Any Man of Mine. Debbi Rawlins

the hint and let her be, but he couldn’t make himself do it. He had a fair idea as to what might’ve happened. Never in his life had it crossed his mind to harm a woman, but if those two mean-spirited hellcats hadn’t already left the stable, he couldn’t swear he wouldn’t have tied them to a post.

      “Haley?”

      “I’ll leave in a second,” she murmured, still facing the other way, her shoulders hunched forward. “I promise.”

      “I don’t want you to leave.” Josh moved a little closer, his steps slow and quiet, approaching her like he would a skittish filly. “I want to show you something.”

      She stiffened, and he stopped in his tracks. She’d probably heard him closing in, and the last thing he wanted to do was upset her. Of all the guests who’d come and gone, Josh liked her the best by far.

      “What?” she asked, her movements stilted as she swung a look at him. No tears stained her smooth flushed cheeks, and he was damn grateful. A crying woman tended to make him tongue-tied.

      He met her eyes, remembered his manners and yanked his hat off.

      Her lips lifted in a small smile, which disappeared when Gypsy blew short and hard through flared nostrils.

      Haley stepped back another foot. “I should go. I don’t want to upset her. I really don’t.”

      “She’s not upset. She’s curious.” Josh touched Haley’s elbow. She shot him a startled look, then went back to watching the mare. “That’s what I wanted to show you. As a matter of fact, I think Gypsy likes you.”

      “No. She doesn’t.” Haley’s strangled laugh was about the saddest thing he’d ever heard. “You didn’t see her when I first walked up to the stall.”

      “That wasn’t your fault.” Josh lowered his hand. If she wanted to bolt, he reckoned his fingers on her elbow wouldn’t stop her.

      “You don’t—” She cut herself short and regarded him with a slight frown. “Why do you say that?”

      “Those two you were with…” He jerked a thumb toward the door. “I don’t recall their names, but the tall one…she knows Gypsy doesn’t like her perfume. I asked her yesterday to keep her distance.”

      Still frowning, Haley slowly shook her head as if trying to make sense of what he’d said. “But it was Courtney’s idea to come and— Oh.” Her voice dipped, and her shoulders sagged. “It is my fault. I’ve been trying too hard and I just…” Her eyes closed briefly, and when she opened them she stared at the mare again.

      He was pretty sure he understood why she was down. She’d bubbled over with enthusiasm her first two days at the Sundance and seemed determined to fit in with the other guests. But she wasn’t like them. And glad as he was for that, he expected she didn’t want to hear it from him.

      “You can move closer to her, if you like,” he said, and noticed the flash of alarm in Haley’s face. “See how Gypsy’s ears are pricked forward? She’s curious about you. She senses you could be her friend.”

      Haley’s lips lifted in a tentative smile.

      “Come.” Josh put out his hand. “Let me show you.”

      She gazed down at his outstretched palm for a long uncomfortable moment. He had calluses, so many from mending fences, roping steers and all his other responsibilities. He’d seldom paid the patches of tough skin any mind. He did now. Seeing them through her eyes made him wince.

      “Sorry,” he said gruffly, making a fist and pulling back. “I usually wear work gloves, but it doesn’t seem to help much.”

      “No. Wait.” She grabbed a hold of his wrist, tugging at him until he gave in and let her peel open his fingers.

      “I was only thinking about how kind you’re being.”

      “Nah, not really, just trying to make things right.”

      Dammit. His neck and face burned with embarrassment, but thankfully his olive skin wouldn’t give him away.

      She moistened her pretty peach-tinted lips and laid her palm on his. “Show me.”

      The contact gave him a small jolt, like an electrical charge that shot up his arm and ignited a spark that burned low in his belly. “Show you what?”

      “I don’t know. You haven’t told me yet.”

      “Yeah.” He roused himself from his momentary daze. “Right.”

      He drew her closer to the stall, but she still tensed when Gypsy lowered her head. “Relax,” he said. “That means she likes you.”

      Haley bit her bottom lip. At first he thought she was going to cry, but then he saw that she was trying to hold back a smile. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better. How could you possibly know?”

      “You ever have a dog?”

      “A cocker spaniel. A long time ago.”

      “You mean to tell me you didn’t know when that hound was up to no good or was nosing around for some extra attention?”

      She grinned. “Always.”

      “It’s no different with horses. Once you get to know ‘em, you can tell when they’re mad or scared or plain bored. But this here, ears forward, blowing her breath at you, that’s not unique behavior. Those are things most horses do when they want to be friends. Go ahead, pet her neck if you want.”

      “Really?”

      He almost withdrew the offer when Haley took her hand from his. Why couldn’t she use her free hand to pet Gypsy?

      “Oh.” She gasped at the blast of warm breath the mare blew in her face. Laughing, she stumbled back and wrapped her fingers around his forearm.

      Josh understood horses a whole lot better than he did women, but he knew Haley had just made it clear she liked him. Maybe even trusted him. “Can you keep a secret?” he asked, moving his mouth close to her ear and inhaling her sweet feminine scent. After her nod, he said, “Horses don’t give a hoot about perfume. Gypsy can’t stand the sight of that Courtney woman.”

       Chapter Three

      Haley let out a loud laugh that embarrassed her. She clamped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. Her feelings toward Courtney were certainly no mystery at this point. Despite the fact that the wicked witch of San Diego deserved more than a snicker behind her back, Haley had been raised better.

      She cleared her throat, realized that she was hanging on to Josh’s arm and promptly released him.

      “Why did you tell her it was her perfume?”

      “I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.” He shrugged, his hazel eyes lit with a hint of mischief. “Gypsy isn’t too fond of her voice, either.”

      “Now you’re making stuff up.”

      “No, ma’am. Horses are sensitive and smart. They can take a person’s measure faster than we can. And in my experience, they’re rarely wrong.”

      Their gazes met and held. She knew exactly what he was doing, and she appreciated it more than she could express. She turned back to the mare, though she would’ve rather stared at Josh. He had a very masculine and symmetrical face that had appealed to the artist in her the first moment she saw him. Nice body, too. Broad shouldered, slim hipped.