mare. He liked her looks. She was quiet and trusting and when he’d scratched her ears, she’d bobbed her head appreciatively. A far cry from the nervous, anxious, skittish and just plain mean horses he’d looked at over the past few days. He knew next to nothing about buying a horse, but even to his unpracticed eye, this mare looked well put together and the price was right because, as the man had explained, the cost of hay had tripled recently due to severe drought, so horses were going cheap.
The bottom falling out of the horse market put a damper on his resale plans, since Serena made it clear that she was not accepting a gift horse, but he’d figure out how to get the mare a good home later—even if it was at a loss. Right now the connection with Dani was more important than money lost or gained.
“She’s been started under saddle, but she’s still green. What’s your riding level?”
“I haven’t ridden in a while. I want to get back into it while I’m here,” Gabe said without hesitation.
“With a young horse? That’s a wreck waiting to happen.”
A soft laugh came from behind them. “Not necessarily.”
Gabe turned to see Paul’s daughter standing behind them. “Hi. I’m Marti,” she said, running an eye over Gabe as if he was himself a piece of horseflesh. “You look athletic.”
Gabe shrugged. “I run and bike. Swim a little.”
“Triathlete,” she said with a smile. “You have balance then. And stamina.” He almost smiled at the way she said stamina. “Tell you what,” she said, crossing her arms. “You buy Molly from Paul, I’ll train her and throw in a couple weeks of riding lessons. We’ll start you on a finished horse, then shift you over to Molly once I’m confident she’s ready.”
Damn, damn, damn. Gabe forced a smile. “Very generous of you.”
“It’s one way of building repeat clientele.”
Gabe looked over at Paul. “Tell you what—give me a day to think about it. I have another horse to look at later today, then I’ll call and let you know.”
Paul pushed off from the fence where he was leaning. “All right. I’ll hold her until tomorrow for you. After that...” He shrugged.
“I understand. Thanks.” Gabe started for his car and Marti fell in step. “My offer stands even if you don’t buy Molly. I have a few open slots in my schedule and I’d be happy to work with both you and your new horse.”
Gabe stopped at the car. “I appreciate the offer. Thank you.”
“Anytime.” She patted the top of his car, then stepped back as he got inside. Gabe drove away thinking it was too bad he couldn’t take her up on her offer. He had a feeling that Marti could teach a guy a lot.
* * *
“I’M FULL UP.” Dani felt a ridiculous pang of regret as she said the words, but facts were facts. “Eight horses, eight hours in the workday.” She smiled a little. “Not counting all the other things I have to do.”
“I understand.” Gabe spoke matter-of-factly, but she’d caught the flash of disappointment in his expression. Well, one thing was for certain—if Kyle had indeed stopped by to “check him out,” Gabe didn’t hold a grudge. “I can give you the names of other trainers in the area.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
“What kind of horse did you buy?”
“A dark brown horse.”
“Breed?”
“Quarter horse?”
“Gender?”
“Female.”
“What do you know about horses, Gabe?”
“Not a lot.” He smiled disarmingly. “I want to learn.”
“Do you ride?”
“I don’t have a lot of experience, but I have ridden.”
She studied him askance for a moment. “Do you plan on learning to ride better?”
“That’s the next step.”
She couldn’t help smiling. “Do you have a checklist?”
“A mental one.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I can’t help the checklist. It’s the way I’m wired. And I like horses, but never got a chance to learn to ride well. It’s not easy for a guy my age to get back into it.” He smiled a little. “Since we have a small amount of history, I thought of you.”
Something about the way he said the last words made Dani very aware of, well, him. His effect on her, which wasn’t the effect she was looking for right now. “If I had one less horse...”
“Again, Dani. Not a problem.”
“Do you want me to get you those names?”
“I already have one. Marti? She offered to train the horse and give me lessons at the same time.”
“You’ve met?”
“At the place I bought the mare.”
Dani forced a smile, said nothing. Gabe smiled back and she realized he was truly disappointed. It was all she could do not to say, “Sure. Another horse. Why not?” But she couldn’t. She was too busy.
It wasn’t until he’d driven away and the rooster tail of dust had settled that she admitted the truth to herself. It wasn’t all about being too busy. When you started a new business, you made sacrifices. It was something about Gabe Matthews himself and the gut-level attraction she felt toward him. That and a sense that he was showing one side of himself in order to protect another. A sense that he had trust issues as deep as hers.
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