His Texas Bride by Deb Kastner

turned his mind back to Ellie, the beautiful woman he couldn’t break his gaze from. Buck was amazed at the way Ellie worked with the little girl. She was so patient and kind, and he could tell from the sparkle in her eyes that her heart was in it.
    No doubt a part of that faith she was always talking about, as well, though Buck still scoffed at that notion as much as the idea of a therapy ranch itself. But there was no doubt to even the most casual observer that the woman had a real gift with special needs children of all types; Buck had to give her that.
    Except in this case, Buck thought he could do one better, and he wasn’t going to stop until he’d given it his best shot. It wasn’t an attempt to outdo Ellie, of course. He wouldn’t stoop to anything as petty as that.
    It was just that up until today Buck had been nothing more than an observer in Ellie’s world. He’dwatched her with an amazing array of children, from toddlers to teenagers and everything in between. Ellie knew how to make them laugh and play—and forget about their problems for a while.
    Even more surprising was the change that had come over Tyler. Buck’s own son was carrying his weight around the ranch, doing chores and helping out with the kids whenever he was asked—and sometimes, Buck thought, even when Ellie didn’t outright ask Tyler for help.
    How could Buck do any less?
    He hunkered down beside the small girl, knowing his size might intimidate her and wanting to be on the same level with her when he spoke.
    “How’s my little cowgirl?” he asked, keeping his voice low and even.
    “Horsey!” Morgan replied excitedly.
    “That’s right. Horsey. And I’ll bet a true cowgirl like you wants to ride the horsey, don’t you?”
    “Buck, if she doesn’t want to—” Ellie began, but Buck cut her off with a wave of his hand.
    Morgan stared anxiously at the nickering animal. Buck could easily see it from her point of view. Pal must seem gigantic to the child, and that was when the horse was standing still—never mind when he shifted around and made noise.
    Buck remembered the first time he’d ever ridden—the fear he’d felt but not wanted his father to see. He hadn’t backed down from riding despite the claws of fear clinging to his chest, but he remembered how much he’d wanted to. Riding a horse for the first time was scary to a kid—any kid.
    What he had to do, he realized, was show Morgan how easy it was, and that she didn’t need to be afraid of being up in the saddle on Pal’s back.
    But how was he supposed to do that?
    His own father had just tossed him into the saddle and told him to hang on. Buck didn’t know that much about Down syndrome children, but he was certain his own father’s gruff tactic wasn’t going to work for Morgan, and it sure wouldn’t go over well with Ellie and Marty, which for some reason seemed nearly equally important in Buck’s mind.
    He thought for a moment before settling on a plan. Rather than force the already frightened child onto a horse she wasn’t ready for, Buck would show the child how it was done. Maybe then she wouldn’t be so afraid.
    “All right, cowgirl,” he told Morgan with a smile and a wink. “I’ll tell you what. I am going to hop up on Pal and ride first so you can see what a good horsey he is. After that you can give it a try—if you want,” he said, tacking on the ending for the ladies’ benefit. Buck had every intention of seeing Morgan ride today, even if Ellie and Marty didn’t know it yet.
    “Morgan already said she doesn’t want to ride today,” Ellie informed Buck in a tight voice. “Don’t force her.”
    Buck leveled Ellie with a gaze just short of a glare. “Nobody’s forcing anyone to do anything,” he said slowly and distinctly, imitating Ellie’s wry tone. “All I’m going to do is show her how a cowboy rides a horse, okay?”
    Ellie glowered at him and crossed her arms. “Be my guest, Mr. Know-It-All.”
    Buck chuckled under his