Loco by moving too fast—and then, when you’re out of his sight, I want you to book it to the barn first and then up to the house. Grab some grown-ups and drag them back here. Got it?”
He waited.
No agenda. Just watching the grass grow
. He knew better than to let his mind latch on to all the stuff he needed to get done today. Animals could smell that kind of pressure, and invariably chose the worst possible moment to misbehave or hurt themselves. And kids—at least according to his sister—had the same radar. Better, even.
After a long-feeling while, Lizzie nodded.
“Cool.” Not making a big deal out of it, he glanced over at Shelby. “You ready to hop off and let Loco head back out to the corral with his friends?”
“Sounds like a plan,” she said, and if she seemed a little toned down, he figured she was tired, or wilted from working in the sun for a solid hour on the first really warm day of the summer.
Lizzie trailed them from a distance and plonked back down on the bench with her reader. Foster would’ve liked it if she had come in with them, but he didn’t push it. Pleased enough with the day’s progress, he was whistling as he came into the barn, where Shelby already had Loco on the cross ties. He came up beside her as she struggled with the cinch.
Instead of helping her—she’d learn faster figuring it out on her own—he hitched his thumbs in his pockets and said, “I thought that went well.”
She whirled on him, her expression fierce. “Next time,
talk
to me first before you make a decision like that about my daughter.” She wasn’t loud, but her whisper packed as much of a punch as the finger she drilled into his chest.
Uh-oh. Angry mama bear alert. He backpedaled. “Wait a sec. I didn’t mean—”
“I don’t have any doubt that your intentions were good, but that’s not the point. The point is that she’s my kid. I know her—and her condition—better than you ever could.”
“But I—”
“Should’ve asked me first whether I want to ride during the week.” She took a furious breath. “Not to mention that—”
He did the only thing he could think of: he put a hand over her mouth and said firmly, “My turn.” His body was already jangling, and it just got worse when he touched her, but what mattered was that she was right. “I get it. I’m the boss of the barn, and I’m not real used to running my decisions past anyone. But I overstepped just now, and I’m sorry.”
She stepped back, away from his touch, eyes suddenly wary. But she didn’t launch any more salvos. Instead, she took a deep breath and looked down, concentrating as she swiped her hands on her jeans, completely oblivious of the smudge of dirt on her cheek.
It was an extremely cute smudge, he couldn’t help noticing.
Finally, she sighed and looked back up at him. “Okay, then. Thanks for understanding. And . . . well, maybe I’m overreacting. Probably. Sorry about that.”
“No problem. Comes with the territory, I expect.”
“You can say that again.”
“Want to make it up to me?”
Her eyes narrowed. “How so?”
“Nothing funny, so you can stop giving me that look.” It made him grin, though, and wonder whether maybe she wasn’t as immune to him as he’d been thinking. “I’m serious about wanting you to ride Loco for me during the week. He likes you, he could use the work, and it’d be something you and Lizzie could do together, especially if you ask her to watch your back. I’m not a parent, and I don’t play one on TV, but it seems to me that the sense of responsibility might do her good, help her get more involved with the horses, give her some power. You know the drill.”
She hesitated, then slowly nodded. “Yeah. Sure. That sounds good.”
“All righty, then. It’s a plan.”
He turned away as she grabbed a brush and got to work on Loco’s sweat-salted coat. But although he should’ve felt good about how they’d gotten out of that one without any
He waited.
No agenda. Just watching the grass grow
. He knew better than to let his mind latch on to all the stuff he needed to get done today. Animals could smell that kind of pressure, and invariably chose the worst possible moment to misbehave or hurt themselves. And kids—at least according to his sister—had the same radar. Better, even.
After a long-feeling while, Lizzie nodded.
“Cool.” Not making a big deal out of it, he glanced over at Shelby. “You ready to hop off and let Loco head back out to the corral with his friends?”
“Sounds like a plan,” she said, and if she seemed a little toned down, he figured she was tired, or wilted from working in the sun for a solid hour on the first really warm day of the summer.
Lizzie trailed them from a distance and plonked back down on the bench with her reader. Foster would’ve liked it if she had come in with them, but he didn’t push it. Pleased enough with the day’s progress, he was whistling as he came into the barn, where Shelby already had Loco on the cross ties. He came up beside her as she struggled with the cinch.
Instead of helping her—she’d learn faster figuring it out on her own—he hitched his thumbs in his pockets and said, “I thought that went well.”
She whirled on him, her expression fierce. “Next time,
talk
to me first before you make a decision like that about my daughter.” She wasn’t loud, but her whisper packed as much of a punch as the finger she drilled into his chest.
Uh-oh. Angry mama bear alert. He backpedaled. “Wait a sec. I didn’t mean—”
“I don’t have any doubt that your intentions were good, but that’s not the point. The point is that she’s my kid. I know her—and her condition—better than you ever could.”
“But I—”
“Should’ve asked me first whether I want to ride during the week.” She took a furious breath. “Not to mention that—”
He did the only thing he could think of: he put a hand over her mouth and said firmly, “My turn.” His body was already jangling, and it just got worse when he touched her, but what mattered was that she was right. “I get it. I’m the boss of the barn, and I’m not real used to running my decisions past anyone. But I overstepped just now, and I’m sorry.”
She stepped back, away from his touch, eyes suddenly wary. But she didn’t launch any more salvos. Instead, she took a deep breath and looked down, concentrating as she swiped her hands on her jeans, completely oblivious of the smudge of dirt on her cheek.
It was an extremely cute smudge, he couldn’t help noticing.
Finally, she sighed and looked back up at him. “Okay, then. Thanks for understanding. And . . . well, maybe I’m overreacting. Probably. Sorry about that.”
“No problem. Comes with the territory, I expect.”
“You can say that again.”
“Want to make it up to me?”
Her eyes narrowed. “How so?”
“Nothing funny, so you can stop giving me that look.” It made him grin, though, and wonder whether maybe she wasn’t as immune to him as he’d been thinking. “I’m serious about wanting you to ride Loco for me during the week. He likes you, he could use the work, and it’d be something you and Lizzie could do together, especially if you ask her to watch your back. I’m not a parent, and I don’t play one on TV, but it seems to me that the sense of responsibility might do her good, help her get more involved with the horses, give her some power. You know the drill.”
She hesitated, then slowly nodded. “Yeah. Sure. That sounds good.”
“All righty, then. It’s a plan.”
He turned away as she grabbed a brush and got to work on Loco’s sweat-salted coat. But although he should’ve felt good about how they’d gotten out of that one without any
Similar Books
