Bad Boy Romance: Nick (Romantic Suspense Alpha Male Romance) (New Adult Rock Star Contemporary Short Stories) (Hard Rock Star Series Book 2) by Jade Allen Page B

her like
that in a long time—hell, she wasn’t even sure if her ex ever had in the five
years they were together. Gabe held the door to the barn open and motioned for
Vanessa to go in first.
    They stepped into what looked
like the administration area of the barn. The large barn doors were closed and
a huge sign was propped on the lock: Closed for Quarantine . Vanessa
nodded; Gabe took his business very seriously. Gabe closed the side door and
led the way into the stables.
    Following his body was hypnotic.
Even under his thick shirt and jeans, she could tell he was a walking slab of
muscle—even his scent of a hard morning’s work was damn sexy. Better still, he
hadn’t merely deemed her as a walking pair of boobs, which was more than she
could ever say about her ex and his friends.

 
    ****
     
    The stables were large and
stunning. The barn had been divided internally with walls to create a complex
of stables, store rooms and staff facilities. Ten stables ran along one long
outer wall of the barn, like a traditional set-up, with another identical line
of ten stables facing them. The stables along the barn’s outer wall provided
access to individual small yards. Gabe had to be making a freakin’ mint to
afford all of this! Vanessa thought.
    “Wow, this is beautiful! How
many horses do you have now?”
    Gabe continued walking and said,
“I could probably run about 70 in all my pastures and stables, but for
practical purposes, I work with up to 25 in retraining. Five of those are well
into their retirement, so they won’t leave this ranch.”
    His voice changed on his last
words and Vanessa’s heart panged. “Wow, that’s so—amazing of you to do that.
I’m sure these horses couldn’t have asked for a better retirement!”
    He stopped at a stable and
turned toward her, running his hand through his wavy brown hair. “Here’s the
horse that I’m worried about the most, Jezzy. She started to get unsteady, and
in the last 24 hours, she hasn’t moved much.” Under the lights, Jezzy was a
brilliant glossy chestnut with two white socks on her hind legs, but despite
her incredible athleticism, the mare hung her head down between her front legs
and sighed heavily into the soft bedding.
    Vanessa peeked over the stall
and clicked her tongue, the universal horse-speak for “Hey buddy, take a look
at this,” but Jezzy didn’t even lift her head. “Do you mind if I step in?”
    Gabe stood aside and Vanessa
unbolted the door. She popped her medical bag on the bedding and plucked a
stethoscope from its pocket.
    “Any other symptoms?” she asked
as she surveyed the stable for scratch marks and signs of struggle. Unless
someone had swept the sawdust before she got there, Vanessa was of the opinion
that Jezzy stopped moving the moment she had been put to bed the night before.
    “Well, loss of appetite,
disorientation, and sensitivity to touch…that’s about it. It came on so
suddenly; I have no idea what else I may have missed.”
    Vanessa spoke softly to the mare
as she gently approached its shoulder. The mare trembled under her touch, which
sent a strange ripple down the horse’s side and flank. She took the stethoscope
and wiggled the eartips into her ears, holding the cool metal disc against the
horse’s ribs. After several long moments of silent counting, she moved the
stethoscope over a vein, counted again, and then finally walked down the length
of the horse to hear its digestive tract.
    Taking off the instrument, she
examined the mare’s gums and teeth, as well as her nostrils and eyes before
checking her temperature. Murmuring gently to the horse, she swept her hands
over the animal to check for bites and stings. Taking a final sweep of the
mare’s glossy neck, her fingers picked up a thickened ridge. “Hey Gabe, take a
look at this.” He slipped into the stall and sidled up behind her, his radiant
heat burning her back and neck. She guided his hand over the neck, focusing on
a hard nub of flesh.