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Justin walked to the sink and stood next to her with one thing on his mind. Sliding his arms around her, he gently pulled Maggie to his chest.

“Is it too early to hug?” he asked, nuzzling his face in her hair. It was still damp from her shower, and the fragrance of her shampoo and whatever soap she had bathed with traveled a circuit from his nose to his groin, and moaning, he held on tightly.

There went all her resolve to fight the desire she had for him, to keep things safe.

“We’ve sort of known each other since we were kids, so no, I don’t think it’s too early. I hope it’s not.”

Hugging back, she had to consciously restrain herself from collapsing into him. Everything about him appealed to her; his body was hard and warm. She closed her eyes, aware of the length of him against her, and she thought that if it came to them sleeping together so soon, she’d probably succumb.

“But just a hug,” he finally said, slowly letting go of her. “I need to show some restraint.”

Contradicting her own inner dialogue, she wanted to askwhy, knowing he was right. She’d just moved in. If they slept together too soon and it ended badly, where would she run?

“Me too,” she added, wanting him.

“You too?”

“Hey, I’m human. We both need to put on the brakes.”

“I’ll do my best,” he said, chuckling. “But don’t put it all on me. I’m a weakling.”

“Right. I doubt that.”

After she pushed him away a little bit, they laughed, working together putting the food away and filling his bag up with the empty containers he’d brought. When they were finished, he motioned to the door.

“Do you want to sit on the porch? I hear horses.”

Sure enough, like the previous night, the horses were there in a group, but closer to the cottage this time.

“I love them,” Maggie said, pointing. “They make me feel safe.”

“They’ll let you know if anyone approaches. Either by scattering or whinnying.”

“You were going to make a suggestion the last time you were here, something about my property and the horses.”

“This is entirely up to you, of course. The authorities are attempting to relocate, and I use that term in every aspect of its meaning, the wild horses that live on national land. Your property borders state lands, so the grazing capability is increased dramatically. Would you be willing to allow a conservation group to bring horses here to your place? You won’t have to do anything. There won’t be increased human traffic either, except for someone to help pick up manure and the vet, and that’s me.”

“What’s the caveat? I mean, there must be one. Nothing is ever accomplished without a flip side.”

“The caveat is you might have problems with the Bureau of Land Management poking around.”

She watched the band of horses watching her. One black girl tossed her head, her foal nudging her undercarriage to get at milk. Not wanting to know whatrelocate in every aspect of its meaningmeant, the wheels turned in her brain. She’d read enough about wild horses to know that there were strong feelings about them on either side of the subject.

“Do I have to make my mind up right away?”

“Absolutely not.”

Maggie wished her father were still alive. No matter what the issue, he always had an answer for her. What would he say about this problem?

“Let me think about it,” she said. “They’re already here, so not sure what can be accomplished by bringing more.”

“Your place would be the drop-off point, that’s all. They’d be free to come and go, just like this band.”

“How many horses would they bring?”

“If you agree, they’ll first bring a small group so families can stay together.”

“It feels cruel, moving them,” she replied. “How can they be sure they don’t leave anyone behind?”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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