Riding Hard. Vicki Thompson Lewis

territory. Fortunately it was familiar to him.

      The July sun was drifting slowly toward the horizon, but it wouldn’t be dark for another couple of hours. The barn faced east and west, and she’d opened the back doors to let in the afternoon light. Drake was happy to have the sun. A crisis always loomed larger in the dark.

      Sure enough, Dottie was pacing restlessly in her stall and ignoring her flake of hay while the other horses munched their dinner contentedly. Drake talked calmly to her as he entered and kept talking as he ran his hands over her warm coat. Gradually he made his way to her udder and swiped a finger over the liquid oozing from her teat. Apparently he’d misjudged how soon she’d deliver.

      Tracy hovered at his elbow, her breathing shallow. “Well?”

      He turned to look at her. Her face was pale with fright, and this close, he noticed little flecks of gold in her dark eyes. “The discharge is colostrum, which is extremely important for her foal’s immune system. It’s good that you noticed. I’ll get what I need from Regan’s truck so we can collect and freeze it until she goes into labor. Then we can bottle feed it to her foal in the first twelve hours.”

      Her eyes widened. “When do you think she’ll go into labor?”

      “Could be anytime, and I can teach you how to—”

      “Did you say anytime?”

      “Yes, but I can’t say for sure exactly when. Could be tonight, could be tomorrow, could be two days from now. In the meantime, you can—”

      “Look, I hate to ask this of you, but I’m scared to death. I won’t have the faintest idea what to do if she goes into labor, and I could freak. I’m freaked now, in fact. She’s not safe with me.”

      He had to admit she looked petrified, but he could talk her down. She could do this. “She’s perfectly safe with you, Tracy. I’m not far away, and all you have to do is call me. I’ll be here before you know it.”

      She shook her head. “Not good enough. I can feed the animals, clean up after them and love on them, but I’m not fit to be a first responder when a mare delivers a foal. Besides, I have to work my shifts at the Spirits and Spurs, and Dottie would be alone for hours. That could be a problem, right?”

      He’d forgotten about that. “Do you have to work tonight?”

      “No, but I have to go in at eleven tomorrow morning. What if she waits to go into labor until then?”

      “You can call me.” But he was less sure that everything would work out easily. Dottie had changed the game considerably in the past couple of hours.

      “Drake, if you leave, I’ll spend the night camped out next to her stall worried sick with my phone right next to me.”

      He believed her. “Then I’ll camp out beside her stall tonight. I’m sure there are some old blankets in the house I can use to make a bedroll.”

      “You don’t have to go that far. Lily has a spare room. You could sleep in there, maybe set your phone to wake you up every few hours to check on her and collect that stuff the foal will need.”

      “Colostrum.”

      “Right. Colostrum.”

      He hesitated. Sleeping in the barn was one thing. Sleeping in the house with Tracy was a whole other deal. “That’s okay. The barn’s fine.”

      “No, no, just because I said I would sleep there if you left doesn’t mean you should put yourself through that. You’re a pro. You’ll know whether it’s safe to grab a few winks, and you’d be better off in a real bed.”

      “Yeah, but—”

      “I’ll bet you don’t want to stay in the house because you think I don’t like you.”

      “You don’t like me.” But once your panic wears off, you’ll be attracted to me, whether you want to be or not.

      “I don’t like what you did to Regan, and I don’t blame you for not wanting to hang around someone who’s said some hurtful things, but I’m desperate. Please stay. And take the guest room.”

      He took a deep breath. “Okay.” Once the crisis was over, they’d both be like dry kindling ready to ignite. He’d have to get the hell out of there before one of them lit the fire.

      4

      ON SOME LEVEL, Tracy knew she was taking a huge chance by having Drake close by, but she simply couldn’t handle this alone. She walked out to the truck with him. “Since you’re staying, I’ll share the money Regan and Lily pay me for house-sitting.”

      “I wouldn’t consider it.” He opened the back end of the truck. “You need that money for school.”

      “I do, but if you’re doing part of my job here, then it’s only fair that...wait a minute. How did you know I’m going to school?”

      He gave her a deer-in-the-lights look followed by an expression that clearly said oh, shit. He tried to pass it off with a shrug. “That’s the way it is around here with secrets. Word gets out.”

      “Sure it does, but not to you. You don’t talk to anybody except Regan and Lily. At least not about anything significant. One of them told you, didn’t they?”

      “Regan told me and then asked me not to mention it, which I just did. Blame it on my big mouth instead of Regan blabbing. He was trying to respect your privacy, but he thought I might want to know.”

      “Why?”

      “He thought...” A dull red colored his throat and moved up to his cheeks. “Never mind. It’s not important.” He leaned into the truck and began sorting through Regan’s supplies.

      “Okay.” She was ready to let the subject drop, at least for now. Apparently her previous high anxiety had blocked her sexual awareness of Drake, because as it fell, her heat level rose. And here she was, within the three-foot limit, which hadn’t been a problem when she was hyperventilating over the possibility she’d have to deliver a foal.

      Now it was a problem, especially with him leaning over like that, which showcased his tight buns. She backed away from the truck. “I need to feed the pigs and chickens. When I discovered Dottie leaking, I lost track of everything else.”

      “Sure. Go ahead.” Rustling noises indicated he was still gathering supplies. He didn’t turn around. “I’ll take care of things here.”

      Then she realized something else. She should offer to feed him—another sticky wicket because logically they’d have to eat the meal together. He might have to spend considerable time within her three-foot limit. Maybe they could sit at opposite ends of Lily and Regan’s dining table as if they were a couple living in a manor house with servants.

      Then there was the menu. She doubted it would suit him, but she had to give it a shot. She’d talked him into occupying the premises, and the guy needed nourishment. A small town like Shoshone didn’t have a pizza parlor that delivered.

      She screwed up her courage. “After I feed the pigs and chickens, I’ll warm up some dinner for us.”