Second Chances by Cheyenne Meadows Read Free Book Online

toward the stall, finding the door standing ajar. Luckily, the skittish
filly remained inside. Walking over, he shut the stall door, and then headed
over to Mischief. “Let me guess, you needed a midnight snack?”
    The horse
eyed him haughtily and snatched another bite of hay.
    Plopping
down on the bale, Dusty took his time sizing up the white horse. “I have a
feeling you’re going to live up to your name.”
    The
horse snorted, blowing specks of hay all over Dusty.
    Not in
the least upset, Dusty rubbed the horse’s head and grinned. “Yeah, I know.
You’re a growing boy. Growing outward, that is.” He noted the round belly on
the small horse. Horses loved to eat. Mischief, despite his size, proved no
exception. With a chuckle, Dusty gathered up a section of hay and led the horse
back toward his stall. He tossed the food in the center of the stall and nudged
Mischief back in. Both horses corralled once more, he re-latched the stall
door, called Ben, and headed back to bed.
     

     
    Just
after the crack of dawn, April strode into the stable, through the large gate
at the entrance, automatically searching for Dusty. She figured he had to be
around since the gate wasn’t locked and only a fool would run off without
securing valuables. Dusty might be stubborn and built like the fabled Adonis,
but he wasn’t a fool.
    Still
finding no sight of him, she headed to the stall containing her horses. The
last thing she wanted to do was go banging on his door when the poor man
happened to be in the bathroom. That act would surely put him in a cranky mood
for the morning.
    Last
night, she’d stuck around after grooming the animals, watched him bring in all
of the horses, groom most of them, then pour out feed for each. Even with her
own, he refused to allow her to carry the heavy buckets inside. Instead, he
asked her to hold the filly while he carefully entered the stall and fed them,
one bucket in the holder, another on the ground in the corner since he didn’t
have a second, lower device to hold Mischief’s bucket. The entire time he spoke
gently to Miracle, holding the feed between them so she realized his
intentions. Though a bit anxious, she didn’t make any aggressive moves. A
definite plus.
    Glancing
across the aisle, April looked over the horses with interest. Three of the
mares had foals at their sides, all absolutely adorable. Dusty’s prize palomino
stud occupied the end stall. His gleaming golden color catching the morning
rays like a chunk of the rare mineral. A white blaze and four white socks matched
his mane and tail, the combination more than flashy.
    A door
clicked. Ben emerged first, followed by Dusty. The dog made a beeline for her
even as Dusty’s gaze met hers. Automatically, she reached down to pat Ben’s
head. “What? No pajamas?
    “I
don’t wear any during the summer.”
    Her
mouth fell open, not expecting his blunt answer. “Well, ummm…” Tongue-tied, she
tried to kick her errant mind into gear.
    His
dark eyes sparked for a moment before his face fell into a serious expression.
“Don’t you have to work like everyone else?”
    She
straightened her back and lifted her chin. Granted, he asked a reasonable
question, yet the words put her immediately on the defensive. “As a matter of
fact, yes. I do work.” She sucked in a breath. “If you had actually read my contracts,
you’d already know I’m a nurse at Three Points Hospital. I work twelve hours
shifts, three days per week. I’m off the next two weeks on vacation in order to
get my horses and make sure they’re settled.” Mischief lipped at her fingers.
She reached into scratch around his ears. “If it makes you feel any better, I
return to work after that so I’ll be out of your hair soon.”
    He
stared at her for a long minute as a tic began in his jaw. “I was just asking,
not criticizing.” With that said, he headed to a stack of buckets and started
pouring out grain.
    A soft
appreciative smile lit her face when the shirt