The Cowboy’s Justice (Naked Cowboys of Smoky Hill #4)

Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

Jethro and Jezebel were already racing from the barn when Devlin heard the Corvette coming down the drive. Stepping outside he watched the sports car slow to a stop, and the dogs run up to greet Portia the moment she climbed out.

“Hi, Devlin,” she called as they tried to lick her face when she leaned over to pet them. “Who are these two?”

“The lighter colored one is Jezebel and the other is Jethro. They’re brother and sister.”

“They’re so friendly. I haven’t been around dogs much, or any animals for that matter. My mother claims their fur gets all over the place.”

“She’s right,” he replied with a grin.

“Bye, Portia, I’ll see you later!” William called, staring out from his window with a dark frown.

“Okay, bye, William.”

“Let’s go into the barn,” Devlin suggested quickly. “I want you to meet Marge and Belle before I show you the cabin.”

“Marge and Belle?”

“My two mares,” he replied, but as he spoke he noticed William glaring at him before turning the car around and rolling up the driveway. “Your lawyer didn’t look very happy. Did you two have a fight?”

“No, he just doesn’t like the idea of me staying here.”

“Did he say why?”

“Huh, actually, now that you mention it, he didn’t,” she said thoughtfully as they walked down the barn aisle.

“I take it you haven’t been around horses much?”

“Not at all.”

“Just think of them as big dogs.”

“I’ll try,” she said with a grin. “I have to admit I’m a bit nervous.”

“That’s natural, but you’ll soon get used to them. The grey here is Belle,” he said, stopping at the mare’s stall, “and the chestnut in the stall next to her is Marge. Watch how I give Belle a piece of carrot. I flatten out my hand and put it in my palm like this. Now you do it.”

“Are you sure she won’t take my finger by mistake?”

“Positive,” he replied with a chuckle.

Watching her offer Marge a large chunk of carrot, Devlin was surprised to see how quickly Portia relaxed.

“What a sweetheart. Can I stroke her neck?”

“Sure. She might nudge you for another treat though.”

“Wow, they’re amazing,” she murmured, running her hand down Marge’s neck. “Can I give Belle a piece of carrot too? She’s looking at me so hopefully.”

“Of course, here are a few pieces. You can feed them both.”

“This is so cool,” she muttered as she gave the treat to one, then the other. “I didn’t realize horses could be so gentle.”

“Portia, these are the two horses that were in my trailer when you charged past it and hit me,” he said solemnly. “Fortunately they don’t spook easily, but if I’d been haulin’—”

“Oh, my gosh, I’m so sorry,” she exclaimed, cutting him off and staring up at him.

“As I was about to say, if I’d been haulin’ colts or fillies it might have become a bad situation. Perhaps now you can get some perspective on how disturbin’ that entire incident was. Endangerin’ the life of any animal for no good reason is totally unacceptable.”

“I don’t know what to say,” she mumbled, her face blushing red. “It didn’t even occur to me.”

“Obviously. Why were you in such a hurry?”

“Uh, I was supposed to be at a dinner party. The traffic was terrible, which you obviously know, and I’d run out of time. I couldn’t even get home to change. That’s why I was putting my make up on in the car.”

“And you didn’t want to get stuck behind a truck and trailer.”

“Something like that.”

“I suspect you’re not the most patient person even at the best of times.”

“Pretty much,” she admitted, then letting out a breath, she added, “and that afternoon was especially bad.”

“It doesn’t matter what’s goin’ on, when you’re dealin’ with horses, you have to remember things take as long as they take. If you get anxious or keyed up it doesn’t help, it only makes matters worse. Bein’ here you’ll soon learn to take a deep breath and take your time. Come on, I’ll show you the cabin. I stayed there while I was renovatin’ the house. It won’t be what you’re used to, but it’s comfortable and you’ll have your privacy.”

“Before we do that, can you explain exactly what I’ll be doing?”

“Helpin’ Jimmy and Mike clean the stalls, feedin’, cleanin’ tack, stuff like that.”

“Did you say cleaning the stalls?”

“Yep.”

“You mean, like, pushing wheelbarrows around?”

“Yep.”

“Uh, but—aren’t they heavy?”

“They can be.”

“I’m not sure I want to do stuff like that.”

“Hey, Portia, this isn’t a vacation.”

“Yeah, I know, but—”

“If you have any trouble one of the boys will step in, but you’ll be here to work. Any other questions?”

“I guess not,” she muttered with a frown.

“Hey, you don’t have to do this. You can always talk to the sheriff about—”

“No!” she exclaimed before he could finish. “Sorry, but between my lawyer telling me what I should and shouldn’t do, and the sheriff threatening me with jail, I can’t take any more.”

“Hey, I understand. You’re at fault, but I get that it’s been rough. Come on, I’ll show you the cabin.”

As they walked outside and headed towards the back of his house, he began to have second thoughts. She was short-tempered and he was concerned she might upset the calm atmosphere. But the horses had responded to her, and he was growing to like her--a lot--far more than he’d expected.

“That’s it,” he declared, pointing to a cabin set amongst some trees.

“Wow. It looks like a miniature Swiss Chalet. I thought it would be a shack.”

“That’s how it started out, but I lived there for over a year and I enjoyed fixin’ it up.”

Opening the door, he watched her face as she passed him, and grinned when she broke into a wide smile.

“It’s so nice,” she remarked, taking in the granite counter tops and the modern appliances. “I didn’t expect this. Sure, I can live here.”

“Good, but Portia, you have to do as I say, when I say. Do you think you can handle that?”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Good. Then come back to the barn with me and I’ll show you the tack room. That’s where you’ll start first thing in the morning.”

* * *

Back at Portia’s house William was pacing. Devlin was a good-looking, well-built cowboy, and it was obvious Portia found him attractive.

The situation wasn’t good.

It wasn’t good at all.