Alex looked up from where he was crouching beside his bag. “Not a good idea,” he said, his tone firm.
As usual, Brenne ignored him. “I’ve probably handled as many horses as you, Parsons.” She squeezed in through the stall door and approached, not in the measured fashion he’d employed, but straight and sure, right toward the angry horse.
It whinnied, shaking its head and stomping its feet. “Knock that off,” Brenne chastised in a voice that was steady but soft. “I’m just here to make friends. Look what I brought you.”
Alex watched as she dug into her pocket and brought out a cube of sugar, which she placed in the center of her palm. “You want this, don’t you?” she said in a calm tone. Brenne held the cube out toward the horse, and Alex’s heart pounded hard. In his mind, all he could see was the horse taking a bite out of her.
He stood, a syringe full of tranquilizer in his hand, ready to rush in at a moment’s notice. It took everything he had not to shove himself between Brenne and the horse. But it turned out that he didn’t need to.
“That’s right,” she said, holding her hand under his mouth. “Take it.”
The horse sniffed twice, then lifted the cube with its lips. It disappeared, and the horse looked at Brenne as if reappraising her. “You want another, don’t you?” She laughed gently, then fed it another cube. “I don’t think he’s ever had a sugar cube before,” she called back to them. “That’s a crime in itself.”
A minute later, Brenne was able to put a hand on the creature’s head. She continued talking softly to it, moving around it, stroking it but keeping an eye out for any agitation or aggression. “Ryker, bring me a brush,” she said, and the cowboy did as he was told, returning with a horse brush and passing it over to her.
Alex watched as she began to very gently brush the horse while continuing her soothing conversation. He finally bent back to his bag, securing the syringe inside. Looks like I won’t need a tranquilizer after all.
“She’s a miracle worker,” Ryker breathed, putting a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “An absolute angel.”
Alex could tell he was besotted, and just like that, his jealousy was back. “What about your nurse?” he asked, trying to keep his tone level.
Ryker turned in his direction. “It’s like that, huh?”
“Like what?” Alex said, his tone innocent.
He checked to make sure Brenne was still engaged with the horse. Keeping his voice low, Ryker spoke. “You like her.”
“She’s my employee,” Alex said, filling his tone with incredulousness.
“And she’s a MacAllen, which means she has seven brothers big enough to kick your behind.”
“Right,” Alex said, thrusting out a hand as if Ryker were making the argument for him.
“You like her,” Ryker repeated. “I’ll let my nurse friend know to keep an eye out for you since you’re bound to end up in the hospital soon enough.”
Alex ignored him, instead pushing his way into the stall. The horse eyed him nervously, so Brenne carefully covered its eyes, continuing to soothe it. Finally able to get close enough to complete an exam, Alex set about making a quick sweep of the horse’s body. He motioned for Ryker to hand him his bag, then dug into it for a sample cup and some swabs so he could get a specimen off the bacteria in the horse’s coat.
Soon enough, he was finished. Alex put away his equipment, lifted his bag, and made his way out of the stall. “I’ve got some medicine at home that should do the trick. I’ll also send you the names of a few food types that could help fatten him up.” He looked back over his shoulder to where Brenne was leaning over the horse, her arms around its neck in a loose hug. “I would say your biggest problem will be temperament, but it looks like my assistant has that in hand as well.”
Ryker chuckled. “She’s a miracle worker.”
Brenne must have heard because she waltzed out of the stall as if she’d healed the horse and spun straw to gold in the meantime. “You just have to know how to talk to him.”
Ryker took a step forward into the stall, hoping to capitalize on Brenne’s success, but the horse kicked the wall of the stall and snorted angrily. “Maybe I better get some sugar cubes,” he said, lifting his hands and backing out of the stall.
“You might need a whole bag of them,” Alex observed.
Brenne frowned. “This poor guy is going to take some time to trust again.”
“Good thing he’s got plenty,” Alex said. “Ryker never gives up on a horse.”
“Neither do I,” Brenne said. She looked Ryker over. “How about I come around again tomorrow, give you a hand with this one?”
“That would be mighty kind of you,” Ryker said, his words oozing with cowboy charm.
Alex’s stomach tightened. “Let’s get going,” he said, hoping to break off the connection that was forming between them. “I want to check out this sample to confirm what kind of infection we’re dealing with.”
“It was nice meetin’ ya,” Brenne said with a wave of her hand. She followed Alex out of the stable, her face cloudy. “I can’t believe he sees that kind of stuff every day. That man is doing the Lord’s work.”
Alex stayed silent, trying to fight off the little green monster who seemed to get bigger with every favorable word about Ryker that came out of Brenne’s mouth. Suddenly, he had a vision of the future.
Brenne will be over here every day, fussing over that horse. And Ryker will forget about his nurse and soon those two will be necking in the tack room.
I’ve got to do something.
When his brain realized what he was thinking, it was quick to throw in a correction. On Jameson’s behalf, of course. He wouldn’t want his little sister being seduced by that cowboy. Apparently his brain had forgotten the definition of “hypocrite.”
Alex frowned as he climbed into his van. It served as a mobile clinic where he could do fast testing and minor procedures in a sterile and controlled environment. He had a few more house calls to make that day, but they weren’t for a couple of hours, so he steered in the direction of the Parsons farm and his country clinic.
As he drove, Brenne sat in silence beside him. It was clear that she’d been affected by her experience with the neglected horse. He knew that handling special-needs animals wasn’t easy, and not everyone was cut out for work of that nature. But Brenne had shown no fear or disgust, only compassion. But now that she’d started, he could tell that she wouldn’t walk away without doing all she could to help the creature.
Which means I’m going to have to find a way to keep her away from Ryker. Although the man was an advocate and rescuer, he was still a man. And Brenne was a beautiful woman. Alex himself had been tempted, after all. It was up to him to figure this mess out.
It’s all about being a good friend, he told himself, as the little green monster chuckled inside him.
CHAPTER 8
BRENNE
“You handled yourself very well today. But do me a favor. Next time, don’t throw yourself in a confined space with an aggressive, angry animal if you can help it.”