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out ofview, I fisted myhand and drove it into the side of the unforgiving wood. “FUCK!” I cursed through clenched teeth, nursingmysore hand and bleedingknuckles.
Maybe he was right, maybe I wouldn’t last more than two days, but it wouldn’t be because I couldn’t handle the work. It would be because he was an ass. When I realized I couldn’t punch the wallagain, I uselessly kicked the dirt with my foot and cursed. As pissed off as I was, I refused to give inand leave. No, I was determined to stayno matter how shittyhe treated me or how miserable I was. I wouldn’t fail. When I calmed, I heard himclear his throat behind me.
“When you’re done with your temper tantrum, you might want to washthat up,”he said, noddingto myhand clutched to mychest.
Then he closed the distance between us in two strong strides and pulled my fist toward him. His callused fingers pressed along the back of my hand and knuckles and I grimaced, but made no sound. His skin was warm and hard as he expertly examined the damage I’d done, his brows together, attentive to his task. When he looked up, turbulent blue meeting embarrassed pale green, he released myhand, and I let it fallto myside.
“Nothing’s broken. First aid kit is inthe tack room. Cleanit well,”he instructed before walkingoffas casuallyas he’d appeared.
Sighingand feelingfoolish, I walked into the barnand up the stairs to the tack room. I fumbled with it one-handed but got it open and used an antiseptic spray, then bandaged my hand with a few strips of gauze. From Chase’s whistle, I knew he was calling the horses and waited untilI heard the cloppingofhooves before goingdownstairs.
“Need anyhelp?”I asked whenhe led McLeod inside.
“Think youcanhandle it?”
“Yes, sir,”I conceded.
“Don’t touchAdmiral.”
Jogging down the aisle, I exited the barn and went over to the gate where all the horses were waiting to come in. How the hell was I supposed to openthe gate, catchone, pullhimthrough, and thenclose the gate before the others escaped? Panicked I would fuck it up, I waited until Chase returned. He shook his head when he saw me waiting and brushed me aside. I watched as he opened the gate with one hand while simultaneously clutching the halter of Jet and pulling him through the opening. Using his hip, he closed the gate and locked it with one hand. Thenhe handed Jet to me.
“Youtake himinside. I’llget the next one.”
Relieved, I took Jet’s halter, suddenly realizing just how big the horses were. They looked smaller in their stalls and not standing directly beside me.
“Youneed to walk,”Chase directed.
Taking a tentative step, I grew excited when Jet stepped with me and not on me. Feeling more confident, I headed toward the barn with Jet walking next to me. I led himto his stall, releasing his halter as he entered like I’d seen Chase do, and then closed the door behind him. He turned his large bodyaround and beganeatinghis grain.
Proudly, I turned and saw Chase leading Keno inside. “Don’t get cocky, kid.”
After deflating my ego, he showed off and smacked Keno’s hindquarters as he let him walk unassisted into his stall. I followed him outside and waited for himto hand me Sampson while he seized Admiral, who dwarfed Sampson. I led Sampson inside and to his stall, sliding the door closed behind him before following Chase back outside for the last three horses. Once they were inside, I waited while Chase checked to be sure eachstallwas locked, and thenhe turned offthe lights and closed the barn doors halfway. He headed toward the house and I followed closely onhis heels.
“Are we done for the day?”I asked, lookingat the loweringsun.
“Youare.”
We entered the house and he went to the kitchen. He took food fromthe refrigerator and vegetables froma basket onthe counter. “CanI help?”I offered, halfexpectinghimto tellme to fuck off. Surprisingly, he pointed to a cuttingboard. “Make a salad, please.”
Excited he was letting me help and