Kickin' Up Dust: Operation Cowboy, Book 1 by Em Petrova Page A

refused to let another fall.
    “What was he doing at the Gentrys’ place?” she asked.
    “Dunno.” He chafed her fingers with a light caress that shouldn’t have touched her so deeply. But it did. It was impossible not to compare Brodie’s hands with Wayne’s softer ones. Though the man was an experienced horseman, he wasn’t as rugged as Brodie.
    Pulling her hand from his, she stroked her dog. Crow was curled tightly, his eyes squeezed shut, and his breathing was shallow. But he was alive, which was one step toward being okay.
    Neither man in the front of the car spoke. It was as if seeing Matt’s dog wounded was akin to seeing the man himself.
    Tears threatened, and she dragged in deep breaths to dispel them. The rest of the journey was driven in silence. As soon as they reached the veterinary hospital, Brodie hopped out and strode inside. He came back with a couple people in scrubs pushing a cart.
    They got Crow out of the car and onto it, and Danica helplessly watched her family dog being rolled away.
    Brodie appeared at her side, and she couldn’t resist the pull of his solid arms. She leaned into him. He held her, his warm hand on her nape grounding her.
    Wydell and Boyd surrounded them. “We’re going to walk up to the coffee shop. Can we bring you back something?” Wydell asked.
    “Bring a coupla coffees,” Brodie answered in a quiet tone.
    She turned her face against his chest for a moment, smelling bar food and whiskey. He hadn’t even changed out of his clothes. She pushed away.
    He eyed her warily. “Let’s go inside. There’s bound to be paperwork.”
    “Okay.”
    Once she’d filled out several forms, Brodie took the clipboard to the window. He spoke with the receptionist for a long minute before pulling his wallet from his back pocket.
    She bolted to her feet. “No, Brodie. You don’t have to pay.”
    He glanced at her. “We’ll worry about it later.” His tone said differently, though. The stubborn man had no intention of allowing her or her family to pay for whatever care Crow required.
    She sank to the hard seat again. Her mind was spinning, and she couldn’t seem to land on any one thought. As Brodie filled the chair—no, overflowed it—beside her, she folded her hands in her lap. Touching him made her synapses snap. Having him near was no good for her peace of mind.
    “Glad you made it home okay last night,” he said.
    She shot him a look. “Meaning?”
    “Why are you so touchy? I spoke plain. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
    Fine. She’d let it go. “When will we hear about Crow?”
    “They’re looking at him now. They’ll tell us as soon as they make some decisions.”
    His words fell between them. The idea of Crow needing to be put to sleep made her throat burn. Brodie rested a hand on her knee, and she briefly clasped his fingers. Touching him was too normal for her, and she didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. The way he’d barged in and demanded a dance with her last night was totally cocky.
    And totally hot.
    “So what time did you get in this morning?” His question vibrated with insinuation. She should be pissed off. So why was she leaning toward him?
    “What time did you?” she shot back.
    “Too damn late.” He pulled his hand off her knee and scrubbed it over his face. The rasping noise of callus on beard only spiked her awareness. While she couldn’t be further from horny, she couldn’t deny she wanted to climb into his lap and curl around him. To take comfort.
    Would she do that with Wayne if he were here? The answer was a swift no. The man was nice, but…
    He wasn’t Brodie.
    She peered at him from the corner of her eye. “You rescued Crow?”
    He gave a simple nod.
    “I guess I’d better thank you, then.”
    His mouth softened and his eyes were hot pools of melted chocolate. She wanted to dive in and do backstrokes. “No thanks needed, Danica. I’d do anything for your family.”
    It was on the tip of her tongue to ask, For my