Time to make amends.
Peyton let Lilly Mae’s graying nose snuffle under her arm in search of more treats even though it tickled. Wrapping her arms around the old horse’s neck, she breathed in the familiar scent of horse and hay and feed and instantly felt her heart rate drop from its formerly racing status.
“Big mistake,” she muttered into the horse’s mane. “I let him get to me. Lost my cool. Stupid.”
Lilly Mae made a soft nickering sound in response. Peyton smiled and decided to take the noise as an It’s okay, you’ll do better next time.
“She’s sweet.”
Her skin prickled at the sound of Red’s voice, but she didn’t look up. A new tension momentarily vibrated through Lilly Mae’s muscles, but she calmed down quickly when there was no threat.
“She’s mine.” With a scratch between the ears, she stepped back and grabbed a brush, intent on doing something with her hands while they talked. “I’ve had her almost my whole life. Learned to ride on her. She’s ancient, but she’s my favorite.” Leaning forward, she mock whispered, “Don’t tell the other girls,” into Lilly’s ear.
Red chuckled and stepped forward cautiously, holding out a hand for Lilly Mae to sniff and nuzzle. “Nice. Bet you’re the queen around here, aren’t you?”
Peyton took it as the peace offering it was. “I sure am. Oh, you meant Lilly.” She grinned when he smiled.
“Thought I might find you riding some two-year-old around the ring for a hard workout to work off the tension.”
“Too pissed for that. Does nobody any good when you can’t keep a cool head to train a stubborn horse. Especially an arrogant two-year-old.”
“Glad to hear it. Good instincts.” Lilly Mae stepped forward, bumping into him hard enough to send him back a step, shoulder hitting the nearest wooden post. “Well, hey now. I didn’t mean to ignore you, I’m sorry.” He scratched her between the ears, smoothing down to her nose where he rubbed with gentle thumbs. Lilly Mae sighed with delight and took another step into him, all but snuggling against his chest.
“Floozy,” Peyton muttered.
Red just grinned. “The ladies know what they like.”
She rolled her eyes, but watched from behind lowered lashes as he charmed her horse. He had such gentle hands, not at all like Nylen’s. Strong, she knew they could control a horse with a simple tug of one rein, distract a rearing stallion with one wave. But then lovingly caress the velvety softness of a sweet old mare well past her prime.
Lilly Mae’s rump bumped her and she snapped out of the trance. Admiring his hands? Jesus, what was her deal?
“I’m sorry. I never meant to imply you weren’t doing your job or taking things seriously. Just trying to get a handle on the situation around the ranch.”
Peyton nodded and tapped the brush against her thigh, stirring the dust a little. “I realized that after about five minutes. It’s still sore with me, here.” She fisted one hand against her breast bone and tapped once. “But I’m working on it.”
Another minute passed with only Lilly Mae’s rhythmic breathing and happy snuffling to break the silence.
“I haven’t seen the outer perimeter of the ranch yet. Wanna saddle up and show me around?”
A leisurely ride to get her mind off things, give her some time to compose herself and still get ranch business done? Sign her up.
“Yes, Mr. Schneider. Absolutely. No, all our work is done out in the open. You’re more than welcome to come on over and take a peek.” Peyton tapped the edge of her pen on the desk, listening to the potential client’s hemming and hawing. “Naturally. We have an open door policy to all potential clients. Yes, I realize not all—yes, this is a new policy. I understand we were more closed up in the past.”
Back when Mommy Dearest was running things.
After another moment of the man’s indecision, she sighed and dropped the pen. “Have you met our new trainer yet? Redford Calla—yes. That Red. Uh huh. Same one.”
She rubbed at the throbbing between her temples with her thumb and forefinger.
“Of course. I’m sure Red would love to speak with you on that subject. Not a problem. Let me patch you over to his office phone. If he’s not in, you can leave a voicemail for him. Does that sound all right? Excellent, hold on just one moment.”
Peyton clicked hold, then a few more buttons to send Mr. Schneider over to Red’s office phone. Odds were, he wouldn’t be in, but the voicemail system always made people feel like the M-Star was a more legitimate business. She never understood why. Jotting down the question and the man’s name and phone number just in case the phone system failed, she pinned it to her corkboard as a reminder to pass off to Red when she ran into him next.