A Cowboy for Mom Read Online Free PDF Page A

stallion’s head, she could hear Carson speaking quietly
to the horse as he bent to look at a wrapping on the front leg. The horse was
eyeing her in a curious manner, even as his ears twitched back and forth
slightly.
    “Bev felt it was a good idea. I told her to stick it where
the sun didn’t shine and then it went downhill from there,” he told her as he
straightened up. Leaning a shoulder to the horses, he rolled his eyes. “She’s
been trying to run my life for the last fifteen years. Thankfully, she lives at
the other end of the country or she’d be buried out in one of the pastures. And
no, that isn’t just me talking, I couldn’t stand
living with her growing up, let alone during my recovery. Fortunately, her
husband was on my side for that, and got her out of here before I was sent to
the Big House on a murder charge. And it would have been premeditated—really,
really premeditated.”
    Patting a hand to the horse’s chest, he walked out of the
stall and slid the door shut before moving to the next one. “Anyway, somewhere
in there we fought and I ended up saying I’d do it if she’d get off my back for
the rest of my life. She agreed, after many little sniffles and crap that women
pull out, no offense, and I signed on, which made Mathew happier than a clam
and now means he owes me big. Course, he doesn’t know that I didn’t do it all
out of the goodness of my heart, which is why he seems to believe I’m
doing it, so don’t tell him otherwise.”
    He looked to her, “Only my sister doesn’t seem to be
keeping to her side of the damned agreement, and keeping her bloody nose out of
my life. I reminded her of this again tonight, rather loudly and with very
harsh language. Hell, at that rate, I may never get another call from her.” The
look on his face was a bit rueful but a lot happier at the mere prospect, then
it fell. “I’m not that damned lucky,” he muttered.
    Pushing open another stall door, he stepped inside with the
very pregnant mare. “Hello, Darla,” he said to the horse, stroking her nose
gently. “I know baby, you’re uncomfortable.” The horse shifted and whinnied,
tossing her head around. “Couple more weeks is all, Darla. Then you will be
able to go and run around with the others again with your baby.”
    He turned to look at her. “Want to come in and meet the
mother-to-be?” he asked softly.
    “Yeah, I would like that,” Carrie said as she watched him.
“Yeah, Mom’s talked about people like your sister before.” His sister was the
one that her mom had actually spoken of. “So what should I do? Like, is she
like dogs when they are hurt, and will bite or something?” Carrie had never
been around a beast this large.
    Laughing softly, he shook his head. “Horses are, in
general, very gentle creatures but like any animal, they have nonverbal
communication skills. Stroke her nose and if she’s good with you, she’ll dip
her head down to let you rub between her ears. Just keep your fingers away from
her mouth and you’ll be fine. They tend to see our digits as carrots or
something of that sort.”
    “Yeah, I would be seriously pissed if I had a finger eaten.
I have a friend who is deaf and I need all of my digits to speak to her or else
conversations really suck.” Carrie moved forward and lightly touched the
animal, taking her time and then rubbing softly. “She feels weird, but it’s not
a bad weird,” she told the man, her father.
    “A little rough and yet a bit soft, right?” he asked. At
her nod, he tipped his head slightly. “That can be said about a lot of things
in life. Here.” He dug into his jacket pocket and handed her an apple. “Set it
in your palm and keep your hand flat, fingers together with your thumb tucked
to your hand.” He demonstrated what he meant for her and then waved her on.
    “Yeah.” She eyed
the horse and then him. “And you are totally sure that she won’t bite my hand
off?” He nodded. She took a deep breath and