He swung the rope and lassoed the stallion, pulling him out of the herd. The damn horse whinnied and stomped, letting Rory know he wasn’t happy about this situation. Rory wasn’t either. He’d like the animal to act like he should and lead his lovely ladies out of here.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
God, her voice would forever be imprinted in his mind.
“I’m trying to get your stubborn horses out of here.”
“You won’t do it that way.”
Rory glanced over at her for the first time. His gut went tight seeing her in the white T-shirt tied into a knot at her belly, showing off just a hint of skin above her tight jeans. He swallowed and tried to focus on her face and not the swell of her breasts pressed against the T-shirt’s thin fabric. “These guys are his. They should follow him.”
Sadie shook her head. “Just like a man to think so. He’s not the leader of this group.”
“What? He’s the only male.”
She pressed her pretty lips together, walked to the gate, came through, and closed it behind her. “Mind if I show you a thing or two about women and horses?”
Rory eyed her. “I’m pretty sure I’ve got a handle on both.”
“Says every guy until a woman proves him wrong.”
He chuckled. “Show me what you’ve got.”
Sadie stared at him. “Did you actually smile at me?”
He frowned. “What of it?”
“You should do it more often.” She held her hand up to the horse he had on the rope. “Let him go.”
“But . . .”
“Let. Him. Go.”
He relented, letting her do her thing. He hadn’t had any luck the last week; he doubted she’d do any better. He’d keep an eye on the dangerous stallion and make sure he didn’t get any ideas about protecting his ladies and trampling Sadie.
The second the rope came off the big guy, the horse trotted back to the group, and the mares circled around him.
“Now, cowboy, you want to move this herd, you need the true leader to come forward.” Sadie whistled like a bird and her palomino walked forward and nudged Sadie’s hand as she held it up to the horse. Sadie rubbed her hand up the horse’s long nose to scratch at the white patch on her forehead. “Hello, Sugar.”
Sadie turned to him. “How about a leg up?” She moved to the horse’s side and held up her leg. He grabbed hold and boosted her up. She sat atop the horse, then leaned down and gave her old friend a hug. “Hello, baby. I miss you.”
“You’re the one who left them here,” Rory pointed out.
“I pay my debts.”
Rory rolled his eyes. “I’m not doing this with you anymore. If you want to ride, you’re welcome to do so any time you like.”
“You mean it?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“That’s really nice. Thank you.”
“Why do you think I’m not nice?”
“I don’t. It’s just . . . I don’t know . . . You don’t seem like you want me here.”
“I don’t want you paying off debts that aren’t yours. Doesn’t mean I don’t like you here. I do.”
“Yeah, your brothers can’t stop talking about my cooking.”
“Best food we’ve had in years around here.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “You never say anything about my cooking.”
“Who can get a word in with my brothers tripping over themselves to beg you to cook even more?”
“They’ve got some hearty appetites.”
“Yeah, well, so do I.”
She cocked her head to the side and stared down at him. Yeah, she got his meaning.
He let his gaze drop to her thigh in front of him and her hand resting over the place she’d been cut. He wanted to ask if she got her stitches out, but the red marks on her forearm caught his attention. He took her hand and held it in front of him, tracing the marks lightly with his fingertips. “What happened?”
She tried to pull free, but he held on. “It’s nothing.”
“This isn’t nothing, sweetheart. Who did this?”
She put her free hand over his. “Rory, please, let it go.”
It hit him all at once. “Your brother did this to you.” He looked her up and down. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”
She squeezed his hand. “I’m fine. He was at my house when I got home.”
“That’s why you were late.”
“Yeah, sorry about that.”
“Fuck sorry. He hurt you. Where the hell were the cops? They’re supposed to drive by your place several times a day.”
“They can’t watch me and my house every second of the day.”