Roxann Delaney - The Cowboy Meets His Match

She nodded, shifting from one foot to the other. “The boys talked me into coming home more often, and here I am.”

He knew she meant her brothers. The Walkers had always been a close family. “How long do you plan to stay?”

“I haven’t decided.”

It was his turn to nod, and he thought hard about what he could say next that would keep her there long enough for him to repeat his job offer. She might turn it down again, but if he could calm her nerves first, she just might consider it.

Then he remembered what Luke had said about her horse. “What happened to Firewind?”

She lowered her head. “He had to be put down.”

Jake felt a heaviness in his chest. He could only imagine what that had done to her. She’d loved that horse. The two of them had won events across the country. He still remembered the day she’d gotten him for her fourteenth birthday.

“I’m sorry, Erin. I know how much he meant to you. Was he sick?”

Without looking up, she shook her head. “Just old. Tired and worn out. Putting him down was the kindest and best thing to do for him.”

Every cell in his body urged him to take the few steps needed to pull her into his arms and comfort her. But he knew it would be wrong. Instead, he simply said, “It’s a hard thing to do.”

Slowly lifting her head, she met his gaze. “I’ve been training another horse. It’s slow going, though.” She breathed a tired sigh. “We haven’t connected the way Firewind and I did.”

“It can take time. Do you miss him?”

A sad smile lifted one corner of her mouth. “Every day.”

She’d relaxed some, but he wasn’t quite ready to bring up the job yet. “You always had a good eye when it came to horses.”

Looking down again, she shrugged, as if the praise embarrassed her. “Maybe. But I must’ve misjudged with Lord MacDuff.”

Jake chuckled at the name. “Do you call him Lord or Your Grace?”

She glanced at him, wrinkling her nose. “Neither. It’s MacDuff, and His Grace is questionable.”

So she’d taken a break because her horse didn’t respond the way she needed it to. That would have made sense to him, if she had been anyone else. When it came to animals, Erin had a gift that few people possessed. Sollie had obviously taken to her immediately, and he wasn’t always that way with strangers. Horses, though, had always been her specialty. Maybe she’d misjudged this new horse because she’d been mourning Firewind, and that had brought on a lack of belief in herself.

Would working with other horses help? He was willing to let her try...if she was. “Have you worked with other horses?”

She tilted her head to one side. “Since Firewind?” she asked, and he nodded. “Some.”

“How did it go?”

“Good.”

Hope sank its hooks into him, and he had to hold back a smile. “No problems? They responded to you well?”

“Yes, very well, in fact.”

“Maybe working with a few more horses would give you some distance and then working with MacDuff would go better.” He waited, watching her press her lips together.

“I suppose it could,” she finally said. “But—”

“I have plenty of horses here you could work with. In fact, the ranch needs someone like you.” He’d made sure he hadn’t said that he needed her. “With your talent...”

He knew the instant she realized what he was doing and was certain he’d blown his chance.

She tugged at her ear as if weighing the pros and cons of working for him, then looked him square in the eye. “You pay pretty well, right?”

He searched for the right words, knowing he couldn’t push. “No one’s complained.”

“Cutting horses and roping?”

His heart beat faster. This might work, after all. “Yeah.”

“You’re offering me a job. Again.”

Hoping he didn’t sound desperate, he answered, “I am.”

Seconds that seemed like hours ticked by as a range of emotions moved across her face. Indecision, apprehension and then capitulation. “All right,” she said. “I’ll take it.”

He looked down, fighting a smile of victory. When he had it under control, he looked up. “You’re sure?”

She locked her gaze with his, determination turning her blue-green eyes darker. “I’m sure.”

Nodding, he allowed a small smile. “Welcome to the team, then. When can you start?”

“Whenever you want me.”

His imagination ran wild, but he kept a straight face. “Is that so?”

She seemed to be fighting a snappy comeback and then sobered. “There’s just one thing.”

“What’s that?” he asked, shoving lusty images from his mind.

“Treat me the same as you do the other wranglers.”

This time, he didn’t try to hide his smile. “You mean we shouldn’t be intimate friends?”

She drew herself up and looked him in the eye. “Don’t start, Jake, or I’m gone.”

Ready to agree to just about anything, he dipped his head in a quick nod. “Whatever you say.”

After telling Sollie goodbye, while pointedly avoiding making eye contact with Jake, she turned for home.

“Monday morning, eight o’clock,” he called to her. “And don’t be late.”

She waved a hand without looking back and kept going.

He watched her, hardly believing she’d accepted. He’d won. But how long would his victory last? Only time would tell, and he had plenty of that.

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