A Cowboy to Call Daddy (The Boones of Texas 4)

“He stays close to you. When he sees you, he comes. Hell, he’s putting himself between you and me right now—protecting you.” Archer ran a hand over his face. “If you figure out a way to make me a good guy, let me know.”

Eden heard the anguish in his voice and hurt for him. This was Archer’s life. He wanted to help the stubborn, beautiful animal. “I will,” she said, meaning it.

Archer’s gaze returned to hers. “You don’t have to do this.”

She nodded, continuing to run her hands along Fester’s shoulder. “I do.” The longer he stared at her, the heavier her chest felt. She didn’t know what he was thinking, but she knew exactly how she was responding. If he took one step toward her, she’d close the gap.

“We’re ready,” Toben called out.

Eden tore her gaze from Archer’s and walked toward the gate Toben had opened. Fester nickered at her, so she stopped and waited for him to catch up.

The whole refuge seemed to be waiting. Eden had never felt it so still. Maybe that’s why Fester seemed nervous. His ears were rotating wildly and his tail swished erratically. He didn’t like the pressure, either. She kept walking, talking to him in a soft, reassuring voice.

Eventually he followed her, hesitating just inside the gate. She kept going, crossing between the two horses in the pasture to rest against the wooden fence post. “Come on, Fester. You need some friends,” she called out. “Come on.”

Fester whinnied. The other two horses’ ears perked up. One whinnied in answer.

Eden stood there, terrified and hopeful. It took forever before Fester followed her into the pasture. When he did, he ignored the other horses and stood off to the side, looking at her. She kept on talking while the other horses approached.

“He’s making them come to him.” Archer’s voice was at her ear. “That’s good. Lets them know he’s in charge. Neither of them will challenge that.”

“What happens now?” she asked.

“We wait,” Archer said.

Archer spent the next minutes explaining the animals’ posturing, the noises they made, the slow easing of Fester’s tension. When Fester made his way to the water trough, the other two slowly followed, staying close to him.

Eden smiled. “That’s good, right?” She looked at Archer, full of hope.

He was smiling, too, watching the horses. “Yes, ma’am. It’s good.”

She’d like to think the rapid thump of her heart was due to Fester’s newfound herd. But the strong profile, the full lips and the fine crinkles at the corner of Archer’s smiling eyes were the more likely cause.

His blue gaze shifted to her, his smile dazzling.

The longer she stood there, staring at him, the harder it was to look away. But she managed it, barely. “Ivy heard about the parade. O

n Monday?”

“Stonewall Crossing knows how to throw a parade. You’re not heading back to Houston until the middle of next week, are you?” His question was gruff.

“I planned on working through the weekend.”

He shook his head. “We’ll get it done without giving up your weekend. Your girls are here, Eden. As long as we get it done by the end of next week, we should be fine.”

End of next week? She’d assumed, since Archer was so gung ho to get everything done, weekends wouldn’t matter. She’d counted on leaving with plenty of time to prepare for the board meeting on Friday—not that she had anything to present to the board. Why was that such a relief? “Our tickets are booked for early Tuesday morning.”

His smile dimmed. “That’d be a shame, Eden. Stay, for the parade and the fireworks, too,” he said. “I’m happy to cover the cost of your ticket change, fly you home Thursday morning. That’ll give us plenty of time.”

Us. She shouldn’t like the sound of that. But she did. She frowned. Another reason to leave—as soon as possible.

Fester went trotting by, his two new companions in tow. Fester’s confidence and posturing was a thing of beauty. He was enjoying the company, and it made her happy, too happy. She shouldn’t be this happy over a horse. She swallowed, pushing off the fence. “Think it’s okay for me to get to work now?” she asked, avoiding eye contact.

He stepped back. “Guess we’ll find out.” He held his hand out, offering to help her slide between the fence slats. But Eden did it on her own, made sure Fester was still happy and hurried inside.

* * *

ARCHER WAS DISAPPOINTED. Seeing Fester coming into his own, being receptive to the enclosed arena, was a breakthrough. Yet news of Eden’s plans, her apparent eagerness to leave, gnawed at him. And it lingered, a bruise deep beneath the skin.