Sunset Ranch by A. Destiny Read Free Book Online

life.”
    â€œWe can give him extra grain.” I managed a smile.
    â€œAnd let him stay out all night under the stars.” Stephen took my other hand. The conversation wasn’t just about the horse, I realized at the back of my mind.
    His fingers were warm on mine. I took a tiny step closer to him. “And—”
    â€œHey, kids.”
    Zach tromped in all of a sudden, and I jumped, my foot hitting a metal bucket with a clang. “Oh, hi!” I tried to look casual, but his amused eyes told me he knew exactly what I was flustered about. “What are you doing here?”
    â€œI work here, actually.” He held out his hand. “Zach. Nice to meet you. I’m a summer worker—”
    â€œHa-ha.” I swatted his hand away.
    He grinned and dropped down on an overturned mud bucket. “To answer your question, I was told to come over here and groom the new horses. Is that okay with you, or did you have another activity in mind?” He wagged his eyebrows suggestively at me.
    â€œThat’s fine,” Stephen broke in. “You should do what you were assigned.” He frowned at Zach, who slung a mocking arm around Stephen’s neck and put him in a headlock.
    â€œAbsolutely, bro. You give the orders; I follow them.”
    Somehow I didn’t quite believe him.
    Stephen broke free of his hold and straightened up, his hair standing up. “The grooming boxes are in the tack room.” He smoothed his hair down—a little fussily, I thought, then immediately chided myself. I sat down on a mud bucket.
    â€œHey, guys,” Zach greeted the horses. “How was the ride over? Did you get to stop for food? Go through the drive-thru? Order grain burgers?” He rubbed the black under his forelock, then noticed the buckskin. “How come this one’s tied?”
    â€œHead shy,” Stephen said, with his back to Zach. He didn’t turn around.
    â€œYou should untie him.” Zach sounded perfectly assured.
    â€œWhat did you say?” Stephen slowly faced him, his voice incredulous.
    â€œI said you should untie that horse’s head,” Zach said smoothly. “Tying up’s the worst for a head-shy horse.”
    â€œHow the hell do you know that?” Stephen said. “My brother told me to tie him up. Don’t you think he would know, since he’s the trainer here?”
    Zach shrugged, apparently unruffled. “Yeah, you’d think so.” He let that comment dangle in the air between the three of us.
    Stephen was starting to get red in the face and puff. “Look, Zach,” I put in, “Rick said to tie him up. We have to listen to what he says.” A note clanged in the back of my mind, though, as I was speaking. We never tied our horses up in the stall at my stable. Still, Rick must know what he was talking about—he was in charge for a reason, after all.
    But Zach got up, strolled over to the buckskin, and unlatched the door. The horse rolled his eyes and laid his ears back warningly, but Zach reached in, quick as an oiled snake, and pulled down hard on the safety-release catch of the lead line.
    â€œHey!” Stephen raised his voice. “Put that back! That horse bites, in case you didn’t notice.” A vein was throbbing in his neck.
    Zach tossed the lead line, and Stephen caught it automatically. “Steve. If the horse is head shy, he’s going to feel even more freaked out being tied up by his head . Then he’ll never trust you.” He spoke slowly, as if addressing someone of limited intelligence.
    â€œIf he bites someone, he’ll be back to the glue factory!” Stephen shouted back, finally losing it. They were facing each other now, practically nose to nose.
    Then Zach turned away abruptly. “No one’s giving this horse a chance,” he muttered. He strode over to the dusty window and gazed out, his hands jammed in his pockets. “He at least should have a