A Cowboy’s Honor by Lois Richer Page B

air.
    “Are you all right?”
    “Of course.” Gracie accepted Dallas’s hand up, ignored the knowing smirk tilting the corners of his mouth. “She’s skittish, that’s all.”
    “She’s playing with you,” he asserted.
    “I suppose you have a better plan.” He probably did, and that didn’t bother Gracie. She only wanted to make sure the animal wasn’t suffering.
    “I don’t know about a plan.” Dallas’s quiet tone surprised her. “I do have this idea…” His voice trailed away; his eyes clouded over. “Never mind. Maybe I should leave you alone. I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”
    So did he.
    Gracie sensed what caused his confusion. His natural skill with animals was coming back to him. Though Dallas might not recognize why he understood the mare’s actions, she had seen her husband in action many times before, and knew Dallas simply understood animals.
    “Go ahead. Try,” she said encouragingly.
    He hesitated. “I—I’m not sure what to do.”
    “Neither am I.” Gracie couldn’t ignore the plea for help he hadn’t uttered. It hurt to see strong, confident Dallas so uncertain. She couldn’t find it within her to let it last. “The worst she can do is knock you down. Go ahead.”
    He searched her face for a moment, finally nodded. “Okay, but if I mess up you’d better know how to do first aid.”
    “You won’t need first aid. I have something that works better.” She pulled a sugar lump from her pocket and handed it and the carrot to him. “I want to know if those sores on her sides are healing or if there’s a sign of infection. If you can get her to stand facing me, as close as possible, I’ll be able to get a good look.”
    He nodded, tucked the treats in his back pocket, then walked toward the suspicious horse, talking the entire time. Gracie couldn’t hear all the words, but she recognized the soft conversational tone. Ears pricked up, Lady stood her ground, waiting while he moved closer. Eventually the mare caught the scent of the carrot, and though she snorted, she didn’t shy away.
    Dallas pulled the carrot from his pocket, broke off the end and held it out on his palm. Lady tossed her head, then reached out and snatched it from him. Dallas eased the remaining carrot back in his pocket and turned, began walking toward Gracie.
    That wasn’t what she wanted, and she opened her mouth to tell him so, until she caught a glimpse of his eyes and the message they were sending. Trust me.
    It had been a long time since Gracie had really trusted anyone. But in that moment she couldn’t forget the many times he’d said it to her during their weeks of long-distance courtship, each time he left, when he spoke about the future.
    “Trust me, Gracie darlin’. We’re going to have a future. It’s just gonna take a while for us to get everything ironed out. But we will have a home of our own, a family. Trust me.”
    Gracie snapped out of her reverie at the sound of the horse’s deep-throated gargle. She blinked, saw Lady butt Dallas in the back. The mare soon accepted his hand on her head, allowed him to touch her nose.
    “Yeah, you’re a little mixed up, aren’t you? Just like me,” he whispered.
    Gracie focused on his face, on the tenderness blazing in his eyes.
    “But we can get through it, girl.” Dallas threaded his fingers through Lady’s mane, but it was his voice that commanded the horse, not his hands. “We have to trust each other. You can let me in, can’t you, Lady?”
    Dallas led the horse nearer and turned her. “If you want to take a look, Gracie, this is as good a time as any.”
    “Keep talking and hold her as still as you can.” Gracie moved slowly, checking the hooves as gently as she could. She went on to assess the long deep cuts a whip had made on the horse’s ribs.
    “Come on, girl. You’re on show. You can do it.” Dallas slipped her another morsel of carrot, and continued speaking. The mare calmed enough to allow him to scratch her