Page 27 of Untamed Heart
Ignoring Cole’s soft chuckle, as Lil leapt back over the fence, I approached Bambi slowly. Her eyes and nostrils were still wide, and I muttered soothing nothings to her until she lowered her head a little, allowing me to gently scoop up her reins.
‘There you go, sweetie. You’re a good girl, aren’t you?’ I said, keeping my focus on her as I led her back over to the gate, determined not to look at Cole. ‘It was just the noise of the gate, nothing to worry about.’
As we neared it, I heard Cole approaching.
‘Hey . . . Listen, I’m sorry,’ he said, reaching for the gate and opening it wide enough for us both. Bambi skittered sideways, throwing her head up.
I shushed her gently, stroking her neck, letting her calm herself for a moment. I braced myself, expecting Cole to intervene, and when he didn’t, I risked a quick glance to where he stood.
He was watching carefully, his eyes alight, but any sense of hostility had seemingly abated.
‘Come on,’ I murmured to Bambi, feeling her resistance but keeping firm. ‘Let’s brush you down instead, okay?’
I heard the gate close behind us, just a gentle click as the latch was secured this time. As I tied Bambi up and loosened her cinch, working my way round and taking off her saddle, Cole suddenly appeared in front of me. I stopped, and in silence, as I dared to look up at him, he stepped closer, the saddle the only thing keeping his body apart from mine.
The anger I’d felt before still simmered, but as he reached out and gently took it from me, our hands brushed each other. Sparks shot up my arms, my heart responding instantly, even as I shoved the thought away.
‘I can handle that, you know,’ I blurted, gesturing at the saddle.
‘Oh, I get the feeling you can handle a whole lot more than that,’ he replied, barely breaking his stride as he carried it away towards the barn.
Closing my eyes for a moment, resting my hand on Bambi’s shoulder, I willed away the feeling it left me with, one that sat right next to the anger, that threatened to boil right over.
‘Who the hellisthis man, eh, girl?’ I whispered to Bambi, reaching down to the tray full of brushes I’d spotted by the barn wall.
I started gently on her back, throwing my focus into her response, any sensitive points where the brush might feel too much. But in seconds she had relaxed, her head lowering as I applied more pressure, taking out some of the frustration of the last half an hour.
‘You understand them, don’t you?’
Cole’s voice was low as he leant against the barn, watching.
I bit back the sharper response that formed in my mind. He had apologized. He was making an effort. The version of him I’d met in the bar flashed in my mind, the feel of his lips on mine.
‘Yeah, as much as a city girl can,’ I said, not pausing to look at him.
There was a silence, broken only by the sound of the brush working through Bambi’s beautiful coat, and the other horses moving around in the barn.
‘Right,’ he replied. ‘Lottie, I—’
‘I’m not interested,’ I lied, working my way around Bambi to her other side, letting her body shield me from him. ‘I’ve got other things to do today once this is done. So I just need to concentrate on finishing this up and go.’
‘Other things?’ he asked, after another pause.
‘Applying for jobs at home. In the city – you know, the real world.’
The words came out harder than I’d intended and, unable to resist, I looked up, catching his expression. That same hint of amusement was there, the infuriating gleam in his eyes that meant he knew just how far under my skin he was.
‘Okay, I won’t hold you up. And I’m guessing you don’t need help taking her back to her stall after? I’m going out on Domino for a while.’
I shook my head, not trusting myself to speak again. And as Cole walked away, I made a resolution.
It was time to reassess and deal with the mess at home, I decided, before a whole new one emerged here.
CHAPTER8
‘I’ll give you this much,’ Lil said, holding back a yawn. ‘You got here just in time. We need every pair of hands this weekend to move the cows. You sure you’ll be okay riding again? I’ll make sure Jesse gives you Jasper.’
‘Yeah, fine,’ I replied, knowing that my two-day stint of avoiding Cole would be coming to an abrupt end.
