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Danica Brody stopped just inside the door of the livestock sale barn and inhaled deeply. Pine shavings, hay, damp earth and horse—heaven. Her former fiancé hadn't shared that feeling, which was why walking into this particular barn felt so damned good. She didn't have to justify her actions to a man who didn't understand her passion for horses or her need to right a wrong.
Maybe it was a good thing that Chad had been so very bad at cheating.
She bought a sale catalog, debated about coffee, then decided against it because her stomach was in a knot. Several riders circled the arena, showing off their horses' moves prior to the sale, and Dani drifted closer. Lacy J wasn't there, but she didn't expect her to be. Not unless her current owner had found someone brave enough to ride her.
"Hey, Dani!"
She turned to see her high-school friend Gina Salinas waving at her from where she stood behind a stroller a few feet away. "I'm so glad you're back," Gina said as Dani reversed course. They kept up on Facebook, but it was the first time Dani had actually seen her friend in over a year.
"I had nowhere else to go after SnowFrost closed its doors." Dani bent over the stroller to smile at the sleeping baby and was instantly charmed by his thick thatch of dark hair and amazingly long eyelashes. "He's gorgeous." Very much like his mother.
"I do good work," Gina agreed with a satisfied smile. "How long are you staying?"
Dani straightened, rolling the sale catalog in her hands. "Forever, as far as I'm concerned. Someone has to live on the ranch and feed the cows." All five of them. Sadly, the Lightning Creek was no longer a working ranch, but it was home and she was glad to be back.
"If you need a job, we'll be hiring at the café soon." Gina glanced down at her sleeping baby. "I cut back to half days to spend more time with Lucas and they're feeling the pinch."
"Thanks, but I'm going to start my own business."
Gina glanced back up. "Horse training fulltime?"
"What better time that when I have a fat severance check and can live rent-free?"
"What I wouldn't give for rent-free," Gina said with a roll of her dark eyes. "But my mom just moved in with me, so I'm not complaining. Much." She smiled ruefully. "At least I have a live-in sitter and someone to share rent."
"Dani!"
She turned again, this time to find herself enveloped in a bear hug. After nearly having the breath squeezed out of her, she careful extricated herself from the blond giant's embrace. "Mac. Good to see you." She and Mac had been close friend since sharing a table in the world's most boring seventh grade science class.
Mac beamed at her before nodding a stiff hello at Gina, who smiled back tentatively.
"Hey, I'll see you later," Gina said to Dani. She smiled again at Mac, then wheeled the stroller away, disappearing into the crowd. Mac watched her go before turning his attention back to Dani. "You coming to the tavern this Friday? It's one of your last chances to see me for a while."
"Heading across the state?"
"The oil patch calls."
"If I don't, I'll make it up to you when you get back," Dani said, because she hadn't yet decided exactly what her plans were. She hadn't even planned to come to this sale until she'd heard that Lacy would be on the block. She was still unpacking and figuring out which project to tackle first on the ranch. "I assume you're here for your paint mare?"
"You aren't going to bid against me, are you?" she asked, only half-joking. Mac did love a flashy horse.
"Are you kidding? After what she did to her last owner? But I thought you might like to know that some guy has been hanging around her pen for the past half hour or so."
"Yeah?" Dani asked, her eyebrows rising as her stomach twisted a bit. "Anyone I know?"
"I don't know him." Mac gave her a dubious look. "Are you sure you want this mare back?"
"Yeah. I do."
She was halfway to the door leading to the holding area when he called, "You owe me a beer."
"For…?" she called back. "General principles."
She laughed and waved, but her smile faded as soon as she started toward the pens. She was on a mission to rescue the horse she should never have sold. Her one hope was that the mare went cheaply, because the money she was about to spend should actually be going back into her business. The last thing she needed was for someone unfamiliar with the mare and her history to end up as her new owner.
Gabe Matthews leaned his elbows on the round metal rails of the horse pen and surveyed the people as they walked into the holding area. So far no Danica Brody, even though he'd heard she was interested in buying the paint mare now eyeing him suspiciously across six feet of wood shavings.
Maybe he had the wrong paint mare.
Unlikely. The only other spotted horse in the entire barn was barely larger than a pony, so logic told him that the mare of interest had to be this one.
A deep voice with a distinctive country timbre came over the loudspeaker, encouraging folks to get their auction numbers if they hadn't already done so. It was close to showtime and Gabe had thought for certain that Ms. Brody would check on the mare prior to purchase. Maybe he'd gotten bad information.
He dropped his chin to study his new boots as he debated. Cut and run? Hang out a little longer?
If she didn't show, she didn't show. He wanted to meet the woman for the first time on neutral turf and this sale had seemed like the perfect opportunity, but if it didn't work out he'd figure out something else. Hell, maybe he'd buy the paint mare and Danica Brody could come to him.
"You like her?"
A feminine voice near his shoulder startled him and he turned to find himself looking into a pair of large hazel eyes set in a striking heart-shaped face.
"I do," he said, hiding his surprise in a smile. Danica Brody had come to him.
She gave a small shrug and placed her hands on the rail a foot or so from his, studying the horse as he, in turn, casually studied her profile. She wore a straw cowboy hat and her long wheat-colored hair was pulled back into a loose braid fastened with a silver concho.
"Are you the owner?" he asked. "No. The owner of this particular horse should be beaten about the head and shoulders."
He laughed. "Yeah?"
She looked sideways at him, as if wondering if she should have spoken so freely. "Are you a friend of Len Olsen?"
"Can't say that I am."
"Wouldn't matter if you were, I guess," she said, looking back at the mare. "I wouldn't take back what I said." She frowned at the mare. "Do you know anything about this horse?"
"Just what's in the catalog."
"If I were you," she said, "I would steer clear of this mare. There are a lot better horses here. Horses that would suit you better."
One corner of Gabe's mouth rose in amusement. Warned off. "That's a rather bold statement, since you know nothing about me."
Danica didn't appear one bit apologetic. "I know horses and this isn't a horse I would bid on if I were you. You won't be doing anything but buying trouble. She put her last owner in the hospital."
"Is that a fact?" he asked. "Which horse would you bid on if you were I?"
She eyed him for a moment and Gabe did his best to look as if he cared about horses. Then she pulled the catalog out of her back pocket and started turning pages.
"Any of the Dunning Ranch horses are good. They have excellent foundation stock." She flipped a few more pages and pointed at a solid brown, rather boring-looking horse. "I know this gelding. He's quiet and competent."
Gabe nodded, trying not to notice just how good Danica Brody smelled as she continued to thumb through the catalog. Something spicy with a hint of floral. A nice change from the pungent smells that permeated the barn.
She looked up at him then. "Are you new to the area? Or did you drive in just for the sale?"
"New to the area," Gabe answered truthfully. "I'm at the Staley place."
"The castle?" Danica said on a laugh. "Then we're neighbors. You drive through my property to get to yours."
Gabe smiled back. "Imagine that. I'm Gabe Matthews."
"Dani," she said. "Did you buy it? The Staley place?"
"Something else I should steer clear of?"
"No. It's just that it's been empty for so long…even after it finally sold a few years ago, no one moved in and I heard a rumor it might be for sale again soon."
"Is it haunted or something?" he asked with an amused smile.
"I don't know what the deal is, but we—my sisters and I—didn't really mind when no one moved in. Less traffic across our place. More peace and quiet."
"I'm temporary," he said. "Leasing. I'm on a forced vacation and staying there for the time being."
"Forced vacation, huh?" The loudspeaker blared and Danica glanced over at the stands. "If they're clearing the arena, then I'd better get my seat." She patted the metal fence. "Good luck if you decide to bid." She almost sounded as if she meant it, but she couldn't stop herself from giving the mare one last long look.
"Same to you," Gabe said.
So why had that Gabe guy been hanging around Lacy's pen for such a long time? Mac had seen him there and he'd still been there when she arrived. And if he was on vacation, then why buy a horse?
Perhaps it was a prolonged vacation, and maybe, like Mac, he had a penchant for flashy horses. But he didn't look like a horse guy, even if he had been wearing cowboy boots. His new jeans, gray crew-neck sweater and well worn leather bomber jacket had shouted urbanite.
Maybe he rode English.
Dani took her seat as the first horse came into the arena and when the auctioneer started his spiel, she glanced around the sea of cowboy hats to see if she could spot Gabe. She was just beginning to think she had nothing to worry about when she caught sight of him sitting a few rows down from her and to the left, a number in his hand. Great.
If he, or anyone, bid against her today, it was only because of Lacy's color and conformation. No one would be riding the mare today, showing off her moves, because no one knew if or when she was going to explode. Thanks to Len Olsen, Lacy was a gorgeous, untrustworthy animal and Danica needed to get her back. She owed her.
"Hey, gorgeous." Mac scooted in beside her and Danica slid sideways to give him room. "I see Lacy's up fourth."
"Yes. At least it'll be over quickly." She shot a look over at Gabe, saw his number paddle shoot into the air and felt a wash of relief as he continued to bid on the palomino now spinning effortlessly on his haunches in the sale pen.
"Here to bring me luck?" Dani asked Mac.
"Why else?" But he seemed to be searching the crowd.
Dani brought her attention back to the bidding action. Gabe bid several times, then when the action got too rich, put his number back on his thigh and kept it there. Now Dani had an idea of his limit, which was unfortunately well above her own.
She closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Mac's big hand landed on the back of her neck, massaging for a moment, making her head move side to side. "It'll be okay," he said as he settled his hand back on his thigh.
But it wasn't okay. Instead of starting slowly, the bidding on Lacy took off immediately. Dani had planned to wait until the bidding slowed—not that she'd really expected it to take off—and then jump in toward the end. Instead, she sat dazed as the sale price kept rising and rising. Someone really wanted Lacy and it wasn't her new neighbor, who'd sat without moving. Dani swallowed as disappointment washed over her—she told herself that the mare would be going to a good home if someone was willing to pay that much for her. She glanced over at Gabe, saw him move his paddle, then thrust her own number high in the air. The spotter pointed at her and her competition, who sat somewhere behind her bid again. Her gut twisted.
Too rich. She just couldn't justify it. She and her sisters had just sunk a lot of money into much-needed fence repair, greatly diminishing her store of available cash. The auctioneer pointed at her questioningly as the bid stalled out. She shook her head, feeling close to tears, which was ridiculous because she didn't cry.
"Going…going."
Mac grabbed Dani's hand and lifted it up high. Her startled gaze jerked up to his face, but he just smiled at her.
