Free Lonestar Sanctuary by Colleen Coble Page B

around the paddock with him.
    "Who's that?" Latoya asked, her voice vibrating with awe.
    "Rick Bailey, the foreman."
    "He's gorgeous. Puts me in mind of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger
with all those muscles." Latoya's hips took on an exaggerated sway as
she made a beeline to join the guys.
    Allie grinned, imagining the way Rick would put the girl in her
place. Latoya didn't realize she was up against Prince Charmless, as
Allie had dubbed him in her mind.
    About to become her rescuer Prince Charming.
    The thought shocked her.
    "Want to see the horses?" she asked Fern. Her eyes still downcast,
the girl nodded. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Allie asked.
    "A brother," Fern said, her words so soft Allie had to strain to
hear them.
    It was going to take time to get through the wall Fern had built
around her. Maybe the horses would be a good start. "Come with me,"
Allie said.

    Cupcake's winter coat was a little rough and ragged, but she was
still a beautiful mare. With little Frost following at her heels, she
pranced around the paddock with her tail out and her head up.
    Fern peeked at the horses, a smile starting across her pinched face.
"A colt," she breathed.
    "He's only two days old," Allie said. They had reached the rest of
the group, and she saw Rick stiffen at the sound of her voice.
    What a way to start a marriage.
    Her assumptions had altered. His offer was a way out. Maybe the
only way.
    She focused on the needy teenager beside her. "Cupcake is a good
mother. See how she keeps her body between us and her colt?"
    Fern nodded. "She's beautiful."
    The boys were hanging on the fence, watching the mare gallop
past. "Hey, check out the rides," Devin said. "I wanna try."
    "Nope, can't ride Cupcake," Rick said. "And Frost is way too young.
He'll need to be at least two or three. But there are other horses you
can ride." He glanced at Allie. "Would you help me saddle up enough
horses for all of them?"
    She went past him into the barn. The tack room door to her right
stood ajar, and she pushed it open to glance around. The scent of the
new stacks of hay in the corner made her sneeze.
    She felt rather than saw Rick enter the room. His presence
made her feel claustrophobic, which made no sense. She was used
to being around overwhelmingly masculine men. But then, she'd
never thought about marrying one of them. Grabbing a saddle, she
turned to push past him and found his broad shoulders blocking the
doorway.
    "Stand aside, please," she said. He didn't move, and the way he stared made her cheeks grow hot. "I thought you wanted to saddle the
horses."

    "Have you thought about what I said? Jon's parents will find you
soon.
    "I know, I know," she muttered. "Let's not talk about it now." She
moved to go around him, but he still blocked the doorway. "What?"
    "Be careful with Elijah. Don't hurt him."
    "What are you talking about?"
    "Just back off, okay? Don't be so helpless and appealing. His family is all gone now. The daughter ran off when she was seventeen and
abandoned a granddaughter she never saw again. Now Elijah doesn't
even have her."
    Allie opened her mouth, then closed it again. Could he be talking
about her mother? She never left behind a grandchild. She set the
saddle down a minute. "I thought the daughter left when she was
pregnant. Did he have more than one?"
    He gave her a curious look but didn't ask where she'd heard the
story. "Just the one girl. Selena. She left when she was about eight
months pregnant, but Elijah tracked down the baby and brought her
here to live."
    Her mother had abandoned Allie's sister?
    Allie wanted to sit down. Her mother had told her the baby died.
    Rick didn't seem to notice her shock. "He poured all his love into
his granddaughter, but she died when she was twenty-five. She looked
a lot like you, and I think that's why he's taken to you so much. But
you're not his Maria."
    Allie scrambled to recover her senses. "I saw her picture today."
    "So you