Second Chances (22 page)

The
thought of opening his shirt and nibbling on his tanned flesh flashed through
her mind.
Or better yet,
Dusty with a light coating of chocolate
syrup. Talk about a tasty treat.

Confident
and relaxed, she watched Dusty eat and wondered what he’d say if he could read
her mind. She bit back a chuckle.

The former SEAL would smile as
bright as the heavens and tell her to bring it on.

Storing
the idea for later, she looked across the land and knew this day would live in
her memory for a long time to come.

He
wiped Miracle’s hide with a finishing cloth, pleased to see her dark gray
dappled coat shine with health and cleanliness. With April at the hospital
today, he decided to work with the skittish filly some more, even taking her to
the bathing area and washing her down. To his amazement, she’d not only
tolerated the bath, but seemed to enjoy every minute. Not once did she fuss
about the hose, the water, or even the sponge and soap. Mischief, on the other
hand, decided trying to bite the water proved fun, sending a shower spraying
over them all. The little imp definitely lived up to his name.

With
both horses dry, he stood with Miracle, her lead rope tied to a support beam,
while Mischief wandered around inside the stable, pausing now and again to
snare a bite from a bale of alfalfa. She stood quietly as he groomed her, no
longer the edgy, antsy horse who first entered his life nearly six weeks ago.
Proud of her progress, he continued to dote on her, praise her, and slip her
food rewards at every turn.

Nearly
a month had passed since he’d returned home from taking shelter with his
family. A glorious time that found April back to work and practicing as his
shadow on her days off. Officially dating, their relationship moved along at a
comfortable, if not slow pace. He didn’t complain. After all, each day he found
April more relaxed, more attentive, could see the last of her fears and
concerns falling away. Thrilled at their progression, he kept the steady
course, taking her out now and again, otherwise sharing their time whenever
possible.

On the
days she had to work, she normally drove straight home. With twelve hour
shifts, she didn’t have much downtime before she had to be up and ready the
next morning once more. He looked forward to her nightly calls on those days,
falling into a quick habit of talking to her before she crawled into bed for
the night. In all reality, they didn’t chatter away for too long, but he drew
comfort from the knowledge she’d made it in for the night without any problems.
He didn’t want to smother her or make her feel less than capable, but his
protective instincts couldn’t be denied. For now, he’d be content with the
phone calls. Down the road, might prove a horse of another color.

April
fit in well. She stepped up as a team player, provided humor and solace, and
never once asked for anything more than a simple request here and there. So far
removed from the other women he’d been around, he found himself shaking his
head in disbelief at times. Yet, he found her humble honesty just as compelling
as the rest of her, making for a tempting package perfectly suited to him.

She’d
grown on him. Big time. He wanted her more each day. Not just for a sexual
romp, but for something bigger. He cared for her, wanted to keep her safe,
comfort her, love her.

Love?
The word rarely crossed his
mind, but he couldn’t discard the emotion fast and easy.
No.
While not at that point yet, he didn’t doubt, given time, his
feelings for the little blonde might encompass that level.

Ben
loped down the center aisle, barking, interrupting his train of thought.

Dusty’s
head jerked up to see what bothered the dog.

The
clang of the gate latch drew his attention. Mischief whinnied and dashed over
like a door greeter as an older couple walked in, but quickly paused to close
the barrier behind them. Ben followed behind Mischief. Dusty glanced at the
people, blinked, then stared. His parents. Here. He hadn’t seen them in over
three years and in their travels, never once had they stopped by to see his
place. Shock and a bit of concern ate at his gut.

Obviously
deciding the people posed no threat, Ben trotted back to Dusty’s side, staying
a step ahead of Miracle’s hooves as she danced around, though his focus never
ventured far from the new arrivals.

Miracle
shifted restlessly, her eyes whitening as the people drew near. Jerking against
the rope holding her, she fought the tie. Immediately, Dusty yanked on the end
of the lead, undoing the half knot and setting her free. Grasping her halter,
he steadied her as she nervously eyed the strangers, shoving against Dusty now
and again in an effort to keep as much distance between her and the approaching
people.

“It’s
okay, Miracle. They won’t hurt you.” He spoke soothingly to the filly, watching
her ears stand up to listen for a fleeting second, then flatten on her head
once more. Good thing he didn’t have many visitors or she’d be a bundle of
nerves all the time.

“Mom.
Dad.” He kept his tone low and calm. “You might want to stop there for a second
until I can put her back in the stall.”

A
glimpse told him not only had his parents taken his advice, standing in the
middle of the row, but Mischief had discovered them and presently snuffled each
for any sign of treats. He shook his head and grinned. The little mini didn’t
have a shy bone in his body. “Come on, Miracle. Let’s get you back inside.
You’ll feel more comfortable there.” Backing her up to allow her a chance to
keep her attention on his visitors, he softly stroked her neck, patiently
easing her fears as he led her through the open stall door. Once there, he dug
out a baby carrot from his pocket. He’d loaded up this morning in preparation
for today’s activities with the pair. Hell, he’d started using them on all the
horses with resounding success.

Unsnapping
the lead, he waited for Miracle to take the carrot from his palm, then slipped
out, shutting the door behind him. She stepped to the front of the stall, put
her head over the top, and whinnied loudly, an obvious summons for her friend.

Mischief
ignored her, too intent upon checking out the newcomers for potential goodies
while soaking up attention.

Dusty
hurried their direction, curious and concerned why they were there. “What
brings you two here?”

His
mother looked up at him, still petting Mischief. “We wanted to see you, dear.
And, your stable.”

“Archer
told us all about it, so we had to see it for ourselves,” his father echoed,
running his hand down Mischief’s back and grinned. “Found a new mascot?”

Surprised,
yet pleased, Dusty shrugged and smiled. “Something like that.” Reaching their
side, he met his mother with a big hug. She kissed his cheek and he realized
exactly how much he’d missed them. He stuck out a hand for his father, only to
be pulled into a big bear hug complete with a thump on the back.

“Damn,
it’s good to see you.”

“We
would have come earlier, but weren’t sure we’d have been welcome,” his mother
said a bit hesitantly.

“I was
a complete jackass, but know better now. Besides, you’re both a sight for sore
eyes.”

Growing
up, he loved his parents, but possessed an independent streak a mile wide. By
the time he hit his teens, his parents cramped his style and served as
overseers and rule makers, something he rebelled against any chance he got.
Only when he’d walked completely away from the family, then returned recently
did he actually realize how much his parents really did mean to him and how
deeply he missed them. Learning humility and surviving the wrenching agony of
war did wonders for his insight.

Mischief
nudged his hip hard. He glanced down at the gelding. “Okay. Okay. I’ve got your
carrot too.” He dug the final piece from his pocket and held it out. The little
guy lipped it up and crunched loudly.

His
mother giggled. “He’s cute.”

“Yeah,
he is.” Grabbing Mischief’s halter, he inclined his head. “Come on in. I’ll
show you around.”

Leading
the miniature horse back to the stall, he opened the door, and gave him a light
shove. “In you go. Miracle is having a small meltdown without you.” As soon as
he closed the door, he noticed the two horses nuzzling one another as if
reassuring each other they were indeed all right and back together again.

“This
must be the filly your brothers told me about. The abused one who’s afraid of
men.” His father came closer, but still maintained a healthy distance away from
the gray horse.

Dusty
nodded. His father had spent many hours with horses, knew stock, and how to
read their body language pretty well. He also knew a well bred horse when he
saw one. “She’s slowly coming around with me, but yeah, as you saw, a strange
man appears and she’s totally on the defensive.”

His
father’s practiced eye raked over the animals. “Too bad. She’s got some
bloodlines behind her.”

“At
least she clicked with April, so now she has a good home for the rest of her
days. Along with her best friend, of course.”

“Where
is this April? I was hoping to meet the woman your brothers spoke so highly
of,” his mother asked.

“Working
today. She’s a nurse at the hospital. Twelve hour shifts, so I doubt she’ll come
by after work.”

“Oh.”
Disappointment clearly covered his mother’s face.

Well, hell.
He knew a matchmaker when he saw
one. Good thing he’d already set his sights on April or he might get a bit
nervous himself.

“So,
what’s between the two of you? I couldn’t believe when Archer told me you
brought her along with the horses to stay at the ranch while the fires burned
nearby,” she persisted.

“Her
filly does much better with her around.”

She
snorted. “Dusty, I might not know much, but I know this. You can work your way
around any horse on this planet without a helper. So, what’s the real reason
you brought her along?”

Busted.
He could never get anything by
his parents.

“Isn’t
it obvious, Delia? The boy’s smitten.” His father grinned wickedly.

Dusty
sighed. His father spent years grilling witnesses. Judging by the look on his
face, he intended to drag every morsel of truth about Dusty’s blossoming
relationship with April along with other personal details from his lips. He
straightened his spine and lifted his chin. Once a SEAL, always a SEAL. No one
ever pushed a SEAL to do anything he didn’t want to do. Besides, he came by his
stubbornness naturally. With a sly smile, he arched an eyebrow at his father.
Bring it on.

Ben
stepped between Dusty and his father, keeping a close watch on the pair, as he
took up a protective position. Automatically, Dusty reached down to scratch
behind his ears. “It’s okay, buddy. They’re my parents.”

The dog
looked up at him, his dark eyes full of sympathy.

Dusty
chuckled and continued to run his hands through Ben’s thick fur. “By the way,
this is Ben.”

His
parents looked at the dog with interest. “Your war dog?” His father reached out
a hand slowly, allowing the Belgian Malinois to sniff.

“Yeah.
He saved my ass so many times, I couldn’t leave him behind.” Memories flashed
through his mind of nights spent on patrol or catnapping snuggled together for
warmth and security.

Respect
and something akin to sadness and concern flashed across his father’s face.

Dusty
stiffened. If his father dared to offer commiseration or condolences, he’d
frankly lose his temper. His time with the SEALs wasn’t easy, but proved a life
changer. He wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world. In fact,
he considered returning to the ranks now and again before always changing his
mind. No, he and Ben had retired together for good. In the time since he’d
resigned, he’d lost a step or three. While getting back in shape might be
fairly easy, he’d also lost the drive. Not to mention, the scourge of war followed
him home in the form of nightmares and flashbacks. Returning would most likely
worsen the situation.

Dusty
shook his head, immediately discouraging any conversation. “Don’t ask.” He
refused to talk about his military career, even if he could. National security
and a SEAL’s oath kept his mouth shut then and now.

His
father’s lips thinned.

“Dusty?
Why don’t you show us around? I’d love to see the rest of the horses and find
out how one runs a stable.” His mother smiled cheerfully.

He
nodded, relieved with the change of topic. “Since you’ve already met these
two,” he gestured toward the stall with April’s horses, “let’s move on to the
end.”

By the
time he finished the tour, his father’s expression changed to one of respect
and appreciation. “This is a first class operation.”

Dusty
nodded, the praise stroking his ego. His father didn’t offer compliments
willy-nilly, so when he did, they definitely meant something. “Thanks. It’s
been a lot of hard work, but well worth it.”

“I can
see that. Between that great stud and this upscale stable, I think you’re well
on your way.”

His
mother bobbed her head. “It’s impressive. Not that we ever doubted your
abilities.” She grinned at him.

“I
know. I know. It was touch and go there for a while.” He smiled remembering all
the trouble he gave his parents during his rebellious stage. More than once,
they moaned over the gray hairs he was giving them.

“Just
remember one day when you have kids, you’ll be paying for your raising.” Her
brown eyes twinkled with mischief.