“What if he’s not for sale?” Brian crinkled up the foil that his sandwich had been wrapped in. “You thought of that?”
“I’ll be persuasive.” I looked around and saw the doc leaning on the far side of the rail.DoctorJulia Letts—my neighbor and one of Poplar Springs’s large animal vets.
“What if you’re not the only one offering? What’s your plan then?” Brian asked.
“I’ll charm Doc Letts.” Easier said than done, I knew. Since returning to the area after vet school, she’d cared for my stock, and our interactions had been professional but not particularly warm.
Brian chuckled. “Good luck with that.” He looked over at the spectators beginning to make their way to the parking lot. “I gotta get back to work. See you around.”
As Brian headed off into the crowd, I found Julia again. She was headed for the horse paddocks. This was the perfect time to intercept her. I started after her, but got waylaid by friends twice, so by the time I reached the paddock area, Julia was preparing to load Twister into a horse trailer.
She wasn’t a tall woman, meaning that the sixteen-hand stallion dwarfed her, but she showed no signs of being intimidated. I paused to take a good look at her. Her Western shirt and jeans were the same as always. The same was true of the ponytail that just barely controlled her curly brown hair, but her face was more beautiful than I remembered.
Usually when I saw her, I was focused on a sick or injured animal, so I spent more time watching her hands—administering medicine, tending injuries—than her face. But now, I trained my gaze on her and saw that she was gorgeous. High cheekbones, soft pink lips, and delicately arched eyebrows. She looked all too feminine as she rubbed her face against Twister’s muzzle.
How had I not seen that before? I thought back to high school. Had she been pretty then? I didn’t remember—hadn’t paidattention. We’d moved in different circles back then—I played sports while she’d been on the different academic teams, so it hadn’t mattered. And it didn’t really matter now, either. I wasn’t asking her for a date. I planned to buy her horse. That was all.
“In the trailer with you,” she cooed to the big horse. “I know it’s not your favorite, but it’s a short trip home, and then I’ll give you a treat.” The horse whinnied as if responding to her. It struck me as endearing, softening my view of her even further.
“Julia,” I said, coming up on the other side of the horse. “I wanted to catch you before you left.”
“Oh?” she said as her green eyes met mine. “Do you need something? I thought your horses got through the weekend without injury.”
“They did. That’s not what I wanted to talk with you about.”
“Then what?” She was studying me.
“Twister’s an impressive stallion.” Starting with a compliment seemed the right thing to do, and it was sincere.
“He is that.” She patted the horse. “I was just about to load him, and then I need to be on my way. He doesn’t like to be in the trailer long.”
“I can understand that.” I reached out and stroked the horse’s long, sinuous neck. He really was an amazing animal. “I don’t like to be confined either.”
“Who does?” she said, picking up the lead rope and starting to move the animal into the trailer. “What did you need, Jake?”
“I want to buy Twister,” I said, and she laughed. Okay, not the reaction I expected. She didn’t even pause as she went up the trailer’s ramp with the horse following. “I’m serious.”
“He’s not for sale.” Her voice was calm, but firm as she focused on her task.
I stayed outside the trailer while she secured Twister, waiting to regain her attention. In my head, I was running the numbers and arrived at a price that no sane person would turn down. I needed that horse. When she latched the trailer closed, she turned to me.
“You’re still here?” She wasn’t being rude exactly, but I could sense her annoyance.
“Yep. Here’s my offer.” I named my price, expecting her to shake my hand and seal the deal within seconds, but she shook her head instead.
“As I said, he’s not for sale.” She folded her arms across her chest.
“That’s more than a fair offer.” We both knew that, so why was she hesitating? Did I need to sweeten the deal in some way? I was willing to spend more if that was what it took. Twister would make all the difference to my breeding program.
“I’m not disagreeing with you about that,” she said, “but it doesn’t change the fact that Twister isn’t on the market.”
“I need a stud, fresh blood to improve my stock.” I went for straightforward honesty. “And he’s the best I’ve seen.”
Her pink lips formed into a lovely smile, and I thought she was softening toward me until she spoke again. “Heisthe best, andyoudoneed a fresh bloodline, but that isn’t going to make me sell.”
I narrowed my eyes, gauging her. How resistant to selling was she? Or was she holding out for more money? I named an even more generous purchase price. I’d have to redirect money from the ranch’s cattle operation to cover the cost, but it would be worth it.
“Jake,” she said, “I’m flattered on Twister’s behalf, really I am, but you’re just going to have to fall in love with another horse. You can’t have this one.”
