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“Poor baby. You want to switch tasks?”
“Nah.” I wasn’t about to look like I was scared. “I’m just not an animal person, never had a pet.”
“Same. Dad moved tons too often, or so Mom said. No pets, but I kinda wanted a scruffy little dog to follow me around.” His voice turned wistful, and I had a sudden urge to present him with a puppy, maybe from that Jace guy Duncan and Harley were friends with. But I stopped myself from going further down that line of thinking. Avery and I were hardly at the pets-as-presents stage of whatever this was. We were surprisingly great roommates, but that was temporary.
If I ever had a permanent roommate like Avery, though, I would absolutely get over my unease around animals. Avery deserved a pet and someone to remind him to feed it. He was fun to do things for because he never expected it, and what was truly awesome was how he’d started doing things back, like the coffee and the scarf. I kept touching the scarf while I made my way to the makeshift horse pens stationed beyond the saloon and general store sets, daydreaming about the sexy surprises I could give Avery.
And very, very deliberately ignoring the buzz of an incoming message on my phone. My mom was back stateside and full of schemes and deadlines for my post-military life, and I wasn’t here for it. Also, I was rapidly reaching a point where not sharing about Avery felt like lying by omission, but I was nowhere near ready to talk about him or that part of my life yet.
As I reached the horse pens, an old grizzled guy with a gray handlebar mustache greeted me with a suspicious once-over.
“You Malik? I’m Cole. I’m in charge of the livestock. Little lady running the movie said you’re gonna give me a hand. What do you know about horses?”
“Absolutely nothing.”
His eyes narrowed. “Welp. At least you’re honest.”
“Yes, sir.” I gave a respectful nod. I didn’t break out the sir for every older man, but this guy seemed like the sort to appreciate it. He had the bearing of a man who had served at some point, proud posture, firm handshake, straight-shooting demeanor, and a flag pin on his cowboy hat.
He harrumphed. “And polite. You gotta be ex-military.”
“Yes, sir. I was a naval intelligence officer for special forces. That and my mom raised me right.”
“I think I like you, Malik.” He led the way over to some rather oversized-looking horses. Were they all that big? But Cole kept chattering like the horses weren’t even there. “Did my time in Panama and anywhere else the marines wanted to ship my ass. Now, don’t worry. I’m not gonna make you ride.”
“Thank you,” I said a little too quickly.
“But what we need to do is keep their body temps stable in this cold. That means blanketing, but checking to make sure it’s not too much, especially after a scene, warm water to drink, not ice cold, extra food, and a close eye on everyone for signs of distress.”
“Wow.” I whistled low. The horses had even more requirements than Keely for surviving this March cold snap. And indeed, the big animals seemed super clean, every piece of tack and equipment in good order. “They get better treatment than some SEALs I know. Pampered beasts.”
“Nah. They just need what they need.” Cole frowned and patted the nearest horse on the neck. “These are working animals, and they’re used to the weather, but better safe than sorry when it comes to heading off problems. Military could learn a thing or two from basic horse care.”
“That makes sense.” I looked closer at the chestnut horse Cole was petting. Deep chocolate-colored eyes. Muscled flanks. Standing still, accepting Cole’s touches like a queen collecting her due.
Funny how much I loved pampering Avery even more than Cole loved his animals and how incredibly hard it was for me to accept help back. They need what they need. How many times had I apologized for needing something? Extra sleep. My meds. Certain food requirements. Avery didn’t seem to find my nightmares anything out of the ordinary, just another thing to be dealt with. Better safe than sorry. Maybe I could take a cue from the horses, stop feeling guilty for what I needed to stay healthy.
“Now, after a scene, before we blanket them, we gotta walk them some to cool down, get them dry,” Cole continued to move down the line, checking this horse and that one, each bigger than the last. “Can’t go right back to the holding pen. That’s where you’re gonna come in. Need you to lead them around like I’ll show you and help me get everyone organized.”
“I’ll try.” I wasn’t sure there was a rope thick enough for me to feel comfortable taking a horse for a walk.
