Second Chances (3 page)

He
couldn’t turn his back on either of them any more than he could build rain
clouds and order a soaking shower.

“She’s
home now. I can’t make any promises, but I’ll give her my best shot.”

A smile
spread on April’s face. “Thank you.”

April
breathed a sigh of relief at Dusty’s words. In all honesty, she wasn’t sure
he’d be accommodating to her pick of horses. While Mischief might be a handful
in his own right, Miracle would take hours of patient work in order to bolster
her confidence in the human race. Even then, the outcome teetered in the
balance.

She’d
asked around and researched nearby stables over the past few weeks. One name
kept coming up. Dusty Delaney. Everything she’d found lavished praise on the
man and his way with the large beasts. With just a bit over a mile separating
her rental house from his property, she felt the stars lined up too perfectly
to be a coincidence. After meeting the man, she found him intriguing and tough,
yet he had to have a softer side when horses were involved. She’d just seen the
first glimpse.

She’d
watched his face when Miracle flagrantly warned him off and again when he
opened her file. The tightening of his lips as he looked at the pictures and
sharp intake of breath told her he’d been just as affected by the cruel abuse
and neglect as she. His mood remained unchanged in dealing with Miracle’s
threat, calmness and a soothing tone emerged. Both instances had impressed her,
and her confidence in the man soared.

Out of
the corner of her eye, she studied him. Tall and built came to mind. Short
black hair topped his head while chocolate brown eyes sparked with sharpness
and intelligence. A dimpled chin promised stubbornness while his dark five
o’clock shadow added a certain down to earth roughness. He carried himself with
self-assurance and appeared totally comfortable with his body and abilities.
Each motion could be called graceful and easy, as if he expended little energy
to accomplish each task, reminding her of a jungle cat, smooth yet predatory. A
sturdy frame carried plenty of muscles, judging by the ripped arms displayed by
the short sleeved shirt and the jeans outlining a rear she’d love to squeeze.
In all honesty, the man was gorgeous.

I wonder what he tastes like.
Watching his face, she idly
pondered what the stubble on his face would feel like against her skin.
Abrasive in a sensual way or magically stimulating as he rubbed his cheeks against
her inner thighs, well on his way to exploring her secret parts.

She
blinked at the thought, completely unlike her. She’d pretty much given up on
men after three disastrous short term dating relationships. The first boyfriend
used her as a fill in until he found someone he desired more. April thought she
loved the man, threw herself into making him happy, and found herself alone
when he caught another woman, this one prettier, fancier, and obviously a ton
more experienced.

The
second fell into the category of arrogant and egotistical. He seemed charming
enough until she spent more time with him and learned he viewed the world as it
revolved around him. Everything was his, about him, and pertained to him. He
cared little for anyone else and put women down more times than not. His
outdated male chauvinist view on a woman’s place in life left her offended and
angry.

Just
when she regained the courage to date once more, she stumbled across a devil in
disguise. He might have been in the same English class in college, but they
truly were worlds apart otherwise. What started out as a promising relationship
soon turned downright ugly. Smiles and laughter gradually transformed into
harsh criticism and yelling. One night he slapped her. That marked the end of
the road for that particular man and for her interest in dating. After the last
debacle, she threw her arms up in surrender and focused on her own life. If she
ended up a spinster, so be it. Better than a life saddled to a dipstick,
especially one who specialized in domestic violence.

Giving
up on the dream of finding a life partner, April threw herself into work and
her dream of horse ownership after becoming a nurse. Who needed a man when she
could provide for herself and live out her own life?

Maybe
that’s why she’d gravitated to Miracle. They had both suffered at the hands of
men and carried deeply embedded scars as a result.

“I
don’t know how to thank you,” she whispered the words, as she watched Mischief
try to groom Miracle. Due to his short stature, he only managed to nibble on
her lower shoulder. April couldn’t help but smile at the warm gesture.

“No
problem.” Dusty shrugged.

She
noted the muscles contract and nearly licked her lips. Powerful mass rippled
under his shirt, snaring her attention and stoking her recently awakened
libido.

My hormones must be in ample
supply.
What
other reason could there be for her to be suddenly not only aware of the yummy
man standing next to her but be more than interested in seeing him naked?

With a
shake of her head, she stepped away from the stall. “What time will you be
feeding them tonight and in the morning?”

He
turned toward her, leaning his back against the wood. “In about three hours for
dinner and around seven for breakfast.”

“Okay.
I can come back at those times.”

He
arched an eyebrow. “Why?”

“To
help you feed my horses. Or did you already forget Miracle thinks you’re the
next best thing to a hungry mountain lion?”

The
corners of his mouth hitched up in a slight grin. “Lady, the day I can’t
convince a horse that eating is more fun than trying to take a bite out of my
hide, it’s time to retire.”

She
found the smile as contagious as his amusing statement. For some reason, he put
her at ease. No warning bells went off in her head each time she stepped into
the stable. Even with him a foot away earlier, she felt nothing but attraction.
A novel experience for the past four years. A promising sign and a welcome
arrival. Although she didn’t have a clue how to process her interest in the
man. Lois said he didn’t care for women, yet he seemed kind enough to her.

I’ve been wrong before.
She tamped down the small
flicker of hope with reality. If he only took care of her horses like others
reported, she’d consider him a hero.

“Fair
enough.” She couldn’t keep the humor out of her voice. “Still, I want to spend
a large chunk of time with them. What time can I arrive in the morning?”

“I’m
normally up by six,” he answered flatly, his eyes raking over the area.

The dog
trotted up, his tongue hanging out as he panted. She scratched behind his ears
and let her silliness run free for a moment. “I’ll try to be around after that
time. Don’t want to rouse you from bed and find out what you actually wear in
the line of pajamas.”

He
blinked at her as if the statement surprised him. She grinned at his obvious
puzzlement. For the first time in forever, she found herself relaxing and
actually teasing a man. April reveled in the rare luxury.

With
one more pat on the dog’s head, she walked out the doors and into the near
stifling afternoon heat.

“Where
are you going?” Dusty’s voice stopped her in her tracks.

“Home.”

“In
what? There’s no car here.”

She
shrugged. “I didn’t want to keep the humane society worker waiting. Besides, I
only live about a mile away. The exercise will do me good.”

Dusty
muttered under his breath, something she couldn’t quite make out. He shook his
head and pulled keys from his jeans’ pocket as he strode over. “Come on. Ben,
stay here and watch.”

“I
don’t understand.” She tilted her head in question, noting the dog laid down in
the shade at the stable’s entrance and stared at them with keen yellow eyes.

He
paused and met her gaze. “It’s boiling out here, for one. Not to mention
there’s no sidewalk on these country roads. The way idiots fly over these
hills, they’ll smash you before you know what happened. Personally, I’d prefer
to avoid road kill. Dead clients don’t pay their stable bill.”

She
blinked at him, and then automatically followed him to the large black truck.
Granted, she didn’t know this man from Adam, but something inside locked onto
his inner goodness. Not every man would see a damsel in distress and offer to
drive her home.

The
thought comforted her as she hopped into the passenger’s seat and grinned
warmly at the man who stepped up to the plate in more ways than one. “I seem to
be thanking you a lot today.”

He
shoved the key in the ignition, started the engine, and pulled out into the
road.

Though
he remained mute, his actions spoke volumes.

Dusty
glanced up as April hopped out of her dark blue SUV and headed his direction.
He checked his watch. She’d been gone for a whole hour and a half.

A sigh
of resignation escaped his lips. Women weren’t his strong suit and why this one
caught his interest, he would never know. The last one he dated taught him a
hard lesson he hadn’t thought of testing until now. Something about the
cheerful blonde with the pretty body made him toss out past wrongs and want to
reconsider his earlier rules about dating. Unfortunately, she seemed intent to
stick to him like a burr to a horse’s tail. His plan to avoid women worked much
better when they actually stayed away. If he needed a night of thrills, he’d
drive to one of the bars famous for hot ladies searching for a man to scratch
their itch. A few hours of pumping and dumping typically fulfilled his needs
for weeks at a time. That is, until April showed up, stole his attention, and
proved a heady distraction from a casual daily routine. She already made him
question the wisdom of allowing her to hang around considering how much effect
she had on him after such a short time.

She
walked into the stable. The gentle sway of her hips drew attention to a
backside that curried attention and begged to be patted. Full lips tempted him
to seal his mouth over hers to find out if she tasted like a sweet treat, and
discover if her lips really were as soft and supple as they appeared. Modest
breasts strained against the lightweight shirt, jiggling slightly with each
step, sending a spear of desire through him as he pictured how her rosy nipples
would pebble with a bit of suckling.

Damn, SEAL. You really need to
get laid.

Irritated,
he shoved the erotic thoughts from his mind. Boarder. And certainly off limits.
Too bad his cock had other ideas and didn’t care for rational rules.

April
headed directly to the far stall containing her horses, not breaking stride to
quickly wave his direction. He lifted his chin in greeting, not pausing in his
brush strokes over the back of one of the mares. As he worked, he watched April
slide into the stall and dote on the pair, speaking softly to them, and
slipping them a carrot as a treat.

He
couldn’t help but grin. No matter what that filly had been through, she
obviously trusted and liked April. She snuffled her, lipped her hair, and
rubbed her head against the woman’s chest. Amazing considering how she acted
around him. If carrots and sugar cubes could win this pair over, he’d buy a ton
of the tasty snacks. Making a mental note to pick some up at the store later,
he changed brushes and went over the mare’s gleaming hide with a soft cloth.

His
mind turned back to the woman. Something about her snared his curiosity and
interest, no matter how many times he lectured himself on the evils of the
opposite sex. In truth, he knew little about her, but had picked up on a few
things. She didn’t wear a wedding ring, proclaiming her single. She adored her
horses and had a good heart judging by the special needs filly she couldn’t
leave behind. While not a great amount of knowledge, the facts only whetted his
desire to learn more.

The
small rental house he’d dropped her off at earlier appeared tidy and well kept.
Nothing about the small structure spoke of luxury or richness, yet he didn’t
see any disrepair, overgrown areas, or peeling paint. Either she or the owner
had to take pride in the small dwelling. Again, a positive sign about April.

Why bother? She’s just a
boarder. Nothing more, nothing less.

After
he finished with the mare, he scratched her neck, and then left the stall, his
eyes searching once more for April. Sure enough, she remained with her horses.
Grabbing up a couple of brushes, he walked over. “Here. If you’re going to be
hanging out with them, you might as well put the time to good use.”

At the
sound of his voice, Miracle spun around to face him. Her ears flipped back and
forth, but she didn’t appear nearly as anxious as before. Slowly, he handed the
items over to April, always cognizant of the filly’s body language, in
particular the carriage of her ears.

“Thanks.”
April took the larger, coarser brush in hand, and started working on Miracle.
The gray horse relaxed by increments, although she kept a wary eye on Dusty. He
appreciated April’s ability to deal with the traumatized horse.

“She’s
a beauty. Thoroughbred, right?” He kept his voice low and calming. The filly
flicked her ears, but didn’t move otherwise, obviously enjoying the rub down
way too much to bother with trying to take a chunk out of his hide.

“That’s
what the humane society said. She has a tattoo on the inside of her lip, but
they weren’t able to make out the numbers.” April stepped to the other side,
nudging Mischief away for the moment. “Ladies first, buddy.” The mini rubbed
his head against her hip.

Dusty
smiled. “Never thought much about miniature horses before, but that one’s
pretty cute.”

April
shot him a grin. “I thought so. The director said he’s a total ham.”

“Makes
sense. Looks like I need to invest in some sugar cubes.” He watched April make
sweeping strokes over the filly’s back and envisioned her doing the same to
him. Minus the brush, of course. A bite of need flared.

“The
humane society trainer recommended them. She’s all about rewards, especially
for the horses they see. I didn’t meet her, but that’s what Lois told me. So
far, it’s worked for the trailer business.”

She
grasped a hoof pick from her back pocket, grabbed Miracle’s foot, and leaned
into her side. “Let me have your hoof, Miracle.”

Dusty
held his breath the moment April asked and the filly didn’t respond. In such a
vulnerable position, April could have been knocked down, bit, or kicked. He
prepared to dash in if things went to hell in a handbasket.

After a
moment of pause, the filly shifted her weight and allowed April to lift her
foot and clean. Each foot followed in turn. When finished, April stood up and
pushed a few stray hairs out of her face. “Cloth please?”

He
handed one over, relieved she completed the riskiest part of grooming without a
hitch. “For a second, I didn’t think she’d allow you to do her feet.”

April
started wiping gently on the filly’s face. “She’s hesitant. I guess the farrier
was an issue at the farm since they only had a man for the job. They managed
with the trainer and a couple of the female staff surrounding her and helping
to hold her feet.” She glanced over the horse’s back. “I’ll make a point to be
here when your farrier comes. Surely, we can figure out some way to keep her
calm and cooperative.”

He
nodded briefly. Luckily they had a few weeks before having to cross that
particular bridge because right now he wasn’t about to stress the filly out by
forcing a shoe change on the first couple of days at her new home, with people
she didn’t know. Hell, the task would be difficult enough after weeks of
settling her in.

Finished
with the filly, April grabbed up the brush and started working on Mischief. The
little gelding lowered his head, sighed, and turned into a puddle of mush under
her care.

Dusty
shook his head. Mischief’s rescuers were right. He was a ham, a dramatic one at
that. With a brief grin, he grabbed up a couple of lead ropes, headed out of
the stable, and made his way to the field to start bringing in horses for
dinner time.

After a
long while, April finished doting on her new pets. She trailed her fingers over
each muzzle once more before slipping from the oversized stall.

Her
gaze found his. “Thank you again for taking them in.”

“No
problem.” He used the curry comb over Autumn’s back. She’d been rolling in the
field, somehow ending up with a bunch of dried mud in her coat. More than
likely, she’d found a wet spot near the water tank and decided on a cool roll
in the resulting damp dirt. He couldn’t blame her, considering the blazing
temperatures outside. He would consider the same if a shower or creek wasn’t
readily available.

The bay
mare was his best broodmare and thus far produced fine foals with Rule as a
sire. His pride and joy, he pampered her and her offspring as a parent cared
for their child. The matching foal with a star on her forehead nipped at his
jeans. He tugged lightly on her short forelock, unwilling to dissuade the little
filly from her playful interaction. Her mother sighed contentedly and shifted
her weight to cock one foot in a pose of blatant horse-like relaxation.

Totally
in his element, he nearly forgot he had a visitor until April walked across his
line of vision only to plop down on a bale of straw as if she had all night to
do nothing more than kick back and watch him work. Come to think of it, she
probably did.

“How
will you get Miracle to trust you?” The quiet voice carried easily to him
across the expansive room.

“Same
as the trainers at the humane society. Rewards, praise, patience, and food.” He
tucked the handle of the curry comb in his back pocket and picked up a softer
brush he’d left waiting on top of the thick stall door. With practiced ease, he
stroked the bristles over the mare’s hide, ridding the dark hairs of the last
of the mud, leaving her coat shiny and clean.

“Have
you worked with special needs animals before?” She tucked a leg under her and
watched him with banked interest.

He
couldn’t decide what about him she tried to figure out, but her intense look
left no doubt he’d snared her curiosity. Dusty considered her question as he
walked around the big boned mare and started on her other side. “I’ve handled
my fair share of difficult horses, had success with them all. But, I’ll be
honest, I’ve never worked with one as traumatized as your filly.”

She
sighed loudly and lowered her chin. “Lois spoke highly of you and your
abilities. Even one of the trainers readily agreed you could do wonders.”

The
hope laced in her voice melted over him like tiny snowflakes in the summer sun.
April already loved that horse and put all her eggs in his basket. The unspoken
compliment propped up his ego a smidgen more. “Her previous trainer started her
out right. With more time, she’ll come around.”

“And be
calm around everyone?”

He
shook his head, then realized her focus, and turned to the horse in question.
“Highly doubtful. Most likely, she’ll pick out a few people she trusts and work
for them. Strangers will always be on her bad list.” Finished with the mare, he
used the soft brush on the three month old filly. Not that the baby really
needed grooming, but he liked to acclimate the foals to all parts of typical
daily care at an early age. The foal snorted, turned her hindquarters his
direction, then ducked her head under her mother for a drink. He grinned and
caressed the filly’s rump, even as her short tail slapped his hand on each
upswing.

Once
more his gaze found April. Concern etched across her face as she stared at the
stall containing her new pets. He’d bolster her confidence if he could, but
she’d see results all in good time.

Rule
whinnied, drawing his attention. Dusty considered what type of foals the filly
might throw when mated with his stallion. Images of speedy barrel racing horses
flashed through his mind. “Are you going to breed her?”

“No.
The humane society has a strict no breeding policy. Considering there’s already
an overpopulation problem, the last thing they want to do is add to the
abundance.”

“Understandable.”
Come to think of it, if the gray filly couldn’t be sound carrying a rider over
a pasture, the weight of pregnancy could prove just as concerning. He tossed
away the thought as fast as it had come.

Finished
with the pair, he left the stall, secured the door behind him, and then
gathered up his lead ropes. Without saying a word, he started out of the
stable.

The
crunch of tennis shoes on gravel alerted him that April followed hot on his
heels. He paused and turned, noted the lead ropes she carried, and waited for
her to catch up. “Don’t you know running shoes aren’t safe around horses? If
you’re going to hang out here, you need a pair of cowboy boots.”

“I
know. I know. I’ve just never found boots comfortable. So, I decided to make my
feet happy instead. After all, this one pair of feet has to last me the rest of
my nursing career.”

He
snorted and headed to the far pasture. “You’ll regret that decision first time
you get stepped on.” Typically the horses waited for him, eager to get inside
and to their supper. Not today. They all stood under the huge shade trees,
their tails flicking away flies.

“Been
there, done that. No biggie.” She followed him through the gate and closed the
barricade behind her.

City girl.
He cringed at the word. He’d
learned long ago there was a canyon sized difference between people raised in
the city versus those raised in the country. With vastly opposing backgrounds
and environments, he rarely came across anyone raised without dust, hayfields,
and a rooster alarm clock that he could tolerate for long periods of time.

He
surely didn’t know much about his newest boarder, but her choice of footwear
hinted strongly at a suburban lifestyle. Strike one. Dusty snorted to himself.
What did it matter? As long as she paid her monthly boarding fees, she could
come from outer space for all he cared. Just keep her out of his way and off
the potential fuck buddy docket and he could learn to put up with the pretty
blonde.