The More I See by Lisa Mondello Read Free Book Online Page B

man.
    He opened the stall and walked inside, and her heart leaped to her throat. This is what she was trained to do, help people get along with their normal lives, but clearly Cody didn't need any help at all here—especially from her—to do what was completely bred in him. She suspected then, that much of what was keeping him back was his inability to see a normal life again.
    She groaned inwardly, thinking about the conversation she'd had with Catherine. Cody Gentry was a tough cookie, but one that needed special attention, and she was just tenacious enough to give him what he needed.
    Somehow Lyssa doubted that. Cody didn't need anything at all from her. Greeting Sassy, watching him search the rail for the blanket to place over the horse's back, made her forget for a split second that Cody had lost his vision. It spoke of a man not searching in the darkness, but of one sure of his step, confident of his place in the world. And she had to admire that.
    No, Cody didn't need her out here at all. Everything he did need was locked up inside himself. Maybe this was the key to help him unlock the door.
    Getting on the back of Smokin' Diesel E proved more comical than difficult, Lyssa discovered. And when she finally got the hang of holding the reins and leading a horse that clearly didn't need any direction from her, her nerves settled into a somewhat slow and steady pace.
    Thankfully, so had the horses and she found herself actually enjoying the ride across the ranch. Cody had said they were taking a trail well-traveled, which relieved Lyssa considerably. If they somehow got lost on their way back, she wasn't going to be much help. Her sense of direction was good, but with all the twists and turns the path took, she had to admit she'd lost her bearings.
    Cody, on the other hand, just allowed Sweet Sassy's Smile to lead him along the trail as if it was a route they'd taken a thousand times. Which they probably had, Lyssa decided, as she watched how little guidance Cody gave the horse.
    "Let me know when we get to the open pasture," he said. "It should be just as we take a sharp turn at the end of the trail."
    Sure enough, the trail they'd been riding on ended and opened up into a wide pasture.
    Her mouth flew agape. "How on earth did you know where we were?"
    Cody just grinned. "I've been riding this trail since I was old enough to sit in the saddle on my own." A soft chuckle escaped his lips and she felt something inside her shift in place, stealing her breath away. "And Sassy always gets a little excited when we get to this point, too.
    There's a nice stream here with some good grass for grazing. There should be a huge cottonwood with branches that jut out like bony arms in all directions, sitting right about center in this pasture."
    It was unmistakable. The enormous cottonwood commanded its place in the middle of the field. There were herds of cattle in different scatterings in the grass. Some clustered by a winding stream, and some huddled together in the only shade available, under a lone tree out in the field.
    "If you're ready to take a break, we can stop there a while. Stretch your legs," Cody said.
    It was none too soon for Lyssa. They hadn't really been riding all that long, but already her backside was going numb and her thighs were beginning to ache.
    They rode to the cottonwood and dismounted. Cody waited until Lyssa had two feet
    firmly planted on the ground and walked Diesel alongside Sassy.
    He loosely secured the reins to the saddle horn and gave a quick little swat to Sassy's behind. Diesel pulled against the reins, intending to follow Sassy.
    "Tie the reins up to the saddle horn," Cody said. "This is a good place for them to get some water and graze while we sit a bit."
    The temperature difference was marked as Lyssa moved from under the scorching sun into the shade of the cottonwood tree and dropped to the cool grass. Following the sound of her movement on the hard ground, Cody walked behind her and sat on