“I thought I heard a rattle. Rattlesnakes are one of the few dangers, along with weather and uneven terrain, that continue to plague ranchers on a drive.”
“Your horse would have heard the snake, same as you,” she said through gritted teeth, “and she would have jumped and spun away. Now sit up straight before the saddle slips and you end up in the dirt.”
Gavin straightened, and the smile that he gave when she dispensed some “trail wisdom,” as he called it, appeared on his face. He tried to get Comet going again, but her horse was more interested in a stand of grass. Brenne let out a sigh and circled back, knowing it was going to take some quick riding to push on the strays who were starting to fall behind the main herd. “You’ve got to get that horse moving, Gavin, or we’ll put the whole drive behind.”
“Right,” he said, giving the horse another flex of his heels on its flanks, but Brenne could tell the pressure was too light. She came up behind the horse and smacked it on the behind, sending it moving. Unfortunately, she chose the moment that Gavin pulled out his phone to check a message that had just arrived.
Since his grip was no longer on the reins of the saddle, he was unprepared for the burst of speed his horse put on. With a yelp, he tumbled out of his saddle, hitting the ground hard. Brenne let out a curse, then dismounted, rushing over to his side. “Are you hurt?”
“Just my pride, I think,” he said with a sheepish grin, picking himself up off the ground. She was helping him back into the saddle when Jameson appeared. Brenne was surprised to see that he abandoned his point position to ride to the rear of the herd.
“If you two are finished playing grab ass back here, maybe you could get back to work? Otherwise, we won’t reach the pasture until after sunset, and nobody wants to ride home in the cold dark.”
“It’s my fault,” Brenne said. “We’ll get the stragglers and move forward.”
Jameson stared her down. “See that you do. Else I might start to think that Gavin’s plans to ruin our town include a hands-on component.” He turned his horse and galloped away, his horse’s hooves throwing up dust and making Brenne cough.
“Sorry about that,” Gavin said when they were both mounted again. “I’ll keep my eyes on the cows.”
But every time she looked at the billionaire as they moved the herd toward the pasture, his eyes were on her.
CHAPTER 17
ALEX
“Just coat it in some peanut butter and he should swallow it fine.”
Alex passed over the canine medication to the elderly woman, who held her Pekingese in the crook of her arm like a baby. “What if he won’t eat it? My little angel is real picky.”
“Does your angel have a favorite food?” he asked with more patience than he felt.
“He loves liver and onions.”
Alex tried hard not to make a face. “Then wrap some liver around the pill and feed it to him that way.”
“But what if—”
“If he still won’t eat it, then give me a call,” he said reassuringly, escorting the woman toward the door. “I’m sure you’ll both do fine.” When his last appointment of the day had left, Alex hurried to lock the door. He was back in his office in a flash, packing up his things. He wanted to make it back to Whiskey River and the MacAllen ranch before Mama May served dinner.
His stated reason for visiting the MacAllens was to talk to Jameson about Ghost. Brenne had nursed the horse back to health, and it was time to find it a new home. Alex knew Brenne well enough to be certain that she’d want to keep the horse herself. Instead of having the talk with Brenne herself, however, he’d decided to go to his best friend, not only because he was sure Brenne was still mad at him, but because Jameson would have information Alex desperately wanted.
The real reason he had for going to the ranch today was to find out what Brenne was up to with Gavin Jeffries. He’d gotten a couple of angry texts from Jameson yesterday about the cattle drive that Jeffries had tagged along on. It seemed like the billionaire was getting a little too close to Brenne for comfort.
Alex told himself that it wasn’t his concern, that Brenne could do whatever she wanted with whomever she chose, but although his brain could think it, his gut refused to accept it. I want to make certain that Gavin Jeffries isn’t trying to pull a fast one on my friend and his family, he told himself in a rational tone.
The little green monster inside him huffed and roared.
“You’re sure in a hurry,” Emma said as he made a beeline for the clinic door.
Alex froze, having forgotten all about his vet tech. “Uh, yeah. I want to get back home before the rain starts,” he said, grasping for an excuse.
“Rain? I thought it was clear skies all the way through Friday.” Emma’s face screwed up in confusion.
“The weatherman predicted scattered showers to the southwest,” he said, making up a fake weather bulletin and feeling like an ass for having to do so. “I’m going to head out now. You okay to close things up?”
“Sure, Doctor, er, Alex.” Emma gave him a bright smile, and a warning bell went off in his head. He ignored it, instead giving her a nod and pushing his way out the door.
He made it to Whiskey River in record time but then hit a major delay. Traffic, which in a town of this size consisted of about five cars, was at a standstill where the highway connected to Main Street. Alex finally climbed out of his vehicle to see what was causing the fuss. He walked down the street to find a parade of sorts in progress down Main Street.
Ryker Strong gave him a wave when he noticed him standing on the corner, and Alex waved back bemusedly. Behind Ryker was a line of horses tied to his lead horse. Each of them boasted a sign strapped over their saddles with one word apiece. Alex realized they were Ryker’s rescue horses, at least the dozen or so who were well enough to follow a lead. As they passed, Alex saw that they spelled out an advertisement for the charity dinner: DINE IN HOLLYWOOD! IT’S FOR CHARITY! THIS FRIDAY NITE! The last horse in the line held the ticket price, fifteen dollars, in a golden star meant to look like the ones you could find on Hollywood Boulevard.
The small crowd that gathered to watch the parade were already talking amongst themselves. Alex realized this dinner might be the biggest thing to hit Whiskey River since Johnnie’s saloon reopened. His gaze flicked to the saloon in the distance, and he noticed a figure in black with his arm draped around a smaller female figure. Alex was tempted to detour over to the saloon and get Johnnie’s opinion on Gavin and Brenne, but the parade had already put him behind schedule.
He returned to his vehicle and waited for the parade to clear the street so traffic could move again. By the time he reached the MacAllen ranch, word of the parade had already reached the family there. “Did you see Ryker’s horse parade?” Jack called from the porch as Alex walked up. He was standing in front of an easel that held a canvas painted entirely in reds.
“I did. He was advertising the charity dinner my clinic is sponsoring.”
“I know. Miss Emma called us a couple of weeks back, asking for donations. Mama May is making the pies for the dinner, and she’s also putting a private cooking lesson in the silent auction.”