Cowgirl, Say Yes. Brenda Mott
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glass back on the table.
“Oh?”
“That’s right, Miss Smarty-Pants horse rescuer. I’ve owned plenty of horses with what I’d say was individual personality in my time.”
“Really?” Fighting a smile, Tess braced her elbows on the table and leaned her chin on laced fingers. “Tell me about them.”
“Let’s see.” He poured more maple syrup over his pancakes, which seemed to suck the stuff up like sponges. “There was Winchester…”
“No, Dad, tell her about Ace.” Jason smiled broadly at Tess. “He saved Dad’s life.”
“No kidding?” Tess drew back, looking impressed.
Wade felt his face warm. He didn’t like to think about that day he’d fallen through the ice. He’d been a dumb kid, not listening to his dad.
He eyed the empty place in front of Tess. “Don’t you want to get some pancakes?”
“In a minute. First I want to hear about your hero horse.” She waved her hand in a hurry-up gesture. “Go ahead.”
Wade told her about Ace, the six-year-old black gelding that had been his father’s best working ranch horse. One winter, when Wade was ten, he’d decided to try his hand at ice fishing. There was a huge pond, almost lake size, in one of the pastures not far from the house. Fed by the river, it was a great place to catch trout, and Wade had decided his dad’s warnings of the dangers of thin ice were not warranted.
A freak warming trend in January had left the ground thawing, the ice beginning to melt. But he’d been certain it was thick enough to hold him, and had sneaked away while his dad was busy splitting firewood. As he used a saw to cut a hole in the ice, it cracked around him, and he fell through into the frigid water.
Ace was one of the horses on pasture in the enclosure around the pond. When Tom Darland looked up from his task to see his best horse running in circles, snorting, eyes fixed on the pond, he’d known something was amiss. Tom trusted the gelding’s sharp senses.
“Dad ducked through the fence and spotted me before he was halfway across the pasture. He yelled for a ranch hand who happened to be riding in from mending fence.” Wade glanced at Tess and saw her deep green eyes focused on him raptly.
He nearly forgot where he was in his story.
“Tell her about the rope,” Jason encouraged.
“My dad’s quite a hand with a lariat,” Wade went on. “Which was lucky for me. He grabbed that cowboy’s rope and ran for the pond. Threw a loop around me and hauled me in. I was dang near froze to death.”
“Dad didn’t get a spanking, though,” Macy added. “Even though Grandma Darland thought he ought to. Grandpa said being half-frozen was punishment enough.”
“But he never tried to ice fish again,” Jason finished. “And Ace became the hero of the Bar D.”
“Wow.” Tess sat up straight in her chair and eyed him. “Who would’ve known? So you cowboys don’t always think of ranch horses as just working animals, right?” She held his gaze, eyes full of feigned innocence.
Wade shifted in his chair. “Well. Mostly we do. But Ace was special.”
“Whatever happened to him?”
“Uh—he’s still around.”
“You mean you didn’t take him to the sale barn?”
“No. He wasn’t my horse to sell.”
“And your dad didn’t take him, either?”
He could see the corners of her mouth begin to quirk with amusement, and from the way her eyes sparkled, he could tell she was trying her best not to break out in a full-fledged grin.
Busted. “No, actually, he didn’t.”
“’Course not.” Jason turned to Tess. “Grandpa sold off most of the Bar D, but he still has Ace. He’s twenty-nine years old now. The horse, not Grandpa.” He grinned.
Tess laughed. “I’m impressed.” She scooted her chair back. “Let me get some of those pancakes, then you can tell me about Winchester.”
A SHORT WHILE LATER, Macy and Jason headed out the door to walk to school with their friends who lived in town. Ferguson Riverside, which went from kindergarten to grade eight, was only a mile from the café, and Thursday was the one day Macy and Jason didn’t have to ride the bus.
Wade knew he should leave, too, and get to his chores. But as he and Tess settled into talking about various horses and other things he’d begun to enjoy his conversation with her. He discovered that she’d agreed to take on Macy’s 4-H group because it was a “horse only” club. None of the kids in the group raised meat animals, such as sheep, steers or hogs. Before Wade could have a chance to let that comment rile him, the conversation led to one that had him even more up in arms.
“I’ve been thinking about something,” Tess said. She pushed her empty plate away and cupped her glass of orange juice. “If you’re unable to buy Tess a new barrel-racing horse right now, why not look into adopting one from the sanctuary? The fee is minimal.”
Wade bristled. Who was she to determine what he could and couldn’t afford to buy? That her statement was true didn’t make him feel any better.
“Who says I can’t buy one?”
Tess raised her eyebrows. “Then you were trying to get Macy to sell Amber only because you don’t want an old horse around anymore?”
He scowled at her and opened his mouth to explain it all again, then shook his head. “I told you before—it’s none of your concern.”
She held up a hand in surrender. “Okay. You’re right. I didn’t mean to be nosy. It’s just that all my rescue cases aren’t necessarily crippled and old. I frequently get an animal that’s suffered from malnutrition or abandonment, nothing else. As a matter of fact, my own mare was a rescue animal. I’d be happy to adopt a horse out to Macy the next time I run across one that might be suitable for 4-H.” She frowned back at him. “That’s all I meant, Wade, so you can just tamp down your male pride and smooth your feathers. There’s no reason to be so pigheaded.”
He let out a huff of air, then scooted his chair away from the table. “I’m hardly the one who’s pigheaded, Tess. Look, it was nice having breakfast with you, but I’ve got work to do.” He scooped up the check for his and the kids’ meals, then reached for the one the waitress had laid near Tess’s elbow. Before she could protest, he held up one hand. “I’ve got it.” He touched the brim of his hat. “See ya around.”
“Thanks,” Tess said dryly.
Ignoring her, he walked to the cash register to pay. He did his best not to look back at her over his shoulder. For a whole minute.
Unable to resist, Wade cast a casual glance toward their table. Tess hadn’t wasted any time in leaving. The cowbell clanged as she closed the door behind her. But not before he saw her watching him, as well. Quickly, he averted his gaze, paid the tab and strode outside. He’d parked on the street near Audrey’s. In the parking lot, Tess sat behind the wheel of her Dodge truck.
He expected to hear the engine crank over. Instead, the small ticking of a bad starter reached his ears. Tess’s lips moved as she mumbled in frustration and gave the Ram another shot. Nothing.
Wade walked toward her, telling himself he couldn’t very well drive off and leave her stranded. “Engine trouble?” he asked, leaning his elbows on the door frame above her open window.
She glared at him. “Nope. I just like the view here.” Then she rolled her eyes in a good-natured way. “I think it’s the starter.”
“Can I give you a lift? I was going over to your dad’s feed store, anyway.”
“Actually,