Heartbreak Ranch by Anastasia Ryan Read Free Book Online Page B

in the foal’s stall. When Graysen saw what Colt was doing, a tiny gasp, a mixture of shock and horror, escaped her lips. He was changing the bandages on the horse’s leg, and for a moment, she saw the extent of the gruesome injury.
    “Please don’t look,” he said softly, acknowledging her obvious distress. She turned her back to the sight, trying to regain her composure.
    “It’s horrible,” she whispered, choking back tears.
    “It is. But she is a strong girl. She still has a chance.”
    Graysen listened to the soft voice behind her. “What’s her name?” she asked curiously.
    “I haven’t given her one yet.”
    Graysen grew more curious. “Is she yours?”
    “Yes. Most of these horses are mine. Heck and June manage the business side of things at the ranch and leave the fun stuff like raising the horses to me.”
    “Raising horses seems second nature to you,” Graysen commented.
    “Been around them for as long as I can remember. Before I became part of the Edmiston family, I was living on a small spread in Texas with my parents. I was a bit of a wildcat. Mamma used to say I could have torn up an army tank with a chicken feather. Riding horses was a great way for me to burn up all that energy ...”
    “Miss June told us about your parents the other night. I’m sorry.” She didn’t know what had prompted her to say it. Her heart went out to him.
    “Don’t be, Iowa,” he said softly. “It was a long time ago. The Edmistons had been like family for a long time, it was just natural that I came to live with them. They love me like a son, raised me as their own, and gave me a great home. I couldn’t think of a better blessing.”
    Graysen heard Colt begin to stand and presumed it was safe to turn around. As she slowly spun around, she crashed into Colt’s broad chest. He quickly moved and stood close behind her. Her face grew hot as her pulse leapt at her throat. She hoped he didn’t notice. She knew that moment of impact when their bodies collided would keep her up tonight, fueling her fantasy of him.
    Stunned, she took a couple steps back and craned her neck to look up at him. He looked down at her with an amused, devilish smile across his face. His full lips had to be his most compelling feature, apart from his eyes. And his firm chin. And his magnificent body. She had trouble keeping her eyes from travelling up and down the length of him over and over. He was that sexy. Colt was standing so close she could smell his aftershave lotion. It was starting to affect her ability to think coherently. She doubted her synapses would be able to fire on all cylinders when he smelled that good.
    Before Graysen knew what was happening, he grabbed her hand and started leading her toward the other barn doors. “Come with me.”
    Do I have a choice? she thought as he firmly dragged her along.
    “You’re gonna learn to ride today, Iowa.”
    Great, just what I wanted to do . Proving further to Colt how inept she was at riding a horse was not on her bucket list, that’s for sure.
    They walked past stall after stall. They were almost at the back door of the barn when Graysen stopped. The last stall in the barn held the black mustang that Colt rode a couple of nights ago. Now that she had a closer view, the stallion seemed enormous. He wasn’t as restless as he had been the last time she had seen him. He certainly looked wild and untamed as he flared his nostrils and seemed to almost glare at them.
    Colt smiled when he saw what she was looking at. “That’s Pumpkin,” he said with a smirk.
    “Pumpkin?” she choked out, trying to stifle her laughter. He was majestic and downright terrifying. Graysen thought it was the behemoth of all horses and Colt had christened it with such a ridiculous name.
    “He’s a wild one. I’ve been training him for a couple of weeks now. He’s still out of control, but I’m starting to make progress. I wanted a challenge and I certainly found it with him.”
    “But Pumpkin?