Her Small-Town Cowboy by Mia Ross Page B

him and tried to back him out, he went bananas.”
    Fresh out of ideas, Mike finally shrugged. “Well, he seems okay now. How ’bout you?”
    “I’ll live.” Clearly unfazed by the whole thing, he grinned. “Mostly it’s my pride that’s bruised.”
    “Next time, open the side door first so you can dive out if you need to. That’s what it’s for.”
    “Right.”
    Mike really hated being the sensible one. It was always Dad’s responsibility to run the checklist when they were transporting horses, making sure neither man nor beast got hurt in the process. But he was gone now, and now that Mike was running the farm, the task had fallen to him. Someone had to be in charge, Mike supposed. But there were days when he wished it didn’t have to be him.
    “Mike?”
    Hearing Lily’s voice behind him, he realized he’d forgotten all about her. Turning, he saw Gideon standing at the rail, watching the dramatic scene with his usual curiosity. “Sorry to take off like that. Are you okay?”
    “Fine.” Patting the Belgian’s shoulder, she smiled. “Gideon took good care of me. Which is fortunate, because I don’t think I can get down from here on my own.”
    Her wry comment blew off most of the tension he’d been feeling, and he chuckled. “Just let me get this guy settled and I’ll give you a hand.”
    “No rush.” Winging a glance around the rolling acres surrounding them, she came back to him with a smile. “I really like the view from up here.”
    “I’d be more than happy to help her,” Drew offered smoothly.
    Mike glared at him, and he backed away, hands in the air. “Never mind.”
    As Drew strolled back toward the trailer, laughter trailed behind him. Mike had no clue what was so funny, and he turned to Chance with a grimace. “Any clue what that was all about?”
    The horse blinked at him, and Mike shook his head at his own foolishness. With the lead rope slack between them, he led their latest acquisition into what he called the Troublemaker Barn. It had large box stalls and a wide-open feel that seemed to calm even the most squirrelly horses. He was hoping it would do the same for its latest tenant.
    He wasn’t the least bit surprised when he heard another set of hooves clopping along behind them. Glancing back, he saw Lily and Gideon on the other side of the fence, shadowing him.
    “It wasn’t my idea,” Lily informed him. “Gideon wants to see what’s going on.”
    “Actually, that’s cool. He’s so mellow, we stable him with head cases when they first get here.”
    “Head cases?” she echoed with a quizzical look. “You mean there are more like him?”
    “Way worse, actually. Some horses do great at the track and then retire to pleasure riding without a hitch. Some develop nasty habits and need retraining to be safe enough for regular folks to ride. That’s my main job here, but we don’t get enough contracts like that yet, so I have to do other things to make up the difference.”
    “This horse recognized you,” she commented in a thoughtful tone. “How come?”
    “He was born here, and his owner hired Dad to train him for the track. Back then I was his assistant, so Chance must’ve remembered me.”
    “That must be why he didn’t hurt you. He could have mowed you down and kept right on going, but he didn’t.”
    “Most horses won’t do that to people even when they can. It’s not in their nature.”
    “That’s good to know,” she acknowledged with a nod. “It might come in handy someday.”
    Surprised by the comment, he stopped and faced her. “So even after all the excitement today, you’re planning to come back?”
    “Oh, absolutely.” Angling her head out to the side, she asked Gideon, “Is that okay with you?”
    He snuffled a response, and she laughed. “I think he really does understand what we’re saying to him.”
    “Horses are smarter than most folks give ’em credit for.”
    “I can relate to that.”
    Mike didn’t have the first clue how to