a minute?”
“Yeah. Sure.” Oh God, I was so busted. He must have seen me with Star just then. How the hell did I explain myself? Especially after we’d had that discussion about Chip. I was just petting her, but he’d been clear about those horses and… Crap. Good thing I didn’t have too much to pack…
He cleared his throat. “How much experience do you have with horses?”
I chewed the inside of my cheek. “I’ve, um, worked with them. A lot.”
“Define ‘a lot’.” He held my gaze, and I swore his intense blue eyes saw right through me.
I fidgeted and couldn’t keep myself from breaking eye contact. “I’ve worked with them all my life in one capacity or another.”
“Ever done any training?”
I looked him in the eye again, and something in his told me he already knew the answer somehow. “Yes,” I said softly. “Some.” I paused, but then his knowing expression pulled a barely whispered, “Quite a bit, actually” out of me.
Dustin gave a single, slow nod and said nothing for a long moment. About the time I was going to ask if there was anything else, he went on. “Listen, I was wondering if you’d be interested in working with Blue and Star.”
Okay, apparently I was sleep-deprived to the point of auditory hallucinations now. I cocked my head. “Come again?”
He hooked his thumbs in his pockets in a failed attempt to appear casual and relaxed. “I’ve been thinking since last night. And, um…” He paused, clearing his throat again. “Look, I’m scheduled into the ground, and there’s no way I can give them the attention they need. I can pay you more.”
I stared at him, my expression probably making him wonder if I’d suddenly lost the ability to comprehend the English language.
He shifted his weight. “I guess I was just thinking,” he said. “After I saw you with Chip.” A little bit of color appeared in his cheeks. “Maybe I jumped the gun.”
“Well, you did tell me to stay away from him, so…”
“I did,” he said with a slight nod. “But you must have done something right, because if I understand what I saw correctly, you had him eating out of your hand. And not taking your arm off.”
“Aside from the bite that started the whole thing, yes.”
“Exactly. He bit you, which means he was threatened, but then you turned him around so he was quietly eating out of your hand. While you were in his stall.” Dustin shook his head. “Even I won’t go in there while he’s eating.”
“Was he starved or something?”
“No, the show horses usually aren’t,” he said. “But for some reason, this one’s territorial anyway, and when you put food in front of him?” Dustin whistled. “I’d put bars or a stall guard over his door if that didn’t make him wig out even more.”
I loosely folded my arms across my chest. “So, if I’m hearing you right, now that you’ve seen me not get myself killed in Chip’s stall, you want me to work with your other two abuse cases?”
“If you’re interested,” he said quietly. “And maybe Chip too. Eventually. He’s got a long way to go before he can be saddled, let alone ridden, but…” He swallowed. “I’d have you work with some of the others first, but I owe it to my clients to work on the ones they’re paying me to train, not the rescue cases.”
“Right. Okay.” I paused, still trying to accept we were even having this conversation. I looked at Star, who watched us over her stall door. Maybe this was what I needed. The chance to rekindle my long-dead love of horses. And for that matter, if Dustin trusted me with this, with his most vulnerable animals, then maybe I’d jumped the gun with him .
I turned to him and nodded. “Yeah. I can work with them.”
Dustin’s shoulders dropped just a little. “You have no idea how much this will help me. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem,” I said. “Thanks for…um… Thanks for the opportunity.”
He offered a slight smile and started to
“Yeah. Sure.” Oh God, I was so busted. He must have seen me with Star just then. How the hell did I explain myself? Especially after we’d had that discussion about Chip. I was just petting her, but he’d been clear about those horses and… Crap. Good thing I didn’t have too much to pack…
He cleared his throat. “How much experience do you have with horses?”
I chewed the inside of my cheek. “I’ve, um, worked with them. A lot.”
“Define ‘a lot’.” He held my gaze, and I swore his intense blue eyes saw right through me.
I fidgeted and couldn’t keep myself from breaking eye contact. “I’ve worked with them all my life in one capacity or another.”
“Ever done any training?”
I looked him in the eye again, and something in his told me he already knew the answer somehow. “Yes,” I said softly. “Some.” I paused, but then his knowing expression pulled a barely whispered, “Quite a bit, actually” out of me.
Dustin gave a single, slow nod and said nothing for a long moment. About the time I was going to ask if there was anything else, he went on. “Listen, I was wondering if you’d be interested in working with Blue and Star.”
Okay, apparently I was sleep-deprived to the point of auditory hallucinations now. I cocked my head. “Come again?”
He hooked his thumbs in his pockets in a failed attempt to appear casual and relaxed. “I’ve been thinking since last night. And, um…” He paused, clearing his throat again. “Look, I’m scheduled into the ground, and there’s no way I can give them the attention they need. I can pay you more.”
I stared at him, my expression probably making him wonder if I’d suddenly lost the ability to comprehend the English language.
He shifted his weight. “I guess I was just thinking,” he said. “After I saw you with Chip.” A little bit of color appeared in his cheeks. “Maybe I jumped the gun.”
“Well, you did tell me to stay away from him, so…”
“I did,” he said with a slight nod. “But you must have done something right, because if I understand what I saw correctly, you had him eating out of your hand. And not taking your arm off.”
“Aside from the bite that started the whole thing, yes.”
“Exactly. He bit you, which means he was threatened, but then you turned him around so he was quietly eating out of your hand. While you were in his stall.” Dustin shook his head. “Even I won’t go in there while he’s eating.”
“Was he starved or something?”
“No, the show horses usually aren’t,” he said. “But for some reason, this one’s territorial anyway, and when you put food in front of him?” Dustin whistled. “I’d put bars or a stall guard over his door if that didn’t make him wig out even more.”
I loosely folded my arms across my chest. “So, if I’m hearing you right, now that you’ve seen me not get myself killed in Chip’s stall, you want me to work with your other two abuse cases?”
“If you’re interested,” he said quietly. “And maybe Chip too. Eventually. He’s got a long way to go before he can be saddled, let alone ridden, but…” He swallowed. “I’d have you work with some of the others first, but I owe it to my clients to work on the ones they’re paying me to train, not the rescue cases.”
“Right. Okay.” I paused, still trying to accept we were even having this conversation. I looked at Star, who watched us over her stall door. Maybe this was what I needed. The chance to rekindle my long-dead love of horses. And for that matter, if Dustin trusted me with this, with his most vulnerable animals, then maybe I’d jumped the gun with him .
I turned to him and nodded. “Yeah. I can work with them.”
Dustin’s shoulders dropped just a little. “You have no idea how much this will help me. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem,” I said. “Thanks for…um… Thanks for the opportunity.”
He offered a slight smile and started to
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