her assessment.
When Beau slowed the horse and started towards the gate, Beth hopped down from the fence and together they walked the horse to his stall. Buck stood patiently as they examined his eye. Sure enough his right eye was different, a little puffy with bright red blood vessels showing at the edges. Beth reached down to get a handful of hay to offer the horse, and the animal flinched, tossed his head and started to rear. With one hand, Beau yanked Beth behind him and with the other he pulled down on Buck’s halter. He pulled Buck's head towards his chest, murmured to the animal and stroked his head.
“Stay close and the horse can’t kick you hard.” In just a few minutes, the gelding munched on hay as if nothing had happened. Beau’s brows pushed together and his eyes narrowed, “You stay with him. I’m going to go call Doc Spiner.”
Beth nodded and watched through the silver bars as Beau walked down the aisle towards the office. He was amazing, that was all there was to it. He cared about the animals. The ranch wasn’t a business to him, it was a family.
The men she had dated had all been professional, powerful and wealthy, but none of them were strong the way Beau was. That strength plus caring was an attractive combination. She could imagine working beside him for the rest of her life . . .
Doc Spiner came out and examined the horse. The thin man asked them to kill the lights, so Beth hurried to the end of the aisle to flip the switch off. After Beau hollered at her to turn them back on, she did, then jogged back down the aisle. Just as she started to open the stall door to go back inside, someone called her name. She paused and turned.
Katie waved from the doorway. "Beth! There's a call for you! A Mr. Swaine - he said he's calling from your law firm."
Beth hesitated. He was the senior partner at Swaine Holmes. She peeked through the bars at Beau and the vet working with Buck.
Katie said, " Charlotte said the guy says it's urgent."
Beau turned and met her gaze. "Go ahead. Take the call."
She looked from Beau to Katie, then hollered to the girl, "I'll take it in the office."
She hurried into the office and snatched the phone from the desk. "This is Beth."
The voice on the other end was smooth and cultured. "Elizabeth, I need you to drive up right away--"
"This is not--"
"and meet with Richard Shatner."
"a good time."
"He's decided to purchase a substantial share of an NFL franchise and wants you to negotiate the terms."
Beth closed her eyes and took a deep breath. " Burton, this is not a good time."
"Richard wants you on board."
An anxious whinny echoed down the aisle. "You'll have to get someone else to do it. I quit, remember?"
She could imagine the veins pulsing in the senior partner's temple. His face was probably red already. He said, "I'm not asking again. Richard is our biggest client. If you don't come back and take care of this, you'll never work in this town again."
"Beth!" Beau yelled, "We could really use you here!"
The silence hummed on the phone line. A horse whinnied, and another kicked the wall. The clock on the wall ticked away the seconds.
"I won't be coming back." Without waiting for a reply, she hung up the phone and hurried back to Buck's stall.
Losing was no longer an option.
She stepped into the stall and Beau motioned to the prancing horse. "Can you put your body against his, help hold him against the wall and keep him still?"
She did as he asked and rubbed the horse's side to calm him down. The vet moved in front of the two-year old. Doc frowned as he ran his hands over the horse's head. “You noticed this swelling when?”
Beau nodded in Beth’s direction. “She noticed something was off this morning. When we looked at him, we noticed the swelling.”
The vet pointed out some ulcerated spots on the horse’s right eye and then said, “When you turned the lights off, his pupil constricted. He’s got ERU.”
Beau interrupted, “Isn’t that an
When Beau slowed the horse and started towards the gate, Beth hopped down from the fence and together they walked the horse to his stall. Buck stood patiently as they examined his eye. Sure enough his right eye was different, a little puffy with bright red blood vessels showing at the edges. Beth reached down to get a handful of hay to offer the horse, and the animal flinched, tossed his head and started to rear. With one hand, Beau yanked Beth behind him and with the other he pulled down on Buck’s halter. He pulled Buck's head towards his chest, murmured to the animal and stroked his head.
“Stay close and the horse can’t kick you hard.” In just a few minutes, the gelding munched on hay as if nothing had happened. Beau’s brows pushed together and his eyes narrowed, “You stay with him. I’m going to go call Doc Spiner.”
Beth nodded and watched through the silver bars as Beau walked down the aisle towards the office. He was amazing, that was all there was to it. He cared about the animals. The ranch wasn’t a business to him, it was a family.
The men she had dated had all been professional, powerful and wealthy, but none of them were strong the way Beau was. That strength plus caring was an attractive combination. She could imagine working beside him for the rest of her life . . .
Doc Spiner came out and examined the horse. The thin man asked them to kill the lights, so Beth hurried to the end of the aisle to flip the switch off. After Beau hollered at her to turn them back on, she did, then jogged back down the aisle. Just as she started to open the stall door to go back inside, someone called her name. She paused and turned.
Katie waved from the doorway. "Beth! There's a call for you! A Mr. Swaine - he said he's calling from your law firm."
Beth hesitated. He was the senior partner at Swaine Holmes. She peeked through the bars at Beau and the vet working with Buck.
Katie said, " Charlotte said the guy says it's urgent."
Beau turned and met her gaze. "Go ahead. Take the call."
She looked from Beau to Katie, then hollered to the girl, "I'll take it in the office."
She hurried into the office and snatched the phone from the desk. "This is Beth."
The voice on the other end was smooth and cultured. "Elizabeth, I need you to drive up right away--"
"This is not--"
"and meet with Richard Shatner."
"a good time."
"He's decided to purchase a substantial share of an NFL franchise and wants you to negotiate the terms."
Beth closed her eyes and took a deep breath. " Burton, this is not a good time."
"Richard wants you on board."
An anxious whinny echoed down the aisle. "You'll have to get someone else to do it. I quit, remember?"
She could imagine the veins pulsing in the senior partner's temple. His face was probably red already. He said, "I'm not asking again. Richard is our biggest client. If you don't come back and take care of this, you'll never work in this town again."
"Beth!" Beau yelled, "We could really use you here!"
The silence hummed on the phone line. A horse whinnied, and another kicked the wall. The clock on the wall ticked away the seconds.
"I won't be coming back." Without waiting for a reply, she hung up the phone and hurried back to Buck's stall.
Losing was no longer an option.
She stepped into the stall and Beau motioned to the prancing horse. "Can you put your body against his, help hold him against the wall and keep him still?"
She did as he asked and rubbed the horse's side to calm him down. The vet moved in front of the two-year old. Doc frowned as he ran his hands over the horse's head. “You noticed this swelling when?”
Beau nodded in Beth’s direction. “She noticed something was off this morning. When we looked at him, we noticed the swelling.”
The vet pointed out some ulcerated spots on the horse’s right eye and then said, “When you turned the lights off, his pupil constricted. He’s got ERU.”
Beau interrupted, “Isn’t that an
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