Free Cowboys-Dont-Dance by Missy Lyons Page B

hanging around in the loft.
    The guys had grown into men and headed off to college, leaving her behind.
    Inside the barn it was hot and humid. The dirt floor and the straw beds in the pens filled the air with earthy scents only a true cowboy could appreciate. Angela’s nose twitched. Horses.
    Her eyes stung for a moment before she began to get accustomed to the shadows. The outside of the barn looked the same, but inside it had been modernized with skylights and electricity. Her eyes soon adjusted to the low light, and she wasn’t surprised to see each stall housed a horse. Their tack and leads neatly displayed in front of the pens.
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    62
    Missy Lyons and Cherie Denis
    Several of the beautiful animals shifted, and their dark eyes opened wider. They were as leery of her as she was of them. A couple more brave mares approached the stall door, hoping for a treat, or a scratch behind the ears, but Angela hadn't trusted horses since she'd been thrown.
    “So, what did you want to show me?” she asked. She put her finger under her nose to stop a sneeze. Oh, rats. Now was no time for her allergies to kick up. Her nose stopped burning and soon became accustomed to the sweet smell of straw mixed with the scent of horse flesh.
    They stopped at the last stall and Angela gasped. She knew little to nothing about horses, but the black stallion ensconced on the other side of the gate was magnificent. Larger than the other horses, wide-eyed and teeth bared, the stallion circled his stall. All the while, keeping a wary eye on her and Jesse. Obviously the horse needed more room than the others because a regular stall wouldn't have been large enough.
    "What kind of horse is he?" Angela asked trying not to let her fear show in her voice. "He looks big enough to be a Clydesdale."
    "He's a big boy, all right," Jesse agreed sticking his hand into the stall so the horse could sniff him.
    "He's freaking huge."
    “Yeah, he's a beauty, aren't you fellow?" The horse slowly approached Jesse's hand. “Aren't you afraid of him, Jesse? What if he bites you?"
    "He won't. At least he hasn't yet."
    "Does he have a name?"
    The stallion touched Jesse's fingers with the end of his nose. Jesse wiggled his finger and the horse flinched but didn't step back. Jesse gently scratched the horse's nose.

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    Cowboys Don't Dance
    63
    “I haven’t named him yet. I just picked him up at auction last week, and he's been here a few days now. They used him in the bucking bronco contest until the guy riding him got his neck broken.”
    Angela gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.
    “The owners wanted to put him down.”
    “You’re kidding! It would have been a crime to kill such a beautiful animal. He was the one being forced to perform.”
    “No. I’m not kidding. The horse had been captured on a reservation in Montana and sold at auction. Rather than take the time to tame him, they put him to work in the rodeo ring. He'll get a second chance here.”
    “You think you can train him?” Angela asked.
    “I know I can.”
    “How?”
    “A wild stallion needs time to get used to you. You don’t try to ride it right away. First, you just give it time to adjust to being around humans, and then you get closer until you can touch him. Eventually you can put the bridle on him, and then the saddle. It takes time to build a working relationship between yourself and a wild creature.
    Time to learn to trust, learn loyalty and love.
    “Just like a woman,” Jesse’s voice was low and rough.
    Tiny goose bumps raised on Angela’s arms. She couldn’t help but think his words were directed at her. Not that what they had was a relationship. She thought it was more like an affair.
    Because of Lydia.
    Angela thought what she and Jesse has was pure and simple lust.
    Nothing