To Tempt a Cowgirl

Gabe followed her across the driveway to the corrals attached to one side of the barn. Once there she pulled a small flashlight from her pocket and snapped it on, sweeping the light through the enclosure not once, but twice, as if she could possibly miss something as large as a horse. The corral was most definitely empty.

“How did she get out?” Gabe asked.

Dani shook her head as she reached out to rattle the closed gate. The latch held firm. “I don’t know, but I have to find her before someone hits her.” She hurried back across the drive, head down against the wind.

“Where’s your car?” she asked.

“It’s in the ditch.”

Dani stopped. “Is it damaged?” she asked on a startled note.

“I don’t know.”

“We can use the tractor to pull it out just as soon as I find the mare.”

“I’ll get a tow truck.”

“I can’t afford a tow truck. I’m on a tight budget,” she said as she once again made a beeline to the house. Gabe had to trot to keep up with her.

“I’ll pay for it.”

“Why would you do that when I can just pull you out?”

Gabe shook his head, then followed. Where he came from, women didn’t pull cars out of ditches with tractors. Nor did guys. They called tow trucks, as he was going to do.

“Which way did she run?”

“I was kind of busy hitting the ditch after she charged me, so I’m not certain.”

“Think, please.” She stopped again, tilting her chin to look up at him impatiently.

Gabe reminded himself that he was here for diplomatic reasons and couldn’t afford to lose his temper any more than he already had. “I think...she went toward my place.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

Gabe didn’t question the “let’s.” He simply fell into step and then when she jerked her head to the passenger side of the ugliest truck he’d ever seen, he wrenched open the door and got inside. A cloud of dust rose from the seat cover as he sat, then he shifted on the seat to move the deadly-looking piece of curved metal digging into his thigh.

“Hay hook. Just toss it on the floor.”

Dani put the truck in gear and it jerked forward, groaning as she shifted it into a higher gear. She swung the wheel hard, turning the truck in a tight U and Gabe bounced sideways in his seat, dust rising once again. “Damn, I hope she went your way.”

So did he. He wanted Danica to recapture her horse and he wanted his freaking car out of the ditch. If he hadn’t left his phone in the car, he’d be seeing about it right now.

* * *

THIS WAS A NIGHTMARE, plain and simple. She’d just gotten Lacy back and now she was gone again. More than that, if the mare hadn’t gone to Gabe’s place, she was a menace to traffic. She could easily lose her horse and get sued in one fell swoop.

“We’ll find her,” Gabe said from beside her, keying in on her thoughts. It’d be pretty hard not to know what she was thinking, hunched over the steering wheel like a crazed woman.

She turned down the drive to the castle, slowing as they passed his car, which was a good five feet off the road. It looked very expensive—the kind that needed parts special-ordered—but she wasn’t going to worry about that now.

“I see tracks,” Gabe said, pointing at the road.

Sure enough, there were U-shaped divots that the horse had brought up out of the road as she’d cantered toward his place. Great. Now all she had to do was hope that the mare was still at his place and hadn’t taken off cross-country.

“This horse means a lot to you,” Gabe commented.

“She was my 4-H project. I raised her, trained her with my dad’s help, won a lot of money on her, then sold her to help pay for college. All part of the plan I’d made with my dad before he died. The ass-hat that bought her abused her with big bits and spurs.”

“That stinks.”

“It hurt. Lacy trusted me. She was a fantastic roping horse. Before...” Dani spoke without looking at Gabe, then slowed the truck to a stop and got out. Gabe followed and as soon as the truck door banged shut, they stood together in the darkness, looking, listening.

“There she is.”

Dani turned in the direction Gabe was pointing and saw the pale outline of the mare standing in the shadows behind the large stone, cedar and glass house. “Stay here,” she said. “Block the gate if she tries to leave.”

“Sure thing,” Gabe said.

“Easy, baby,” Danica said, slowly approaching the shaking horse. Lacy snorted and stomped a foot. Dani stopped instantly and took a step back. The horse rolled her eyes, but stayed put.

“Easy,” she cooed as she slowly approached the horse, stopping and taking a half step back whenever the mare looked as if she was going to bolt. Finally she reached out and rubbed the mare’s lower neck, then slipped the rope around it. As soon as the rope touched her, the mare stilled.

Dani bit her lip and eased the halter over the mare’s nose. Lacy’s head jerked up but Dani held tight to the rope, tried again once her nose came down and this time managed to fasten the halter. Her shoulders sagged with relief and she sent Gabe a weary look that she doubted he saw through the darkness.

“Well done,” he said.

“Yeah.” She continued to stroke the mare’s neck, crooning at her under her breath. “You don’t have a lot of light around here,” she commented, wanting to check the mare for injuries.

“Apparently the yard lights are all dead. I’ll have to see about getting the bulbs replaced. I’ve only been here a couple of nights and haven’t had time to call a service guy about it.”

“Service guy?”

“I don’t seem to have a ladder that tall,” he said.

“I’ll lend you one,” she said, patting the mare soothingly. “And we’ll see about getting your car back on the road.”

“I’ll get a tow truck.” He seemed to mean it.

“Suit yourself,” she said.

“Nothing personal. It’s just that my insurance will cover a tow. It probably won’t cover you ripping my rear axle off with a tractor.”

Dani didn’t know whether to laugh or be insulted. Regardless, she was responsible for whatever happed with his vehicle and told him so.

“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now we need to focus on getting the horse home. Do you want me to help you get your trailer?”

She shook her head. “I’ll just lead her home.”