Briar stood there, and Tarr watched as every mask she’d ever worn stitched itself back into place. He could practically hear the bricks falling as she rebuilt the walls around her.
“I’m real sorry about your accident,” Rosie said next. “I haven’t seen anything about you online in so long.”
Dreadful silence filled the arena, and Rosie finally seemed to clue in that she’d said or done something to cause it.
Tarr stared at Briar, trying to put all the pieces of her together. His chest pinched that he had to find out that she was a stunt rider and trick performer—and that was how she had gotten injured and left the rodeo scene—from someone who was a perfect stranger to both of them, though they knew Rosie by name through Tuck.
Cole moved to Rosie’s side. “You’ll have to excuse my sister. She gets really excited about other female legends in the rodeo.”
“I’m not a female legend,” Briar said curtly.
Tarr quickly moved to her side, wanting to touch her, but the electric energy she put off told him he’d better not.
“Briar is retired from that life,” he said as softly and kindly as he could. “She’s an amazing vet tech here at Deerfield, and she’s going to take great care of your horses.” He looked over to her. “Ashton’s unloading them now, sweetheart.”
Her eyes met his, and he almost fell back from the coldness she harbored there. She softened slightly and said, “I’ll go take care of them.” She nodded at Rosie, Cole, and Rachel. “It was great to meet you.” Then she turned on her heel and marched away.
Rosie stared after her, and Tarr wished he could fix the situation for both of them. “She’s just really private,” he said.
“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Rosie said, turning her attention to Tarr. “Have you seen her ride? She’s absolutelyincredible. They said she wouldn’t walk again, and I haven’t really read or seen anything about her in years. I didn’t mean to make things so awkward.”
“I told you not to be so exuberant,” Cole said. “And to let her lead. I said there would be a reason why you hadn’t heard anything, and this is it.”
“Briar’s amazing,” Tuck said. “She just gets a little….” He glanced at Tarr. “Well, she gets a little nervous meeting strangers, that’s all. I didn’t even know she was a stunt rider.”
Tarr’s gaze flew to his. “Youdidn’t know she was a stunt rider?”
“She’s only the best one who’sever lived,” Rosie said.
Tuck shook his head. “We didn’t know.”
“Like I said, she’s a really private person.” Tarr really wished that didn’t hurt so much, and that if there was anyone Briar trusted enough to tell about her former career, it would have been him. But she hadn’t, and Tarr watched as she disappearedthrough the far door that led into the stables attached to the arena.
“It’s fine,” Bobbie Jo said brightly. “I’m sure we’ll all hear more about it tonight at dinner.”
Tarr’s gaze flew to hers, his stomach now rioting. Dinner at the mansion. He’d forgotten that he and Briar and Ashton were joining everyone there tonight, and he started praying that he could actually get Briar out of the cabin and over to the mansion for that meal, because after that altercation…he didn’t believe for one minute she would agree to go.
twelve
Briar had no clue how to get her pulse to stop throwing itself against every rib in her body. She stepped into the role of helping Ashton get horses out of the trailer, noticing that one of them seemed to have a little bit of gimp in his back foot.
They wore name tags, of course, because someone as polished and professional as Rosie Young wouldn’t simply put her horses in a trailer for anyone to unload without knowing their names. Briar recognized all of the signs of someone who rode the rodeo circuit, and it only made the frown in her soul deepen.
She reached the deep brown animal and ran her hands down both sides of the horse’s neck, using the equine’s calm energy to bring her heart rate back to normal.
Briar had to be at least five years older than Rosie—maybe ten—and she hated the fact that the young woman had seen her ride and said so much about it in front of everyone else. At the same time, she understood looking people up online, because she did it for everyone she might encounter, including Rosie Young. She’d watched the young woman ride plenty of times since she’d signed a contract with Tuck.
But she wasn’t used to people knowinghername or watchingher.
It felt oddly invasive, though she’d literally looked up both Cole and Rosie last night, as well as their daddy, Jem. Cole and Rachel weren’t supposed to come with Rosie on this trip, but when Tarr had found out that they would be there, he’d texted Briar to let her know.
She moved the beautiful gelding over to the indoor walking circle, going as slow as the horse wanted and causing him to nose up against her back. She didn’t mind the horse trying to bully her, because Briar had grown up around horses and loved them with her whole soul.
She attached the animal to the line and said, “Go on now,” in probably the kindest voice she’d used in weeks.
She moved to the edge of the fence as the horse started to walk. She looked back and forth between the two new additions to their barn, as Ashton had gotten the first horse on a walking line too. Rosie’s horses both seemed glad to be out of the trailer, and as Briar watched, the one with the slight limp evened out its gait.
Her thoughts turned to Tarr then, though she would need to give these horses a complete check-over once they’d had a little bit of exercise. He’d come right to her side and defended her, and while part of her appreciated that, another part sent out sparks of irritation that he couldn’t just mind his own business.
