LITMIR.BIZ

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they leave, I have a physical therapy appointment then lessons this afternoon. One group lesson and two private.”

      “Head’s hurting, too, huh?”

      “I’ve had the occasional migraine since the fall.”

      Her grudging admission sparked his curiosity and he wondered why it was so hard for her to ask for help. “Is this one of those occasions?”

      “Looks like it’s going to be.” She grimaced.

      He gave her a gentle push in the direction of the house. “Go, forget the bills, take some medicine and lie down for a bit. I can handle things here.”

      “But—”

      “I grew up on a horse ranch, just like you. I know what to do.”

      She sighed. “I know you do. Okay.” She started toward the house, then turned back. “But promise you’ll come get me if—”

      “I promise. Go.”

      She went.

      “I know you said you went to high school together, but do you have a history beyond that?” Zeb asked.

      Nathan spun to find the vet behind him, wiping his hands on a cloth. “A history?” He shrugged. “No. Why?”

      “Because I’m interested in her and wanted to make sure you weren’t the competition.”

      Well, he’d thought he liked the guy, but Nathan had to bite his tongue on the first words that wanted to slip out. Instead, he drew in a deep breath and smiled even while he reminded himself that he wasn’t interested in Becca. “No competition here,” he said. “I’m just the hired help.” Becca had a mind of her own. If she chose to date the vet, Nathan wouldn’t get in her way.

      Much. Maybe.

      Zeb held up a hand. “You’re sure? I mean, I’m only asking because I don’t want to interfere. Just tell me the word and I’ll keep everything strictly professional with her.”

      Okay, so maybe the guy wasn’t so bad after all.

      “There’s nothing between us,” Nathan said. “Nothing but friendship.”

      Liar, his heart whispered.

      * * *

      Becca wasn’t sure how much time had passed from the moment she took the migraine pill to her roll over to look at the clock, but she thought it might have been about an hour and a half. She was just grateful the pounding had eased to a dull throb and the nausea had faded. Her back even felt much better. She eased her way from the bed and into the bathroom. One glance in the mirror made her grimace. She might feel better, but she looked like she’d been run over by a truck.

      She washed her face, brushed her hair and her teeth and decided she wouldn’t scare the children too terribly bad.

      And what about Nathan?

      Why did she care? She sighed. Because she did. Ever since he’d rescued her in the barn, her heart had started doing strange things around him. Things she didn’t have time to investigate but found herself wishing she did.

      A knock sounded on her front door. Becca slapped a hat on her head and made her way down the hall and into the foyer. She almost opened the door without looking but thought better of it. Glancing out the side window, she saw Nathan standing on her porch.

      Tall, good-looking Nathan, with a dimple in his right cheek and shoulders just made for nestling against. She swallowed and wondered what was wrong with her. She’d never thought of Nathan in that way before. Why start now? Refusing to dwell on her crazy thoughts, she yanked the door open. “Hey.”

      “Are you feeling better? Your guests are here.”

      “I’m better, thanks.”

      “I’ve got Mason and Dixon saddled up and ready to go. You had them listed next to the kids’ names on that clipboard in your office.”

      She wanted to hug him. “You’re an answer to my prayers, Nathan Williams.”

      He flushed, endearing him to her even more. He ducked his head in exaggerated embarrassment. “Aw shucks, ma’am.”

      She swatted his arm and shut the door behind her. One glance at the sky spoke trouble. Clouds hung heavy and low. “It’s going to storm.”

      “Yep.”

      “Well, let’s do what we can do while we can do it. Once lightning starts, we’ll have to close up.”

      Becca stepped out of her house and headed toward the group of kids. One of her greatest pleasures was helping the little ones ride. She gave the group of students and teachers a wide smile. “Welcome to Priceless Riding School. It looks like it’s going to rain, but does anyone want to see if we can beat the storm and get some riding in?”

      Five hands shot into the air. One young little girl, about eight years old, ducked behind one of the adults. Becca smiled. She hoped the child would watch her classmates having fun and decide to give it a try, but she wouldn’t push her. “All right then, let’s go out to the arena and do some riding.” She glanced around and prayed whoever had attacked her the day before was long gone. She shivered at the memory but refused to let it ruin her day. With Zeb and Nathan nearby, everyone should be plenty safe.

      Two hours later, the rain started with large drops, but the children had all ridden several times. All except the little girl. She’d watched and cheered for her friends but refused to get in the saddle herself. Maybe another day. Becca ruffled the girl’s blond curls and led the group into the barn. Everyone laughed as they dashed for cover.

      Nathan had the horses and Becca herded the children into the large room she’d set up for birthday parties and other fun activities. Today, they’d have snacks and drinks and restroom breaks. Crayons and pictures of horses were set out to be turned into masterpieces.

      “Thanks for doing this, Becca.” Sharon Hyatt, one of Becca’s friends from high school, sidled up beside her. She also boarded a horse at the barn.

      Becca smiled. “My pleasure.”

      “We almost cancelled, you know.”

      “What? Why?”

      Sharon shrugged. “Because of what happened yesterday—and the rumors that the sheriff actually got a warrant to search your property for drugs.”

      “Right. Well, those aren’t rumors, they’re facts. He did search it.”

      “I told the powers that be if there was any danger, you would have called, and that if there were any drugs, the sheriff would have found them. But I didn’t see any point in cancelling. They didn’t like it much, but they like me, so...” She shrugged.

      “Thank you for defending me. Yesterday was just a fluke thing.” She hoped. “Someone looking for something to sell—or the drugs I’m rumored to have on the property. I just happened to be in the barn at the time he came looking.” She forced a smile to stiff lips. “There’s no danger here.” Please God, let that be true. “And there are no drugs, absolutely none.” She knew that was true.

      Why Donny had had her number in his phone, she didn’t know, and likely never would. Just a strange coincidence. Or maybe he’d called her about boarding a horse and she’d called him back.

      She talked to a number of people on a daily basis—new people calling to ask questions about finding a barn or lessons she taught. She didn’t always remember their names. But it didn’t explain the other two times he’d received a call from her number. Or the text. It was just strange. The fact that he’d been in trouble with the law on drug charges before bothered her, of course, but there was no way to connect everything. And that bothered her, too, because she was probably missing something. But what? If Clay couldn’t figure it out with all of the resources at his disposal, what was she supposed to do?

      “I’m going to come

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