Elle James - Protecting the Colton Bride

Jack frowned. “Run into trouble?”

A grin split Brett’s face. “Or creating some of your own?”

Daniel glared at Brett.

As soon as they reached the barn, Megan slid off the horse’s rump, her cheeks bright pink. “I’ll go look for Halo,” she said, turning toward the barn to find another horse.

“Don’t worry about her. Jack and Brett can saddle up and help me go after her.”

“Fine.” Megan, her face averted, ran for the barn.

Brett’s smile disappeared. “What happened?”

“Something spooked Halo.”

His younger brother’s gaze followed Megan. “Not the horse. Megan. What happened with Megan?” He faced Daniel.

Heat suffused Daniel’s cheeks and spread all the way out to his ears. “When the horse bolted with Megan, I pulled her off. She rode back with me. That’s all.” He narrowed his eyes, willing his brothers to stop with the inquisition about Megan. “What did you think happened?”

Brett’s mouth twisted. “I don’t know, but Megan just ran off like a scalded cat.”

Daniel blew out a breath. “The point is, Halo spooked and nearly hurt Megan.”

Jack’s brows drew together. “That’s not like her. Halo’s one of our gentlest mares.”

“I know. All the more reason to bring her back and find out what’s wrong with her.” Daniel looked from Jack to Brett. “Are you coming or not?”

Brett spun and trotted toward the barn. “It’ll just take us a minute to saddle up.”

Daniel dismounted and led Rider to the watering trough, watching through his peripheral vision for Megan to emerge from the barn.

By the time his brothers had captured and saddled their horses, Megan still hadn’t come out of the barn. Daniel knew it had been a mistake to kiss her. Now she was too embarrassed to come out while he was still around. She was the best assistant he’d had. Okay, so she was the only assistant he’d had. Now that his breeding program was doing well, he needed all the help he could get.

Megan was smart, computer savvy and great with the horses. He hoped she didn’t quit because of one little kiss. One completely soul-defining, world-shattering kiss.

Daniel groaned.

“Got a bellyache?” Brett asked, leading his bay gelding out of the barn, followed by Jack.

“No, just thinking.”

Jack swung up on his horse, carrying a lasso in his right hand and reining with the left. “Thinking these designer horses aren’t the way to go after all?”

“No, not at all.” Daniel had put a lot of thought, planning, research and sweat into the horse-breeding program, and it was just beginning to pay off. He wasn’t giving up now.

“I told you, Jack,” Brett said. “With Daniel’s eye for excellent breeding stock and Megan’s record-keeping capabilities, we’re finally starting to take off. It won’t be long before the Lucky C becomes a household name in progressive horse-breeding programs.”

Daniel’s chest swelled. “I’m determined to continue that progressive trend. Has Big J considered my proposal to purchase semen from the Kennedy Farms?”

“He’s thinking about it. You already know how I feel,” Jack said. “The Lucky C is a cattle ranch. We’ve always run cattle. The horses should be secondary, for running the cattle, not breeding.”

Daniel respected his older brother’s ability to manage a ranch the size of the Lucky C and his love and determination to protect his family. But the man was pragmatic and often slow to change. In order to let loose of the funding to purchase the semen needed to move their program forward, Daniel would have to convince both his father and his older brother it would be worth the investment.

“Come on, Jack,” Brett said, nudging his horse to catch up with Jack’s. “Daniel’s already got other breeders looking at the Lucky C lines. He knows what he’s doing, and it doesn’t hurt to diversify our holdings.”

“Yeah, well, we don’t even know if the Kennedys will sell to us.” Jack shot a glance at Daniel. “What’s the latest?”

“They are all about the pedigree,” Daniel said. “They hand-select the programs they want to contribute to.”

“You have some of the best horses in the country,” Brett noted. “Why wouldn’t they want to add to your lines?”

Daniel snorted. “Their pedigree requirement extends to family and heritage.”

“So? The Coltons are full of family and heritage. You think they might not sell to us because of family?” Jack’s brows dipped. “I’ll bet the Lucky C Ranch has been in the Colton family as long if not longer than the Kennedys have owned their ranch.”

“Yeah, but I’m the one running the horse-breeding program here. I’m the main contact,” Daniel reminded him.

“And?”

“Well, I’m not exactly a blue blood or a purebred.”

Jack reined his horse to a stop. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Yeah, what are you saying?” Brett reiterated. “You’re just as much a Colton as the rest of us.”

“I’m the bastard,” Daniel said, his tone flat.

“That’s not how we see it,” Brett said.

Jack, Brett, Ryan and Greta had always treated him as one of the family, even though Daniel’s stepmother had resented the fact that Big J brought him to live with them when his own mother had died.

Abra hated Daniel. She hated that Big J had an affair with the nanny when Abra had been halfway around the world on another one of her trips. The woman couldn’t stand to be around her own kids. They made her nervous.

Daniel’s mother, full-blood Cherokee, had left the Lucky C when she discovered she was pregnant with Big J’s child. She’d returned to the reservation, where she’d instilled in Daniel pride in his Cherokee heritage and the love of horses.

“You’re as much a Colton as the rest of us,” Jack said.

Brett snarled. “If anyone says differently, they can take it up with all of us.”

“Not everyone sees things the way you, Ryan and Greta do,” Daniel assured them. But his heart warmed at the conviction in his brothers’ tones.

When he’d come to live with them at only ten years old, he’d thought he’d be miserable, losing the mother he loved and moving in with a father he barely knew. He figured on staying until he was old enough to leave home.

And here he was twenty years later. He no longer lived at the big house, having moved out when he finished college. Now he lived in the cozy two-bedroom cabin close to the breeding barn. It was small but enough for a bachelor and away from his stepmother.

“There she is,” Jack called out, pulling Daniel back to the task at hand.

Halo stood in the middle of the pasture, pawing at the ground.

As they neared, she reared and whinnied.

Rider answered, sidestepping nervously.

“She’s all wound up,” Brett muttered. “Did she get hold of some bad feed?”

“No telling. But whatever is bothering her isn’t normal.” Daniel nudged Rider forward.

“Let’s go get her.” Jack lifted his lasso and urged his mount forward.

Daniel rode up to the mare. With only twenty yards between them, the mare bolted and ran. Rider quickly caught up to her on one side. Jack’s horse swung to the opposite side as he tossed the lasso, his aim true. The rope circled the mare’s neck.

Jack tied off on the saddle horn and slowed his horse by pulling on the reins.

Halo pulled against the rope around her neck, tossing her head, dancing sideways to avoid Jack. Daniel was on the other side. He reached over and grabbed her reins.

Between Jack and Daniel, they slowed the mare to a halt. Her chest heaved, her sleek cream-colored coat was slick with sweat and her eyes rolled, showing the crazed whites.

“Need a hand there?” Brett called out, riding nearby in case the horse broke free.