Ain't No Angel (23 page)

“How do you know all this? And why are you at the south pasture with my horses without first telling me?” The muscles in his jaw tightened. His voice boomed harsh.

Laney raked her teeth over her bottom lip. She couldn’t dare tell him everything she needed to get off her chest. Not all at once. He already seemed angry.

“Tyler.” She reached for his arm, and stepped up to him. “I want to help your horse. I need you to trust me.”

“How is it that you know so much about horses, things neither I nor Gabe, or anyone else around here seems to know?” His steely glare replaced the look of desire from a moment ago. Laney fought back the slight panic that gripped her chest. She was about to have her heart broken again. This was worse than getting burned by a guy she really liked. This time, being rejected and cast aside was all her fault.

“I can’t tell you right now how I know. All I’m asking is that you believe me, and trust me. Give me half a chance, Tyler, and someday I will tell you everything about me,” she pleaded.  Her heart hammered furiously in her chest.

 His gaze lingered on her face. Time stood still while he silently appraised her. Indecision flowed through his eyes. Laney stepped up closer to him. She stood on her toes, and leaned toward him. She placed her hands on his chest. “If you care about me at all, you’ll trust me,” she whispered against his cheek. “Please listen to what I have to tell you with an open mind, no matter how strange it’s going to sound to you,” she implored.

Tyler gripped her arms. The confused look on his face could have been funny, if it wasn’t so serious at the moment.  “Care about you?” The corners of his eyes twitched. “Laney, I’ve never cared for anyone the way I . . . I never thought I’d care about any woman the way I care about you.”

Laney reached up and cupped his face between her hands. “You’re the most amazing man I ever met,” she whispered softly.

Tyler’s hands clamped around her waist, and he pulled her up against his chest. Laney sucked in a lungful of air, and leaned up toward him. She pulled his head down, and touched her lips to his.

Tyler groaned, and wrapped his arms around her, his hands sliding up and down her back. Heat seeped through the thin material of her chemise into her skin wherever he touched her. He deepened the kiss, gently and without hurry, and Laney sighed. Her arms, her legs, her insides all melted in his embrace. There was no urgency in his actions, only a fierce tenderness. Tears pooled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Tyler pulled his head back. His eyes devoured her, and he swiped at her moist face with his thumbs.

“I don’t want to keep secrets from you,” she rasped. “That’s why I’m telling you this. I need you to hear me out, no matter how strange it sounds.”

Tyler’s hands raked through her hair. A hesitant smile spread across his face. “My neighbors, my wranglers, hell, even the townsfolk after last night, they all think I ain’t right in the head. I allow you to wear britches, I let you ride through the hills on your own, and I go against everything I’ve ever been taught in caring for a sick horse. I’ve already lost my mind where you’re concerned. Convince me that what you’re telling me about Rap is the truth.”

Laney stared up into his sincere eyes. Relief flooded her, and her body lightened considerably as if great weights had been lifted from her. She nodded slowly. She leaned up and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him close.

“Thank you, Tyler.”

****

The band of broodmares grazed along the banks of the wide creek that flowed through the valley. Tyler guided Charlie ahead of Laney’s filly. He’d stared at Laney’s backside long enough while they rode in silence since leaving the ranch. It was Sunday morning, and most of his men were either asleep in the bunkhouse or had spent the night in town. Only Sammy milled about, taking care of the morning feeding and watering of the horses. Tyler caught the questioning look on the kid’s face when he and Laney mounted their horses and rode off so early in the morning.

Laney hadn’t offered any more of an explanation as to what she’d been up to as far as Rap was concerned. She continued to perplex him at every turn. Her revelation that she’d been coming to the south pasture to do something with his stallion baffled and angered him. Her soft curves pressed to his, and the look of gratitude in her eyes when he told her he was willing to hear her out curbed his annoyance. She’d nearly driven him mad with desire when he found her standing in the kitchen in her underthings, but curiosity about Rap and the things she’d said cooled his need for the moment.

Since the day of the fire, he hadn’t given much thought to his wife’s unconventional ways. After the dance they shared last night, he was more in love with her than ever, if that was even possible. It was exactly those unconventional ways of hers that made her so darn appealing. He was sure to be the talk of the town for weeks to come, and his men already thought he allowed Laney too many liberties. Tyler rubbed his hand along his jaw. Why should he care what people thought?

Laney had worked her way under his skin without even trying from the moment he first set eyes on her. For all her puzzling behaviors and words, she shared his love of horses, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was his perfect match. She wasn’t some stuffy woman who’d rather sit in a parlor all day, gossiping with the other ladies, or spend his money on frivolous clothes and accessories. Disallowing her unconventional behavior was like keeping a spirited horse cooped up in a barn. It would only lead to rebellion, and she’d resent him for it.

Tyler had tossed in his bed all night, visions and memories of her wrapped so intimately in his arms tormenting his mind and body. He certainly had hoped the night would have ended differently. The ashen look on her face when he returned from dancing with Myra had doused his desires quicker than an early winter snowfall. Laney had nearly died in that fire a week ago, need he remind himself? He shouldn’t have brought her to the dance so soon after the accident.

Tyler gazed at the far-off horizon. The sun had risen brightly over the mountains earlier, but dark thunderclouds loomed in the distance. By the looks of it, they would be in for quite a downpour, and Tyler had no intention of getting caught out here on the range in a thunderstorm. He turned in his saddle.

“All right, Laney. We’re here. Explain what you’ve been up to.” 

She pulled her mount to a stop next to Charlie, and gazed at him, unease written in her eyes. He’d already sensed her discomfort back at the ranch when she divulged this secret to him. He had every right to be furious with her for going behind his back and doing, Lord-knows-what with his horse. Hell, she could have gotten hurt.

Her chest heaved visibly. She unhooked the halter she’d draped over the saddle horn, and held it out to him, then dismounted her mare. Standing where he couldn’t see her, she said,  “I’ve been coming here to take Rap into the water to swim.”

Tyler choked back a curse. He leapt from his horse, yanked his hat from his head and tossed it over the saddle horn, and strode around Charlie and the mare. He caught Laney’s arm. “You’ve done what? Are you out of your mind, woman?” he roared. She flinched at his loud and angry voice.

Her body tensed, and she stared up at him, a determined look blazing in her eyes. “It’s called physical therapy. It’s a low impact way of strengthening injured muscles and tendons.”

Tyler shook his head. He failed to comprehend her words. He was still stuck on the fact that she’d taken the stallion into the water to swim.

“Do you understand the dangers of taking a horse into deep water? You could have been killed, dammit.” His grip on her arm tightened, and he shook her slightly for emphasis.

“It’s the only thing I could think of under the circumstances,” she retorted heatedly. Her eyes shone with defiance. “I think it was helping. Ideally, he should be in a stall for a few weeks and his exercise monitored so he doesn’t reinjure himself. If you’ll stop being so angry for a minute, come with me and I’ll show you.”

“Like hell am I allowing you to take that horse into the water again,” Tyler countered forcefully.

Laney threw her hands in the air. “Fine. Then you do it.” Her eyes ignited in anger. Rather than back away from him, she leaned forward, her heated stare reminding him of the day she challenged his foreman when he wanted to blister the sick colt. He’d been proud of her then, for defending what she thought was the right thing to do to get the horse well. She was acting in the same manner now.

Dammit! He couldn’t fault her for her passion with the horses. She’d been right at every turn when she voiced her opinions about his animals. Tyler gritted his teeth, and eased his hold on her. Desire and admiration for his wife kicked him in the gut. Hadn’t he himself called Laney a guardian angel for his horses?

“Let me take a look at Rap,” he said slowly. “Show me where you think he’s injured.”

Her body instantly relaxed, and her face softened in a smile. The relief that swept over her was more than he could bear. Tyler’s anger melted away, and he groaned silently. Could he ever be completely angry with her? She had him wrapped around her pretty little fingers without even trying. He doubted that she was aware how much of a hold she had on his heart. 

“There’s a storm headed our way. We’d better hurry so we don’t get caught out here before it hits.”

Tyler glanced up at the sky again. The storm was moving in their direction fast. He stepped away from Laney and hobbled the horses’ front legs. Wordlessly, he reached for his wife’s hand, and led her toward his herd. She hadn’t said a word, but the look of relief in her eyes didn’t go unnoticed.

Rap seemed almost eager for Laney’s attention when they approached. He stuck his nose in her shirt, and she giggled, patting the stallion’s neck.

“I brought you your usual treat,” she murmured, and produced some crumbly corn bread from her pocket.

Tyler stared at her. It was obvious that she’d been to see the stallion on several occasions. What other secrets did Laney harbor? His gaze followed the movements of her hand as she stroked the horse. Pure love shone in her eyes for the animal. His gut tightened. He’d glimpsed that same look last night on that dance floor; a look that had been for him. Warmth flooded him, and he fisted his hands at his sides to keep from pulling her into his arms. His self-control was about to break.

Completely unaware of the effect she had on him, Laney stepped to the horse’s hind end, and reached her hand under his belly to the inside of his left leg.

“Feel along the inside of his left stifle, Tyler. You’ll notice some heat.” She glanced up at him, a worried frown on her face. “It seems worse than it was the last time I was here. I was so sure he was getting better.” 

Tyler’s hand followed her strokes. She was right. There was some heat just above his knee. He shook his head. It never would have occurred to him to check for lameness at a horse’s knee. It seemed like an uncommon place for an injury.

“If you observe him move, he drags his hind foot just a little. It improved when I first started the swimming regimen, and with consistency and time, he should recover fully.”

She ran her hand all along the stallion’s limb, then stopped at the fetlock. She drew in an audible breath, and kneeled to take a closer look, then stared up at Tyler.

“What is that?” she asked. Rap lifted his leg when she touched the fetlock.

Tyler bent forward. A ring of hair was missing from the area just above the hoof, and the skin looked raw.

“That looks like rope burn.” He frowned. He met Laney’s gaze.

“Someone is hurting this horse on purpose,” Laney said, disbelief in her eyes. She stood. “Who would want to hurt him, Tyler?”

“I don’t know,” Tyler said quietly. His mind raced. First a mysterious dead colt at Ian’s place, and now this? Was someone purposely sabotaging his operation? Who had he’d angered enough to want to do harm to his animals, or who could possibly gain from it? Ian Frazier came to mind. His horse had won the race that day. Could he have intentionally harmed Rap to assure his own victory? Tyler shook his head in dismissal.  Ian’s ranch was afflicted by the horse grippe, too.

“What are you going to do?” Laney asked.

“I don’t know yet. For right now, I’m keeping this information to myself. Don’t mention it to anyone.”