Free Cougar in Texas: 3 (Rugged and Risque) by Calista Fox

said, “Nice setup you’ve got here. I like it already.”
    “Plenty of space, that’s for sure. Thanks for helping me draw up the plans for the med facility. My crew will break ground in a week. We’re supposed to have a mild winter, so I don’t anticipate any delays.”
    “I’m impressed by how much you’ve accomplished in such a short time.”
    With a laugh, Caleb said, “Doesn’t seem like a short period of time to me. Took a while to find the right location, file all the paperwork and start collecting donations. I had to work with the IRS to determine how much I could contribute monetarily to the project. I don’t want to mess around with outdated equipment. The horses we’ll rescue deserve better.”
    Don nodded. “I’ve had a passion for equines since I was a kid too. That’s why I was so pleased you contacted me. Wish I could give more of my time, but you can count on me being here two afternoons a week. And I’m perfectly fine with being on call for emergencies.”He had his own practice to maintain in Austin, though he’d told Caleb he had other vets on staff full-time.
    “I appreciate that. I believe we’ll be able to swing it. I’m mostly concerned about taking in several dire cases at once. I wouldn’t want to turn them away, but I need to make sure they’re all receiving the attention they need—and that they’re getting the best care possible.”
    “You still thinking of rescuing twenty at a time?”
    “The existing stalls only hold twelve horses, so I’m constructing another stable for eight more, plus tack storage.”
    “And the house?”
    Caleb’s glance slid to the enormous, two-story structure. The design was modern, the building well maintained. But what use did a single man have for over nine thousand square feet?
    “I haven’t decided what to do with it just yet.” The clinic would sit west of the house, the stables sat to the east. A circular, gravel drive with a fountain in the center lay before the house, trimmed with decorative edging and flowerbeds. The previous owner had hired a company to manage the upkeep of the grounds and Caleb intended to stick with them, since he wouldn’t have time for mowing lawns and watering flowers.
    In fact, now that he surveyed the ranch, he wondered when he’d have time for Reese.
    But that wasn’t something he wanted to dwell on at the moment. Nor did he want to believe he could only have one or the other—his dream or her.
    To distract himself from his wayward thoughts, he said, “Why don’t I show you the stalls and the three corrals?”
    * * * * *
     
    Reese was a bundle of nerves, which she thought ridiculous for her age. But she hadn’t been on a date with a man other than her husband in eleven years. And though this wasn’t technically a “date”, because she and Caleb were having dinner at the B&B, she still couldn’t help but think of it as one.
    She’d gone all out, which literally screamed of her apprehension—and contradictory exuberance. Albert Landry, the butcher, had been kind enough to give her a discount on filet mignon. He’d packaged up the specialty cuts in brown paper and had handed the meat over with a knowing look in his eye. But he was too decent a man to say he’d heard she’d been out on the town with Caleb the night before, which was what she suspected the twinkle in his gaze was all about.
    When Reese had approached the asparagus display at the farmers market, Tabitha Moore had personally inspected every fresh bushel she’d brought to the market to ensure Reese had the best cut and the heartiest stock. This gave Reese pause, but she’d had no time to question Tabitha’s sudden interest in personalized customer service—when she was usually standoffish, always haughtily insisting every stem was of the highest quality—because Libby Martin had dragged her off.
    Libby’s husband was a potato grower and Libby had selected two large, plump potatoes for baking. And then she’d winked at