Chapter 5
Evening was fallingas Dan checked the saddle cinch on Peanut, probably the tamest gelding on the Triple H. He'd already saddled Tad and AC, and they stood inside the corral next to thebarn.
Their tails swished. Reading his nervousanticipation?
He'd showered while he'd waited, but he’d already sweated through his clean shirt in the humid afternoonair.
Hewaited.
Was always waiting. To get out. To be free. Reallyfree.
Nate had kept a close watch on Dan all week. He’d been prevented from doing his part to load a bunch of steers for sale and hadn't been allowed to help with inoculating the heifers the ranch was keeping. He’d basically been sitting on his hands all week, grooming horses. There was only so much of that to bedone.
The itch to gamble was worse thanever.
Or maybe the itch felt like fire because he was going to see the doctoragain.
He wanted to see her. Even though heshouldn't.
Even the kids, Brady with the chip on his shoulder and the little girl, Julianne, who was as cute as a babybunny.
He shouldn't want to see them. He knew he was only setting himself for disappointment, knew that someone like her would never get involved with someone with hispast.
But none of that stopped him from watching the drive with eagleeyes.
And there they were, the Subaru throwing up a trail of dust behind it as it came up thedrive.
The doctor parked halfway between the house and barn and almost before the tires had stopped spinning, both back doors popped open and the kids jumped out. The little girl let out a wild war-whoop.
He grabbed the riding helmets he'd dug out of the barn tack room and met them near the car, holding his free handup.
The kids skidded to a stop, their boots creating small puffs ofdust.
"Hi, Dan!" Juliannechirped.
Brady jerked hischin.
"Hi,guys."
Dan waited for the doctor to join them. She wore jeans that were so stiff, they looked like the could stand up by themselves. Must be brandnew.
"I was going to stop by the ranch house, but I didn't see any trucks outside. How's Kelsey? Do youknow?"
"Last I heard, she'd seen her regular doc and the baby was fine. She's still on bedrest."
He'd been immeasurably relieved when Matt had shared thenews.
"You ready to do this?" heasked.
The doc's smilefaded.
He might've balked when Nate had given him orders for this, but he wouldn't do the job halfway. And step one was to help allay her fears. He couldn't forget how she'd cringed at therodeo.
"Before we introduce ourselves to the horses, let'stalk."
"Good,” the doc said. “Rules."
Julianne looked at him wide-eyed.
