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“Now that you mention it,” Dalton said as he crossed to the tack room. “I’ve got an idea.” He disappeared inside, returning moments later with a hackamore—a bridle with no bit.
But Sam cut him off before he made it to Sky. “Hold on there, Dalton.” His tone turned edgy. “Let’s not move too fast here. I don’t want the horse getting agitated with Sky and acting out.”
“He hasn’t shown any violent or restless tendencies,” Dalton said. “And I don’t want her to put the bridle on him just yet. I only want her to hold it. Show it to him, so I can see Midnight’s reaction.”
“He hasn’t had a bridle on him since he came here?” she asked.
Sam turned to her. “No. First time we tried, about a month into his recovery, he shied away from it and that’s when he started cowering in the corner, not wanting anyone to come too close to him.”
“I believe it’s fear of the bridle,” Dalton said. “He couldn’t escape the hitch of the truck because his reins were tied to it. There’s a bad memory and a behavioral issue to overcome. It’d be interesting to see how he responds to you, since he seems to trust you. And it happened quickly.”
Sam crossed his arms over his wide chest. “I don’t know…”
Sky stepped forward and extended her hand to Dalton. “It’s worth a try.” She accepted the hackamore.
“He could react strongly, Sky,” Sam warned her.
“Sure. But the horse whisperer here doesn’t think he will, or he wouldn’t be suggesting this. And I don’t think he will, either.” She grinned at Sam. “But I appreciate your concern for my wellbeing.”
He snickered. “Hate to see anything happen to that pretty face of yours.”
He’d said it flippantly, to ease the tension. She could tell by his tone. But the flare of desire in his emerald eyes told her there was truth behind his words.
She smiled again. “Take a leap of faith with me.”
Lifting his hands in the air, Sam said, “Something tells me you’re not going to let me talk you out of this.” So he gestured for two of his volunteers to join him. Just in case, obviously.
Sky moved back to Midnight’s stall, keeping a measurable distance. She held the bitless bridle in her hands and showed it to the stallion. “Not gonna put it on you,” she said in a quiet voice. “I just want you to see this. It’s a harm—” She was about to say it was just a harmless piece of equipment, but that’d be a lie. For this horse, it’d been a trap. A confinement that could have cost him his life.
She cleared her throat of the emotion welling within it and tried again. “I know it might seem scary after what you’ve been through, but no one here would use it to hurt you. Someday I’d like to put it on you and just walk you around. Let you get some fresh air and a change of scenery.”
The horse backed up and returned to the far corner of his large stall. Sky sighed, her shoulders slumping.
“Now, darlin’,” Sam said in a sympathetic tone. “Don’t take it personal or get discouraged.”
“Sam’s right,” Dalton told her. “Midnight suffers from post-traumatic stress. It takes time to work through his distrust and his fears. It’s a survival tactic for him. When he goes into that corner, he knows we’ll leave him be. Not push anything on him. Let him relax and regain his composure.”
“Right,” she said, disappointment in her voice. She turned back to the men. “I understand that. I just hoped he’d sniff it or something. Show some interest.” She gave the hackamore back to the vet.
Sam said, “I’ll walk you up to the inn.”
They left the stable. Sam strolled casually alongside her, his hands shoved in the front pockets of his jeans.
Sky stole glances at him, finally saying, “In the back of your mind, you were worried Midnight might accidentally hurt me in order to protect himself. But in reality, you knew that wouldn’t happen. You suspected he’d snub me and you wanted to spare my feelings.”
O
ne corner of his mouth lifted in a sexy grin. His eyes sparkled in the sunlight. “You made quick progress with him, right off the bat. I’m pretty sure you’ve got your hopes up that he’ll come around because he likes you so much. But like Dalton said, he experienced something traumatic—and Lord only knows how he was treated before that one incident, given the fact he was malnourished when we brought him here. He needs recovery time. At his own pace.”
She nodded. “I realize that. It’d be okay if I kept trying, though, right?”
He gave her a full grin that sent a ripple of excitement down her spine. “More than okay.”
Sky took in his casual gait and non-assuming disposition as they headed to the inn. Yet for all of his nonthreatening ways—a result of the training he’d gone through to work with the spooked horses, yes, but possibly a reaction to her, because he seemed to sense the wariness surrounding her—Sam had a commanding presence. A magnetic one she couldn’t help but be drawn to.
It went well beyond the fact he was gorgeous and had the most amazing smile. A sexy one that lit her insides and warmed her heart.
Okay, heat literally flooded her veins. No denying that. It didn’t exactly make her feel comfortable. But the edginess creeping in on her wasn’t full-on disturbing. A very odd contradiction to process, because Sky was in such a peculiar and unsettling place emotionally. A peculiar and unsettling place in general.
