Texas Two-Step: Cowboy Shuffle Read Online Free PDF Page B

the read out, surprised to see it was Shooter calling. “Hey. What’s up?”
    “Uh, maybe nothing but I wanted to give you a call. I was here at the barn this morning checking on Mack and I noticed something was up with Bucky so I came back on my lunch break.”
    Her heart clenched. “What’s wrong with Bucky?”
    Ellen was already heading for her bedroom to get dressed. She had clean scrubs in her locker at work, so she could just slip into boots, jeans and a T-shirt and head for the barn. Getting dressed one-handed while she held the phone to question Shooter was proving to be a challenge though.
    “He’s acting like he’s uncomfortable. Rolling, then bouncing up. It looks like he’s been walking in circles in the stall. He’s got all the shavings pushed up against the wall. It’s not like him. I’m thinking it’s colic.”
    Shooter may be a dick sometimes, but he did know horses. She trusted him when he said something was wrong. Her heart lurched. She couldn’t stand it if something happened to Bucky. Worse, what if it wasn’t just colic? What if it was a bowel obstruction? She didn’t have enough in her savings to cover it if there was something wrong that required surgery. Hell, she barely had enough to cover a vet visit.
    “Should I call the doctor?” She steeled herself for the answer.
    “I’m gonna take him out and walk him around on the lead rope, if that’s okay with you. I think he needs to move. Let’s see if that helps him feel better. If not, then maybe you should call.” His voice held a calm sureness Ellen needed right now. He was concerned, she could tell, but distanced enough from the situation to be practical, which she totally was not.
    “Okay. Do whatever you think is best. I’m on my way over now.”
    “I’ll be here.”
    Thank God Ellen’s car had decided to cooperate today. It not only started, but also showed impressive pickup for its tiny engine as she sped much too fast, breaking many traffic laws, to get to the barn. She peeled into the gravel lot and skidded to a stop, ignoring the nasty looks of a passing mother and daughter walking toward their car. She couldn’t deal with them now. She drove perfectly well any other time, but this was an emergency.
    She ran first to Bucky’s stall and saw what Shooter had described. Judging by the state of the bedding on the stall floor, he’d been antsy and circling for hours. Ellen poked through the wood shavings with the toe of her boot. No visible manure. If Bucky wasn’t pooping, he could be bound up.
    Her heartbeat sped with fear. She turned, exiting the barn. The sun glare blinded her briefly. She raised a hand to shield her eyes and after a moment spotted Shooter leading Bucky slowly around the outside of the practice ring. She took off at a run toward them.
    “How is he?”
    Shooter tipped his cowboy hat back but didn’t stop his slow pace. “He seems a little happier moving.”
    She matched Shooter’s step, and reached out to run a hand down Bucky’s nose. “I can stay for about an hour, but then I’m going to have to go to work. I can’t miss my shift.”
    Tears filled her eyes. She swallowed hard and hoped Shooter didn’t see them.
    “I’ll stay with him.”
    “What about your work?” She frowned up at the man who’d come to her rescue twice in the past few days. Actually more like three times, if she counted replacing her alternator. The guy who she’d always thought was the exact opposite of a knight in shining armor. Tarnished armor, maybe.
    He shrugged. “I’ll call my boss. We got a lot done this morning. There wasn’t much more to do this afternoon.”
    Ellen nodded, rendered speechless by his generosity. If he didn’t go to work, he didn’t get paid. He wasn’t any better off financially than she was, yet he was willing to do this for her. Or rather, for Bucky. Shooter always did have a soft spot for animals. She’d even seen the shine of tears in his eyes at the rodeo where one of the