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Athena sighed, moving across the room toward the window to peek outside. She didn’t see anyone. Maybe it was too dark to work, even for a family of cowboys. She wouldn’t imagine that horses enjoyed being out in the dark. There were too many critters that could run under nearby bushes to put them on edge.
Resuming her pacing, Athena’s thoughts returned to Henry and the questions he’d asked last night. Was she going to leave? She really didn’t know. At this point it would be easy. She could sell some of the items that Henry had given her and that would be enough to get a fresh start.
Unfortunately, the thought of leaving this place already left a bad taste in her mouth. What was with that? She didn’t have any connection to the folks on this ranch. This wasn’t her home. Henry was nice and all, but even he wasn’t enough to keep her here.
Liar, a voice in her head seemed to argue. Henry was the most decent guy she’d met all year. Granted he was also maybe one of two men that she’d given at least fifteen minutes of her time to.
While it would go against every rule she’d set for herself, staying was starting to sound pretty good. What if she decided to stick around just for the current season? She could get to know Henry a little better—as a friend. And maybe she’d even be able to ride one of the horses.
That black horse she’d seen the other day was definitely at the top of her list of reasons to stay. If she thought Henry was interesting enough to stick around for, then that horse was the cherry on top.
Athena stopped her pacing. If everyone was still asleep, then there was no one stopping her from going down to the barn to check out that horse. She had a feeling that if she’d wanted to interact with the black beauty, there would be plenty of pushback about her decision from the Keagan family. Now might be the only chance she had to check on that horse and see what he was really like.
She snatched her coat from the bed and shoved her arms into the holes, then hurried down the stairs as quickly as she could while at the same time making sure she wasn’t going to wake up any of the residents.
The second her boots touched the ground, she took off running. In this moment, surrounded by the ranch property and only the two buildings on the premises, she could understand why people would choose to live in a place like this.
There was something about the wide, open spaces and the knowledge that if push came to shove, these people would be able to survive when they were knocked off their feet.
Athena made it to the barn and strode toward the horse she couldn’t stop thinking about. Before she reached the stall, he poked out his head. She skidded to a stop and glanced toward the entrance of the barn. This horse could bite. She’d never interacted with an animal of this size.
He blinked at her and tossed his head. This big, beautiful guy didn’t appear to be dangerous. Her concerns could be in her head.
She reached out with a shaky hand, and he tossed his head again, blowing out a hard breath. Athena pulled back quickly and stumbled back a step. The horse’s ears twitched to the side and forward again. His nostrils flared and he blinked again.
“Hey, there,” her voice squeaked as she spoke. “What’s your name?” Athena took another step forward, hand outstretched. “I’m not gonna hurt you. It’s okay.”
This time he didn’t move. She paused when she was a few inches away, her focus flitting to his mouth and then back to his eyes. Those brown eyes were so similar to Henry’s, it was uncanny. He nickered and then snorted, causing a smile to appear on her lips.
“Shh. Shh. Shh. We don’t want to draw any unnecessary attention.” Her hand gently touched the horse’s nose, and she brought the other up to his jaw. “Boy, how did you get to be so beautiful?”
He stepped closer and nudged her. She couldn’t tell, but it felt like he had relaxed slightly. It was as if the whole barn had heaved a sigh of relief.
Athena scratched and nuzzled the horse, letting all her worries slip away. The longer she stood there with this gentle beast, the more she realized that she didn’t want to leave. For the first time in her life, there was a place she wished she could call her own.
Deep down, she knew it would be impossible. Sure, she could give in to this feeling and allow herself to stick around for a little longer than she normally would, but leaving would be inevitable. It always was.
She pulled back from the horse after kissing him on the nose. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Slowly, she made her way back from where she’d come. Several of the animals poked their heads out, no doubt curious if she was here to feed them their breakfast. Someone would be out soon. Athena had expected someone to come out while she was here, but no one had showed.
She got to the doorway and glanced toward her newest friend. The black beauty had retreated into his stall, but she’d come visit him again tomorrow morning. Athena turned to leave and collided hard with a tall, firm body.
A gasp ripped from her throat as she stumbled backward a few steps. Her eyes flew to the offending silhouette and locked with none other than Henry.
His features were pinched, and he looked like he’d had a rough morning. “What are you doing out here?” he demanded.
“I…” Her voice trailed off, small and defensive.
Henry jabbed a finger toward the house. “I went to check on you and imagine my surprise when I found that you were gone! You left all the stuff I got you except that coat and those boots. I thought you’d left!”
She flinched at his hard, tight voice but forced herself to meet his accusatory gaze.
“Please tell me you didn’t sleep out here. Hudson would flip if he found out that you were staying in a stall when I refused to let him have the bedroom.”
Athena shook her head. Her initial surprise and anxiety slipped away, leaving behind the stubborn attitude everyone hated. “Of course I didn’t stay in the barn. I came out here to be with the horses. At least they don’t judge or yell at me.”
His head reared back slightly. “I wasn’t—”
