Forever's Affection (Forever In Luck Series Book 3) (6 page)

“With
me, nothing is simple.”

“You
got that right.” Grabbing her hand, and refusing to stop when she gasped and
yanked back, he pulled her through the kitchen and out the porch to the side of
his truck. Unlocking the storage unit located in the bed of the truck, he threw
open the lid. “Look.”

Eyes
wide open, she looked around, then gingerly stepped up, taking a peek inside.
She smiled brightly.

“I’ll
show you mine, if you show me yours,” he said, as he leaned against the truck,
giving her a wry grin.

She
started laughing and her eyes took on a sparkle. “Not interested in bait, big
guy, but we could talk tackle.”

“Deal.”
Moving his
fishing rods, he grabbed his tackle box and they headed back inside. “So what
kind of fish do
you like to fish for?”

“Trout,
I love fly fishing, but any kind of fish will do really. If I don’t want
them—she shrugged—I just put them back.
How about you?”

Damn,
he felt like dancing a jig and he hated dancing. This was almost normal.
Shoving the pizza in the oven, he looked at her.
“Walleyes,
definitely.
I have a nice surprise for you.”

Looking
at him, she became instantly leery, the spell having been broken.

“We
have ten minutes before the pizza’s done. Trust me, you’ll like this, I
promise. Put some shoes on.”

“Why?”

“Because,
if you don’t I’ll have to carry you, and although I wouldn’t mind, I think you
would. Put on some shoes.”

She
took a deep breath, her eyes turning gray and edgy. “Just so we’re clear, I
don’t trust men.”

No,
really? Well, at least she was honest.
“
Oookay
,
gotcha.
Shoes please.”

After
she slipped on her boots, he took her hand and led her out back of the house
and down
aways
. She tried pulling out of his grip.

“You
don’t need to hold my
hand,
I can walk and follow
directions at the same time.”

“I
know,” he answered, without letting go. Stopping on the banks of a stream of
sorts, he turned to her and said, “This is the south fork of Trade River, and
it’s one of Wisconsin’s designated trout streams.”

Looking
sharply at the stream, then back to him, her eyes lost all apprehension and lit
up. She stood a little taller and smiled brightly.
“Really?
Trout here?
On this property?”

Oh
man, she had a beautiful smile. “Told
ya
you’d like
it,” he said feeling pretty proud of
himself
. “It’s a
class one stream too.” Looking at him warmly, her smile reached her eyes and he
felt like a hero.

“What’s
a class one stream?”

“It
means it’s not artificially stocked, it sustains itself.”

Turning
to the house, she pulled on the hand of his holding hers, dragging him along.
“Come on, I need a fishing license.”

Laughing,
pleased with her enthusiasm, he said, “They’re closed now, but we can get you
one tomorrow.”

“Damn
it,” she snapped, coming to a halt.

He
could see her mind working on the issue. “Will you let me take you fishing
after?” He paused, then went for it, “Let me take you fishing after we get you
a license, I would love to take you fishing.”

Her
eyes darted to his and looked at him intensely. “Depends,” she answered
straight up.

He
prayed for mercy. “On?”

“If
you like to talk when you fish, because it’s a deal breaker if you do.
Absolutely no talking, it scares the fish away.”

Definitely his kind of woman.
Smiling, he
nodded, giving her hand a tug. “It’s a deal. Let’s go eat pizza and talk
tackle.”

“You
can let go of my hand now.”

“I
know.”

He
didn’t.

*****

After
feeding and watering the animals, Dani went to work cleaning out the stalls of
the barn. Having gotten up early so she could get as much done as possible
before going fishing, she had to admit she was excited to go. She loved all
things manly, just not the men that you encountered in doing them, or at any
other time for that matter.

In
a way, given her interests, she supposed it was normal for her to be a tomboy,
having been raised in a male dominant environment, and she did like men from
the standpoint she didn’t sway the other way, but she’d learned early on that
men thrived on the weaknesses of others. Yes, there were a few good men out
there, she knew that, but you had to go through a hell of a lot of bad ones to
find one good one, and then still it was a hell of a lot of work to groom them
from there on. Even then, given the rancid details, it rarely worked out. She
just wasn’t interested, it hurt too much.

Thinking
back to last evening, she knew she shouldn’t have let him in, and she should’ve
said no to fishing. He wasn’t going to give up, she knew it,
he
wouldn’t. How could she get him to understand, get him to go away, to give up,
without having to show him the broken, worn person inside? How? She shook her
head. She couldn’t do it. She would not enter into a relationship with this
man. No, she was done trying to make things work, she was done being
vulnerable, she was done being weakened by the process. She did not care how
handsome, caring, loving, or understanding he was, or could be, she would not
do it.

“Up
early I see.”

She
screamed a blood curdling scream as she spun about, pitchfork in hand. He
reached for her as she stumbled up against the stall wall and she screamed
again. “Don’t!”

He
immediately stepped back.

Tripping
her way over to a bench, she fell onto it, and watched him from a distance,
trying to calm down. After a few minutes, she spoke up, her voice weak and
wobbly, “Don’t ever sneak up on me, ever.”

Putting
his hands in the pockets of his jeans, he looked to the floor as he kicked at
some straw. “I didn’t realize driving up with a boat trailer banging behind me
and slamming the pickup door, while yelling for you, would be considered
sneaking up on you.”

She
closed her eyes.

 
“Did you eat breakfast?” he asked quietly.

Opening
her eyes, she looked at him. He was scratching his head, clearly not sure what
to do. She nodded.

“Jules
sent along fresh made caramel rolls and some good strong coffee, as well as
sandwiches and snacks for our outing.”

Continuing
to look at him in silence, she thought about what he’d said. “Does she like to
cook or something?”

Laughing
a little, he seemed to relax some. Then he nodded. “She feels for cooking, what
you feel for fishing.”

Some
people have all the luck. “That’s nice. She’s a good cook.”

Nodding
in agreement, he slowly made his way closer before stopping near the stall
door. “She’s a great cook, and we’re lucky to have her here with us.”

Hmmm, appreciation and gratitude.
Interesting.
“Why’s that?”

“For many reasons, but mostly because
she was hurt badly before she and Jake were married and he almost lost her.
We all helped
with her rehabilitation. You can barely tell now, but she was nearly left a
paraplegic and needed to learn how to walk all over again.” Moving to his left,
he glanced over the stall wall. “What can I do to help?”

First appreciation and gratitude, now
helpful commitment followed by thoughtfulness.
He was proving
to be a rare bird. “Nothing, I’m almost done.”

Glancing
around, he said, “I see two more stalls to do.”

“I’ll
do them tomorrow.”

“You’ll
have five to do then.”

Standing
up, she continued looking at him and shook her head. “I pasture my horses,
unless it’s extreme heat or cold, or they’re sick. I’m just cleaning up the
mess the previous owner left. I can finish this tomorrow”

A
loud rattling and banging sound was growing louder, and a distant scream was
heard in the air. Setting down her pitchfork, she walked to the barn’s door.
Two men got out of a pickup.
“One of you Dani Reed?”

“That
would be me,” she said stepping forward. There was another loud banging sound.

The
driver looked to the horse trailer he was pulling, then back at her. “He’s a
rough one and a handful. We were told to only bring him because he requires
special handling.”

Perfect, right up her alley.
“He’s scared.
Be careful bringing him out.” Going to the fence gate, she opened it and stood
watching as the men worked to unload the horse. Kris came and stood beside her.
The horse fought and kicked, but slowly, inch by inch, he was coaxed out. Just
as he was free, he stood on his hind legs and let out a high pitched scream.

“Lord…good
God in heaven…” she said, stunned and dazed by the sight of him. She stood a
little bit taller, paid a little more attention. He was a sight to behold, and
Dani was immediately taken with him. “He’s magnificent,” she whispered, as she
felt a pulse of his energy flow through her. Mindful, she brought herself into
the realm of equine consciousness and felt an instant connection to him. She
watched and observed all she could, immediately taking an accounting of his,
and the others, behavior.

With
one man on each side of the horse holding a taught rein attached to the bit,
the horse threw his head up and down, pulling and stepping backwards as he
yanked and tugged, moving away from them, dragging the men along as they worked
equally hard to pull back on the reins.
Ahhh
, gotcha,
sweetpea
, I’m on it. He’s scared and in pain. Heading
to the barn at a near run, she went to the tack room, grabbed a bridle of her
own, as well as her lasso, then ran back
out,
nearly
knocking into Kris as he’d followed her. Side stepping him, she quickly went
back outside.

“Loosen
the reins,” she said loudly. “Bring them to me, please.” Both men just stood
where they were and looked at her, not listening. She shook her head, mumbled
under her breath and stomped off to the side towards one of
the
them
. The horse skittered off the other direction, then backwards some
more as he snorted and swished his tail. Grabbing the rein from the man, she
loosened it and walked forward and away from the horse. Then sidestepping her
way to the other man, she took the rein from him and loosened it. The horse
skittered away, stepping back from them, but not far enough to strain the
lines.

The
stress had been on the part of the men and it had started when they man handled
him out of the trailer. Irritated, she growled, then bit out, “Step far, far
away, now.” Then she focused on the horse, watching his reaction to the men
moving.

“Lady,
you’re crazy,” the driver said.

“Get
back, now!” she demanded, holding the reins in a tight grip.

The
guy threw up his hands, and the two went over to the barn door and stood next
to Kris.

Once
they were ample distance away, she nickered and blew a long huff, then gently
tossed her head back and forth. The horse stopped pulling and testing the line
so much, and looked at her, one ear coming up and towards her while the other
was back attending to the men. Good boy. Lasso and reins in one hand, she
unrolled her lasso and swirled it over head then tossed it around the horses
head. Dropping the reins, she held firm to the lasso and baby stepped her way
towards the horse, nickering and huffing along the way, stopping when the horse
snorted and pulled his head back, testing her and the bit.

She
whinnied, then nickered and huffed, and he huffed back. Talking softly, she
moved closer until she was almost able to touch him. More horse sounds, his
head coming down and nudging her, then a treat in her open flat palm. He
sniffed and huffed, then took the carrot. Carefully, she touched him, while
easing the reins out of the lasso’s hold. Once done, she gave him another
carrot. She touched his neck and around his bridle, unbuckling it as she went,
then gently eased it from his muzzle, tossing it to the ground.

Taking
out the bridle she’d brought with her she let him sniff it,
then
gently worked it over his head and into his mouth. Now, she gave him part of an
apple and praised him with horse sounds. He raised his head a little and
brought his ears forward as he listened. Relaxing his lips, he tested and
chewed the bit then swished his tail a little as he groaned. Waiting, she
watched until he was finished and they stood looking at each other.

Clicking
and whinnying, she slowly walked forward, putting gentle pressure on her lasso,
not the bit, and took a deep breath when he followed. Passing through the gate
and into the pasture, she walked him around in a circle a few times, then
stopped and gave him the rest of the apple. “Kris, can you close the gate,
please?” she asked from a distance.