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“Oh, this is too good,” Liam murmured.
Praying Gabs hadn’t heard him, I pretended like I hadn’t either.
“I own the Phoenix Star Ranch down near Bridgewater. I have three horses at the moment. A stallion and two mares.”
Moving her plate aside, she rested her elbow on the table and propped up her chin on her hand. “You said ‘at the moment.’ Does that mean you normally have more?”
I shook my head. “I want to be able to take more in. Aside from the cattle ranch, I volunteer with the SPCA as a cruelty investigator. My dream is to have a horse rescue, but that costs money so the cattle are a necessity. It’s a balancing act with time and money as to how many rescues I can take in.”
She sat straighter, dropping her arm off the table.
“Do you have other animals you’ve rescued, or just the horses?”
She was too good to be true. Not only did she like horses, but she was interested in animal rescue too. Liam and Jack were sitting back, lifting their beers up to hide their smirks. They both knew me well enough to know this woman had my number.
“I’ve been known to take in all sorts of animals until we can find them a long-term home. I think the pair of goats were the most memorable. Damn, those critters eat everything.”
She laughed. “Yeah, but they’re cute.”
That had me smirking. “The horns aren’t cute when they use them on you, head butting you until you’ll drop whatever you happen to be holding so they can eat it. Nor are the holes in the sheets after they took a liking to them when I’d hung them out on the line.”
She tried to contain her laughter, but a chuckle snuck out. Clearly, she found the destruction of my life by those goats hilarious. Looking back at it, I could see the funny side myself. But at the time, not so much.
“Do you work with animals at all?” I asked.
She smirked as her eyes sparkled. “Well, that depends on your definition of what’s an animal. I’m a piercer and tattooist at Silky Ink down in Bridgewater. Some of my clientele could probably be described as animals.”
She gave me a sweet wink as she reached for her soda to take a drink.
I shook my head. “You’re just full of surprises, darlin’.”
She lowered her drink but didn’t put it down. “What do you mean?”
“You dress all sweet cowgirl, but you take down men with head butts, have a tongue piercing, and now I find out you pierce and tattoo people for a living. Not at all what I was expecting.”
She tilted the glass my way. “Don’t forget the whole biker thing.”
She was fishing to see if the others had told me what she’d said in the hallway after I left.
“Yeah, that too.”
She grinned and took another drink, finishing it off before she set it down on the table.
“Meanwhile, cowboy, you are just as you look. A hard-working rancher who loves animals.”
I coughed as heat flared over my cheeks. Damn woman was making me blush.
I shrugged. “Don’t see the point in trying to be someone I’m not.”
She stiffened a little and I winced at how she could have taken my words as an insult.
“I’m not—”
She stopped me with a wave of her hand.
“I know what you meant. And to be honest, I’m not hiding my real self either. I love animals and ranch life. I’m also creative. Silk, the woman who owns Silky Ink, has been my best friend since we were twelve. We decided in school we’d set up the shop, and that’s what we went on to do. I love my work, but it’s not my only passion. I rent a trailer on the corner of a property and help out with my landlord’s horses when I can.”
Her expression turned sad, and a sheen of tears glossed over her eyes before she turned to stare down into her empty glass. “Well, I used to help with their horses. So yeah, wearing cowboy boots and jeans is showing the real me, just like wearing a dress and heels in the shop is.”
