Free Mallory's Bears by Jane Jamison Page B

the go-ahead to touch him.
    “Aw, he’s so soft and sweet.”
    “Yeah, he’s a good one. He comes from good stock. She’s a great dam and his sire is one of the best in the area.”
    “So will he learn to run cattle? Or will you use him for rodeos and the like?”
    Gunner cooed at the colt, trying to keep him calm. “We don’t do rodeos much anymore. We’d rather stick close to home. But he’s got his role to play.”
    “And what’s that?” She made the same comforting sounds Gunner made. His wide eyes grew softer as he dared to push his muzzle against her leg.
    “He’s going to a friend of ours who runs a ranch for kids with problems.”
    “With problems? Like what? And how can he help?”
    “Once he’s ready, this little guy will get paired up with a kid that’s had drug problems or comes from a lousy home. Horses have a knack for putting things in perspective and that helps the kids in residential placement facilities get their heads back on straight.”
    “Really? That sounds great.” She caught Kid’s pointed look. Maybe she hadn’t done enough research before she’d accused Rick and Gunner of animal neglect. Two men who would help kids in trouble couldn’t abuse an animal, could they? Not to her way of thinking. “So you sell the horses to them and they train them?”
    “We do both. The training comes free with the purchase of the horse. We figure we got lucky in life so it’s our way of giving back.”
    They’re simply too good to be true.
    She stopped, worry striking deep inside her. Maybe they really were too good to be true. What was the old saying? “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is”? What if last night was their way of distracting her or winning her over so she wouldn’t see the truth?
    She took her hand away, then faced him. Confronted him was more like it. “Is this your way of convincing me that you’re good men? Helpful ranchers who have gotten a bad rap?”
    He drew back, and scowled at her. “Damn, woman, why so cynical?”
    Guilt and shame flooded her, wiping away the body heat she’d gathered from the Northman brothers. She had no reason to believe they weren’t as good as they seemed. As for last night, they all shared responsibility for that and she didn’t want anything to color her memory of it. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have accused you.”
    Gunner, however, had already stormed out of the stall and was striding toward the front of the barn.
    Rick’s hard gaze seared into hers. “You’re a piece of work, you know that?” He gestured for her to get out of the stall, then closed the gate behind them and followed his brother.
    “Hey, guys, give her a break. Sometimes her mouth gets ahead of her head. You can understand that. Right, Rick?” Kid scowled at her as he rushed after them. “Can we still go on that ride?”
    She didn’t hurry, not with the looks they gave her. By the time she’d made it back to the saddled horses, she was ready to apologize again. She hadn’t been thinking when she’d said it. After all, she found it difficult to think straight anytime she was near them.
    “I’m sorry. Kid’s right. I don’t think before I speak and I had no right to say what I did. Can you please forgive me?”
    She would’ve sworn that they spoke a silent language that was communicated through glances and body language. But she wasn’t about to ask them about it. At least, not until later.
    Gunner tugged the reins loose, then stuck his boot into the stirrup, and threw his leg on top of his horse. “We all make mistakes.”
    “And we did promise Kid a ride,” added Rick.
    Gunner clucked at his horse, getting the horse to move. “Choose either of the horses and saddle up. Although Kid might need the dappled mare. It’s a lot gentler than the other one.”
    “You don’t have to tell me again,” joked Kid.
    Mallory eased over to take the white horse’s reins and grazed her hand along its neck. She was thankful that the men had let