Her Cowboy's Christmas Wish

“You miss the old days?”

No one had ever asked Ethan that. He took a moment to consider before answering. “I do sometimes. I miss the people, especially. My mom and sister.” He glanced briefly at Caitlin. If she was aware of his unspoken inclusion of her, she didn’t show it. “But all things considered, I can’t complain.”

“Me, either,” Justin said, without the slightest trace of bitterness.

Ethan’s respect for him grew by leaps and bounds. If Justin felt self-pity at losing the use of his legs, he certainly didn’t wallow in it.

“You in a hurry to leave?” Justin maneuvered his wheelchair so that he faced Caitlin. “I was hoping Ethan could show us the mustang.”

“I can’t be late for work.”

Justin checked his watch. “I thought you didn’t have to be at the clinic until two.”

“I like to arrive a little early.”

She sounded eager to go.

Ethan wanted the chance to explain his real reason for enlisting and leaving her, and was determined to find the opportunity. “It won’t take long. Prince’s stall is just behind the barn.”

Justin started wheeling in that direction. Ethan followed, as did Caitlin, her gait stiff and her steps slow.

If she so obviously didn’t want to be with him, why had she come along?

“I have to warn you,” he told Justin, “the way there’s bumpy.”

“Can’t be any worse than hiking Squaw Peak.”

“You’ve done that?”

“Five times. Four of them in my chair.” Justin beamed, his geeky smile reminding Ethan of the undersize, asthmatic kid he’d known when he and Caitlin were dating.

The smile, however, was the only thing about him that was the same. Justin had acquired some serious muscle on his upper body.

“Why do you keep him so far from the other horses?” he asked, guiding his wheelchair down the rocky slope to Prince’s pen like a pro.

“He’s too wild and unpredictable.” Ethan kept his eyes trained on the ground, watching out for potholes and rocks. What would cause another person to merely stumble could send him sprawling. “And being near the mares tends to…excite him, shall we say. Better he’s off by himself.”

Where to house Prince had been an issue when they’d captured him last month. Clay solved the problem by erecting a temporary covered pen near the back pasture.

“I’ve been wanting to see Prince ever since I watched your brother on the news.”

Ethan chuckled. “You caught that, huh?”

“Are you kidding? He was all over the TV.”

The media had gotten wind of Prince’s capture; a horse living wild in a ninety-thousand-acre urban preserve was big news. Several local stations had dispatched reporters to interview Gavin. The attention had resulted in a slew of new customers, giving the Powells’ dire finances a much-needed boost.

“Watch yourself,” Ethan cautioned as they drew near. “Prince is wary of strangers. He still doesn’t like me and Gavin that much.”

Justin showed no fear and wheeled close. Caitlin reached for his wheelchair as if she wanted to pull him back. After a second, she let her hand drop, though it remained clenched in a fist.

Was it only Justin’s fall that had made her overprotective?

As they watched Prince, the stallion raised his head and stared at them. Then, tossing his jet-black mane, he trotted from one end of the pen to the other, commanding their attention.

And he got it. Ethan couldn’t wait to see the colts this magnificent horse produced.

“He’s bigger than he looked on TV.”

Ethan kept a careful eye on Justin, ready to run interference if he ventured too close to the pen. Caitlin, on the other hand, seemed content to observe from a safe distance.

“Have you ridden him yet?” It was the first she’d spoken since Justin joined them outside the barn.

“No. He’s only halter broke, and barely that.”

“But you are going to break him?” Justin asked.

“Oh, yeah. My goal is by Christmas.”

“That doesn’t give you much time.”

“You’re right. He and I are going to have to come to a new agreement soon about who’s boss.”

Prince pawed the ground impatiently, as if daring Ethan to try.

Justin grinned sheepishly. “Don’t suppose there’s a horse in that stable of yours I could ride.”

“Anytime you want, buddy.” Ethan immediately thought of old Chico. If he was trustworthy enough for a six-year-old, he’d do fine for Justin. “Give me a call. I’ll take you on a trail ride.”

Beside him, Caitlin visibly stiffened. “Justin, are you sure about that? You’ve never had an interest in riding horses before.”

“I never played sports before, either.” He slapped the arm of his wheelchair. “Turns out I’m pretty good.”

“What do you like?” Ethan asked.

“Basketball. Baseball. Swimming. I’m considering taking up track and field.”

“I’m impressed.”

“Well, I couldn’t do any of it without Caitlin’s help. She’s amazing.”

Did Caitlin pay for her brother’s athletic expenses? Ethan wondered. That would explain the three jobs and why she worked fifty to sixty hours a week.

“You’ll do fine at riding, then,” he assured him.

Caitlin removed her cell phone from her sweatshirt pocket and checked the display. “It’s getting late.”

After a last look at Prince, the three of them returned to the stables, Justin chatting enthusiastically about riding and Caitlin stubbornly silent.