Chapter 5
FIVE
I licked my lips and feasted on the visual buffet laid out before me.
Tall, check.
Dark, close enough: the man’s tan indicated he spent a great deal of time outside. His brown eyes also fell into the dark category, which worked well with his hair and hovered somewhere between brown and black.
Handsome, check.
Muscular in all the right ways, check.
From head to toe, the man of my dreams had gone to the feed store, and he investigated the selection of tack for horses tucked in the back of the shop.
That he examined the store’s limited supply of racing saddles indicated he, like me, had an interest in thoroughbreds.
His choice of attire included a casual button-up and jeans that properly caressed his assets and promised good things should I get him out of said attire.
His boots were the only concern; they hadn’t seen much wear and tear yet, though I did spot a few scuffs indicating he’d put them to good use thus far.
When positive he couldn’t catch me, I licked my lips and feasted on the visual buffet laid out before me.
“Well, I see where I was going wrong,” the incubus quipped, soft enough the gentleman investigating the tack couldn’t hear him. “I can tell you a few important facts about him in exchange for a bushel of peaches.”
“Sold,” I replied. I’d be rolling in peaches once the trees were ready to share their bounty with me.
“He is single and hasn’t enjoyed the company of a woman in long enough I can’t tell if he’s a virgin or not. At that stage, he might as well be a virgin.”
Nice. However, that concerned me for a few reasons.
The nice piece of scenery down the way didn’t appear to be that old. “Non-human, then?”
“Correct. You are what you are, so that’s not a bad thing.
I can’t tell which one of you will live longer, but it’s better than you partnering with a vanilla man; you’d end up like a harpy, grieving relentlessly because your latest partner perished.
Except you wouldn’t be killing him and feeding him to your young, of course. ”
Right. I knew several harpies from my last job, and they’d figured out a loophole on how to reproduce without being arrested for killing off their men.
They hunted for old men on the brink of death, and rather than feed the corpse of their lover to their babies, they fed them steak and pork chops.
The men got one last hell of a ride, the harpies got to act in accordance with their nature, and the babies were fed something other than human flesh.
I regarded Isaac with a frown. “What does it say about me that harpies don’t bother me that much?”
“The harpies you know are smart, kind enough until it’s time to have children, and give up any non-harpy infants for adoption.
Also, Lucy wants to thank you for planting those seeds among your harpy friends; you’ve saved numerous babies from a bad end because you taught the harpies how to better handle the situation.
They just aren’t human, they don’t know how to be human, and adoption is not part of their knowledge nor instincts. ”
“I’m going to give you a bunch of cherries for that gem, too. Thanks, Isaac.”
“Anytime. So, where are the chickens?”
I pointed towards the other end of the store, although I didn’t budge.
The tall, dark, and handsome along the way was near the new halter I wanted to get for David.
It matched my new truck, and I wanted halters that matched my truck.
“If you go over there, he might talk to you, and then you might lose what’s left of your mind,” the incubus warned.
“I legitimately have a need from that section of the store. Of course, it’s only a need because I’m trying really hard to be selfish for once in my life; I want red halters, and the only way I’m getting them is if I buy them here or head over to the fancy shop.”
“It’s more selfish if you head over to the fancy shop,” he replied, and the bastard laughed at me.
“I’ll go look at the chickens while you go break your own heart.
Unless he has good sense and bothers to use magic, he isn’t going to think you’re anything more than a human, and he doesn’t appear to be on the hunt for his next lay. Sorry, Crystal.”
I slumped my shoulders at the news. “I’ll still get David a halter. David is a master of getting his filthy.”
“If David sees mud, he rolls in it, and that’s rough on a halter.
You even do your best to take their halters off when releasing them to the pasture in the morning.
You only halter them out of a burning need to be responsible.
You have convinced them to follow you like baby ducklings without putting up a fuss.
You don’t even need lead lines for any of them. ”
“I’m not willing to test their fortitude against a falling leaf,” I replied in my most dignified tone. “Maybe you should check the livestock pens to see if there are any goats.”
“I could, but then we’d have to figure out how to get the goats home.”
“Suit yourself. Wish me luck. I’m going in.”
* * *
The red halter proved to be unsuitable for any of my horses, and I contemplated throwing a temper tantrum in the feed store over the situation.
Muttering curses under my breath, I returned it to the hook, eyeballing the selection that might fit my tank of a Clydesdale.
Of the six that would do the job, only one had any color at all, and I suspected the neon orange might be visible from space.
In good news for me, David didn’t seem all that particular about the color of his halters, so he might forgive me for the abuse of his supreme equine self.
The gentleman I’d been eyeing stopped what he was doing to stare at the neon monstrosity in my hand. “Are you buying that for a horse?”
I wouldn’t blame him for his reaction. If I attempted to put the halter on my thoroughbreds, it’d slide right off with no resistance. “Surprisingly, yes.” I pointed at the halter I’d wanted. “Unfortunately, that one is too small.”
If I were fishing, my bait would have gotten me a solid bite, as he came closer to have a look at the red halter. He picked it up and examined it, checking the tag.
To my eternal dismay, his eyes lit up. “This one should fit. I’ve been standing here for thirty minutes trying to decide on what halter and tack to get, and I’m just coming to the conclusion I have no idea what I’m actually doing.”
While fortune did not favor me often, I would embrace the opportunity to meet the man, who had a silky voice of moderate pitch. I questioned if he’d be able to growl in the right circumstances, although I appreciated he lacked the deep, rumbling tones some women favored.
“What breed of horse?”
“I have no idea. I was just given sizes and told to make myself useful. I’m shopping for a friend. I like horses, but all I’ve done is ride and groom them. The tack was always somebody else’s problem.”
I could think of a few circumstances where someone would know how to groom a horse and ride a horse without being able to tack them: he rode a friend’s horse, and the friend handled the saddle and bridle.
“Well, if you have the sizes, we can see if they have what you need.” I pointed at the limited supply of saddles.
“You don’t want to buy those here unless you’re a raw beginner; you’ll want to go to a dedicated shop for the saddle to make certain it’s the right kind for the horse.
The bridle and halter you can get here.” I pointed at the brand of bridles I preferred for my beasts.
“I like those, and they make them for most styles of riding. The leather is good quality, the default bit is good quality and gentle enough, and it’s durable.
While my Clydesdale ruins halters looking at them, we’re still on his first bridle. ”
After draping the halter over his arm, he went to check out the bridles, and after reading labels and checking a note card, he selected one. “What do you think about the saddle issue?”
“Is that the horse’s measurements?” I asked, pointing at the card.
He nodded and handed it over.
According to the owner, the horse was actually a demon of moderate size with measurements similar, albeit a bit larger, to Alligator Bait.
The bit larger part made the red halter suitable for the animal.
I checked the saddles the feed store had and discovered he had a decent selection to work with.
Closer examination of the card indicated the horse was used for barrel racing.
I pointed at the saddle he wanted. “This one should fit and do the job. It’s cheap, but if you just need a saddle, this should get you started until you can get a good one.”
He stared at the saddle and its price tag, which would set him back two hundred, which was a bargain for a saddle. “Is this expensive or cheap?”
“It’s cheap,” I informed him. “David’s saddle cost me six thousand dollars. He’s huge, so I had to buy him a custom saddle. Don’t ask how much his harness and carriage cost, but I haven’t started working him with the carriage yet. He loves going on rides despite being a challenge to work with.”
According to his expression, I’d broken his heart. “Is it bad that I don’t want to buy something cheap?”
“Buy the cheap saddle to start with, and once you’re more skilled, upgrade it. It should be a serviceable saddle, especially if you’re a beginner at barrel racing.”
“I am,” he replied. “I don’t want to trash my friend’s tack.”
Uh oh. I dealt with a considerate man. His face and physique were already causing me problems.
I did not need a nice tall, dark, and handsome sharing space with me.
“This saddle should work for learning how to barrel race on your friend’s horse.
” I pointed at the saddle blankets and pads.
“They have some nice ones here, and if your friend is anything like me, there is no such thing as too many of those. You can spoil your friend’s horse and your friend with saddle pads and blankets.
” To put my money where my mouth was, I selected a red pad the match of my truck. “Do you live in the area?”