events since her arrival. “I have no desire to hog-tie anyone, and you know perfectly well what I meant. You both agree that you know more about horses than he does. Why didn’t you go? Was it because he left earlier than you’d planned?”
Chaney shrugged. “I wasn’t planning to go in the first place. I studied the catalogue with him. We talked about which horses he should take a look at. He’s got to get his feet wet some time. Man like him operates best when he makes his own mistakes. That’s one way to learn real fast.”
“But what can you tell from a picture? Don’t you have to look at the horse? What if it can’t move?”
“I’ve been teaching him all about conformation. They have photographers trained to shoot the horse just to show off the way he’s made. The boss’ll recognize good conformation when he sees it. And if the danged horse can’t move, don’t you think he’ll notice? The man may be a greenhorn, but he ain’t blind.”
“I suppose,” she said as she settled into a funk.
Her month’s vacation was nearly half over. Even after yesterday’s apparent breakthrough, she still hadn’t gotten Cal to agree to an actual visit with his grandmother. How was she supposed to work on convincing him when he was hundreds of miles away for who knows how long? How was she supposed to decide about going or staying herself without him around to let her know what he was really thinking?What did she even want with a man who could dismiss family ties so easily? He’d probably forget her just as readily, locking her away in the past with all the other memories he considered too painful to deal with.
In fact, if she were to go by yesterday alone, he’d probably say goodbye and good riddance. He’d be pleased to be rid of her nagging. Even so, he might not be quite so pleased to be robbed of her kisses, no matter how hard he’d worked to make them into something ugly and demeaning. She wasn’t so naive that she couldn’t recognize wanting when it was pressed square against her. A tiny sigh of longing escaped before she could restrain it.
Chaney regarded her with something that almost looked like sympathy. He muttered his thanks for breakfast, then headed for the door. Twisting his hat in his hand, he stood in the doorway. “In case you was wondering, it’d be my guess that he’ll be back by Monday.”
“I wasn’t wondering,” she lied.
“Well, like I said, just in case.” He hesitated, still fiddling uncomfortably with his hat.
“Is there something else?”
“I don’t suppose you’d want to help out again today.”
“I’m probably just in the way,” she said morosely.
If she’d hoped for a denial, she’d picked the wrong man. There wasn’t a diplomatic bone in Chaney’s body, no matter how much pity he was feeling towardher. “Let’s face it,” he pointed out. “You still got a lot to learn.”
“I know that.”
“Even so, your help would still be welcome while Zeke and Pedro are on the road with Cal.”
Her mood brightened a little. “You mean it?”
“Hell, gal, I don’t say things I don’t mean. You should know that much by now. See Roddy when you’re ready. He’ll tell you what to do.”
“Thanks, Chaney. I’ll be there as soon as I get these dishes scrubbed up.”
He nodded curtly, slid his hat on his head and left. His gruff invitation pleased her as nothing else could have. She knew better than to believe that she was more help than hindrance, but the fact that he’d asked at all told her volumes about the fact that he was beginning to accept her.
As soon as she’d straightened up the kitchen and run the vacuum, she put on her work jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, tying the shirttail in a knot at her waist. Anticipating the next few hours of hot, sweaty work with surprising enthusiasm, she started toward the stables, then paused at the sight of dust swirling on the long, winding driveway. Her pulse kicked into high speed.
Maybe it was Cal
Chaney shrugged. “I wasn’t planning to go in the first place. I studied the catalogue with him. We talked about which horses he should take a look at. He’s got to get his feet wet some time. Man like him operates best when he makes his own mistakes. That’s one way to learn real fast.”
“But what can you tell from a picture? Don’t you have to look at the horse? What if it can’t move?”
“I’ve been teaching him all about conformation. They have photographers trained to shoot the horse just to show off the way he’s made. The boss’ll recognize good conformation when he sees it. And if the danged horse can’t move, don’t you think he’ll notice? The man may be a greenhorn, but he ain’t blind.”
“I suppose,” she said as she settled into a funk.
Her month’s vacation was nearly half over. Even after yesterday’s apparent breakthrough, she still hadn’t gotten Cal to agree to an actual visit with his grandmother. How was she supposed to work on convincing him when he was hundreds of miles away for who knows how long? How was she supposed to decide about going or staying herself without him around to let her know what he was really thinking?What did she even want with a man who could dismiss family ties so easily? He’d probably forget her just as readily, locking her away in the past with all the other memories he considered too painful to deal with.
In fact, if she were to go by yesterday alone, he’d probably say goodbye and good riddance. He’d be pleased to be rid of her nagging. Even so, he might not be quite so pleased to be robbed of her kisses, no matter how hard he’d worked to make them into something ugly and demeaning. She wasn’t so naive that she couldn’t recognize wanting when it was pressed square against her. A tiny sigh of longing escaped before she could restrain it.
Chaney regarded her with something that almost looked like sympathy. He muttered his thanks for breakfast, then headed for the door. Twisting his hat in his hand, he stood in the doorway. “In case you was wondering, it’d be my guess that he’ll be back by Monday.”
“I wasn’t wondering,” she lied.
“Well, like I said, just in case.” He hesitated, still fiddling uncomfortably with his hat.
“Is there something else?”
“I don’t suppose you’d want to help out again today.”
“I’m probably just in the way,” she said morosely.
If she’d hoped for a denial, she’d picked the wrong man. There wasn’t a diplomatic bone in Chaney’s body, no matter how much pity he was feeling towardher. “Let’s face it,” he pointed out. “You still got a lot to learn.”
“I know that.”
“Even so, your help would still be welcome while Zeke and Pedro are on the road with Cal.”
Her mood brightened a little. “You mean it?”
“Hell, gal, I don’t say things I don’t mean. You should know that much by now. See Roddy when you’re ready. He’ll tell you what to do.”
“Thanks, Chaney. I’ll be there as soon as I get these dishes scrubbed up.”
He nodded curtly, slid his hat on his head and left. His gruff invitation pleased her as nothing else could have. She knew better than to believe that she was more help than hindrance, but the fact that he’d asked at all told her volumes about the fact that he was beginning to accept her.
As soon as she’d straightened up the kitchen and run the vacuum, she put on her work jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, tying the shirttail in a knot at her waist. Anticipating the next few hours of hot, sweaty work with surprising enthusiasm, she started toward the stables, then paused at the sight of dust swirling on the long, winding driveway. Her pulse kicked into high speed.
Maybe it was Cal
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