gotten down the steps before I heard the water start running, and I grinned. The picture of her horrified in the middle of a pile of manure would entertain me for years to come.
But I didn’t have time to entertain Jillian all day. There was work to do, and I’d barely carved out enough time to get her settled. I did my best to pretend that this day was no different than any other day as I headed back outside to one of the pastures.
Ben met me at the gate. “That’s a real sweetheart you’ve got there.”
“I’ve pretty much ruined her life by yanking her here,” I admitted. “So, I’m not exactly on her Christmas list this year. She won’t be here long, so all personal opinions should be kept to yourself.”
Ben snorted. “Yeah, that’s going to work. How long were you married anyway?”
“Too long, and that’s all I’m going to say on the subject. How is Onyx doing?” One of my broodmares was due to give birth soon, and I was already fielding high-profile interests in the foal. The father had a long history of race winners in his lineage.
“Vet should be out in the morning. I’m more concerned with Silva at the moment. He hasn’t been eating much since Blue died.”
“What?” I jerked my head up. “Ben, that was days ago. Why am I just hearing about that now?”
“You’ve been busy.” We walked to the stable, and I stared at the gray workhorse. We’d rescued him and Blue a few months ago from an abusive owner. We tried so hard with Blue, and for a few weeks, we thought he was going to make it. I knew that Silva and Blue were bonded, but I hadn’t realized how much. “I called the vet, and he’s agreed to see Silva and Onyx tomorrow, but I don’t really think that there’s much we can do if I can’t get him to eat.”
Silva swayed from side-to-side and kept his head down to the ground. I gritted my teeth and shook my head. I hadn’t rescued the horses just to lose both of them. Silva was still young. I would find a way to make sure he did more than survive. He was going to live a good life here.
“Move Darling into this stable. If we can get him interested in her, he’ll want to eat again.”
Opening the stall, I cautiously approached him. The stallion had healed from the wounds his bastard of a previous owner had inflicted, but he was still wary of men. Debra and Kim had some luck with the poor horse, but they were both too busy to spend too much time with him.
Although, there was one female who now had nothing but time on her hands. An idea bloomed in my mind. “How do you feel about pretty blondes?” I asked softly as I checked his feed bucket. Shaking it to try and entice him, I kept a close eye on the stallion.
He was keeping a close eye on me as well, and his nostrils were flaring.
I kept talking in a calm voice. “She’s got a bit of a thorny side, and I don’t think she really loves animals, but I think you might find her interesting. God knows that I do. Years ago, she could make me melt with a single look. Of course, I’m a little harder now. It takes a little bit more than a long look from a pretty woman, but she might be your type, Silva. What do you think?”
As I walked around the stall, careful to keep to the edge, Silva moved to keep an eye on me. His gait was unsteady, which was a bad sign. I didn’t want to have to force-feed him. It would stress him out even more.
