against the wall. She’d been an expert at that.
The day had cooled and the sweet smell of pine filled the air as they walked in silence to the corral behind the barn. Sophie’s heart soared with hope—the hope Zach wanted to ride.
“How long have you been working here?” Zach asked.
“I mustered out nearly twenty months ago. I started riding here in high school.” She didn’t mention she’d wanted to feel closer to her brother, who died in a riding accident. “In college, I came whenever I was home. I knew Margaret had started working with Down’s children when her first grandbaby was born with Down’s.” She rested her arms on the top rail of the fence. Too bad that daughter had moved to Oregon, leaving her brother and sister here who opposed using the ranch to help children with disabilities. “She and I talked about my dream of seeing if we could help the wounded vets. But just as we were going to present it to the army, she had a stroke.”
Sam trotted to the fence and nudged Sophie’s hand. She laughed and stroked the white blaze on her nose. “Oh, you’re so spoiled.”
The horse turned her head toward Zach, nudging his hand. He obliged Sam and patted her neck. “I felt like a fool out there today, eatin’ dirt.”
Sophie didn’t respond.
“I know Beth’s been after me for a while to start riding again.” He continued to stroke Sam’s neck. “She was right. I miss the horses. I miss the physical activities.” He turned, facing her. “I’m not in good physical condition, which I’ve found out the hard way. But maybe I can be your first test case to show the army what equine therapy can do?”
Not sure she heard correctly, she turned toward him. “Really? You want to be my test case?”
“I do.”
His words floored her.
“I also want to help around the stable, too. Maybe I could be a sidewalker for some of the kids you deal with.”
“I know Andy would love that.”
Zach grinned. “Yeah, you’re right. He’s a persistent little boy.”
Here was the dream she had for the future, of helping vets overcome the physical wounds of war. Zachary McClure, ex–rodeo champ and army veteran, wanted to be her first client.
“You sure this is what you want to do?”
He nodded, a grin creasing his mouth. “I spent the afternoon wrestling with my pride, which took a beating. I also questioned God. He and I talked, and it’s what I want to do.”
“All right. Let’s do this.”
Chapter Two
After they finished putting the horses in their stalls, they walked to the stable’s office.
“When would you like to start?” Sophie asked, collapsing into her chair.
He settled in the chair beside the desk. “Work me around the other therapy sessions.”
“How about tomorrow morning?”
Zach leaned back in his chair and laughed. “You’re not going to let me chicken out, are you?”
Sophie felt the heat in her cheeks as she blushed. “That’s what the army taught me. You get permission, you act.”
“How long were you in theater?”
His question caught her by surprise. “I did a full tour there, plus my tour was extended twice. I was all over Iraq, but mostly around Baghdad and Fallujah.”
He nodded. “Summer’s a killer.”
“You want to start tomorrow?” she pressed, refusing to be diverted.
“Fine. Tomorrow it is. What time?”
She glanced at the schedule. “8:00 a.m. We’ll do it before any other appointments.”
He studied her. “I’ll be here.”
Her tension melted away.
“You need a ride home?” Sophie asked going to the door.
“I’ll just call for a taxi.”
She shook her head. “No. I’ll drive you home.”
He opened his mouth, then closed it, stood and joined her at the door. “So you had a crush on me in college,” he said, his voice full of mirth.
Sophie’s hand froze on the key in the office door. Zach leaned his shoulder against the building, his body filling her vision. He arched his brow as he waited.
“Wh-what are you talking about?”
He lifted one shoulder. “The last thing Beth whispered in my ear before we emerged from the breezeway earlier today was that you had a crush on me while you were in college.”
She was going to kill Beth. “I think maybe your sister tried to appeal to your masculine ego. If you knew that I found you attractive, you might be more willing to—”
“You think I’m handsome?”
He wanted to provoke her. She pulled the key from the door. “I’m going to plead the Fifth.”
His satisfied grin told her that he understood she hadn’t answered the question. He fell into step beside her.
One car stood in the parking lot. Hers. As they approached it, a truck pulled up in front of them.
Zach laughed. “My sister called in the cavalry.”
“She called the army?” Sophie asked, totally confused.
“No. She called my brother, Ethan.”
Ethan was Zach’s older brother. When they were in college, Beth told her about the adventures of her two older brothers. They had tolerated a younger sister until she turned thirteen and started attracting male attention. Much to Beth’s chagrin, her brothers decided to be her guardians and ran off more boys than Beth could count. It wasn’t until she was at the University of New Mexico campus in Albuquerque that she had her first serious boyfriend.
The truck door opened and Ethan got out and came around the front of the truck. “Hey, bro, Beth sent me to pick you up. She said you were kinda prickly.” Ethan grinned, wagging his brows. Sophie choked on a cough.
“So she chickened out, did she?” Zach remarked.
Ethan laughed. “No one said Bethie was stupid. A royal pain, yes, but she knows how to save her own skin.”
A smile spread across Zach’s face and he shook his head. “I assume you agree with her that I needed to get off my backside and start living again.”
Ethan crossed his arms and leaned back against the front fender. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”
