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Beau cut across his words “You’ve made your point, Jasper”

“It’s about time” The old cowboy rolled to his feet, steadied himself, then moved stiffly to Beau’s side

“I never said I was staying,” Beau warned

“I never said you were,” Jasper agreed “At least now you’ll sleep on it, like Will asked ya”

“Will’s like Bull He doesn’t ask; he tells”

“And you bristle at just about anything that isn’t your idea, just like you always did,” he observed “It amazes me how you ever took any orders in the arue’s scarred from all the times ya had to bite it”

Beau was too intent on the set of headlights co up the lane at considerable speed to take any notice of Jasper’s good-natured gibing “Who would be co?” With a nod of his head, he directed Jasper’s attention to the onco vehicle

By then bothinto the ranch yard “That looks like Natalie’s ride,” Jasperinto the ranch yard and took aim on the barn area “The mare’s in trouble or Sky wouldn’t have called her We’d better git over there” As quickly as his arthritic knees would allow, the cowboy started down the steps to his truck, parked in front of the house “You comin’?”

Common sense told Beau that both he and Natalie would be better off if he stayed right where he was But she was too close, and the pull of her was too strong for him to stay on the porch

Calling hiht to the pickup’s passenger side, sliding onto the seat as Jasper clambered behind the wheel

By the time they reached the barn, Natalie had already disappeared inside it With all his senses in high anticipation, Beau forced hih to hold open the barn door for the slower- Jasper, , then followed him inside

Letting his long strides carry him past Jasper, Beau hted one, all the fa Border collie, already curled in his straw bed for the night, noted Beau’s passing with a lift of his head and a wag of his tail

The gate to the stall stood open Beau stopped a step short of it The sweating buckskin mare was on her feet, hobbled and snubbed to a post at the rear of the stall Sky was at her head, stroking her neck and shoulders,Comanche way he had that invariably soothed the most nervous horse But it was Natalie he focused his attention on

Her sleeves were rolled up, long, rubber obstetrical gloves covering her bare hands and arms all the way to the shoulders He studied her bent head, the dark sheen of her hair standing out against the mare’s dun-colored coat She looked so damned small next to the stoutly e of protectiveness that swept through him

Jasper halted next to hi the question to Sky