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“What about my horse?”
“She’s the finest barrel racer I’ve seen in some time, and my sister’s birthday is coming up. She’s just getting into racing.”
“Angelina races? I thought she said she wasn’t involved in the rodeo.”
“Not Angelina. My younger sister, Caitlyn. Her sweet sixteen is next month, and my pa and I have been looking around for a horse for her. Yours is the finest I’ve seen.”
“Sorry.” Dusty turned away. “She’s not for sale.”
“I’d pay top dollar.”
Dusty inhaled sharply and met Harper’s gaze. “Just how much is top dollar?”
“How’s forty K sound?”
Dusty shook her head. “No. Sorry.”
“Okay. Fifty.”
“Sorry again.”
“Seventy-five is as high as I can go.”
Dusty gasped. This was Regina, her friend and comrade. How could she let Regina go? But seventy-five thousand dollars… It wouldn’t save the ranch but it would be a start. She had just blown the barrel race. Money was more important now than ever.
“Your sister would take care of her?”
“Heck, yeah. She loves animals, especially horses.”
“I don’t mean to be rude, but she’s not like…”
“Angelina?” Harper chuckled. “No, Catie’s nothing like Angie. I take it you don’t care for my big sister?”
“She’s your big sister?”
“Yeah, she’s twenty-seven. I’m just a babe of twenty-five.” He gave her a wide grin.
“I hardly know Angelina. I’ve only spoken to her a few times.”
Aside from seeing her lip-locked with Zach, which caused me to screw up my race.
“Angie’s all right,” Harper said. “Just kind of a girly-girl, you know. And she’s a bit spoiled. She was the firstborn, and a girl, so Pa gave her whatever she wanted.”
“I see. What happened between her and Zach?”
“Just differences. Was our families more than anything that pushed them together.”
Dusty nodded, moved to the back of the stall, and stroked Regina’s silky ears
and kissed her velvety nose. Soft and sleek—she loved how Regina’s ears felt under her fingers. Looking into her horse’s big brown eyes, she tried to make her understand what she was about to do.
“You promise your baby sister will take good care of her?” A tear fell down Dusty’s cheek.
“Yeah. I promise.” Harper walked toward Dusty and wiped away the tear.
Dusty jerked backward. It didn’t feel right for him to touch her.
“I’m sorry,” Harper said.
