Sweet-Loving Cowboy (Kinky Spurs 2)

Over the years, she had heard of dogs making insane trips to get to their owners, but she had never seen anything like that herself. She kissed Houdini’s cute wet nose. “I can’t believe you were missing me that much.”

“He wasn’t the only one.”

Harper slowly glanced up, and her breath caught at the strong tenderness Chase exuded.

He held her stare for a powerful moment before he turned to Darryl. “I cannot thank you enough for helping me find him. Next time I see you at the Spurs, drinks are on me.”

“Sounds like a deal.” He smiled at Chase, then asked Brody, “Would you mind giving me and Tyson a lift back to Chase’s to grab my cruiser?”

“Yeah, no problem at all. Let me grab my keys.” Brody spun on his heels, jogging toward the house.

Darryl began to slide the reins over the dappled gray’s head when Chase said, “Nah, leave those there.” He flicked his chin at Harper. “Come on, beautiful, let’s go for a ride.”

Lost in the steadiness of Chase now, she slowly approached, handing Houdini to him. He placed the puppy on his lap across the saddle. Obviously exhausted, Houdini stayed put, laying his head down.

“Thanks,” she said to Darryl with a smile, taking the reins from him. Glad she was wearing a long T-shirt and leggings, and not a dress, she placed her foot in its flip-flop into the stirrup then mounted the horse and quickly adjusted the length of the stirrups.

Brody returned then and exited the house, moving to his Jeep parked on the road. “I’m just over here, Darryl,” he called.

“See you two later.” Darryl smiled and nodded at Chase and Harper before heading over to Brody’s Jeep.

Everything faded away after that when Chase leveled her with a soft look. For all the spinning of her thoughts lately, and all the unknowns she faced, when she stared into his eyes, everything became very clear.

Chase had always been the one surety she never doubted. Her feelings for him were one of the clearest things she’d ever known.

He arched an eyebrow. “All good?”

She smiled, settling into the saddle. “Perfect, actually.”

* * *

Beneath the mountains and under the large shade tree, Chase finished removing the bit from Mac’s bridle, allowing him to graze the grass as he had done with Autumn, the dappled gray. With the horses settled, Chase noted Harper sitting beneath another shade tree next to the creek that ran through Blackshaw land. The current was fast, the water splashing against the rocky ground. She sat cross-legged, Houdini in between, his head resting on her legs, his eyes shut. Apparently, the puppy was intent on being with the woman who saved his life.

Chase felt the same damn way.

Leaving the horses behind him, he strode toward her, the sun peeking through the branches of the tree, making the honey-blond in her hair glisten. She stroked Houdini’s ears, the puppy sound asleep, his little belly rising and falling fast with his heavy breaths.

“It’s been a hard day for him,” Chase said.

Harper glanced up, those captivating eyes holding so much life, connecting with his. “For everyone, I think.”

She could not have made a truer statement, and he nodded in response. He sat next to her, being gentle, not to wake Houdini. He rested his back against the tree trunk, one knee bent, arm resting on top. “It’s been a hard week, really.”

“Yeah, it has.” She stroked one finger down Houdini’s nose.

Everything he wanted to say lay on the tip of his tongue. Before, he would not have said a word, supporting her choice to move to Las Vegas.

Now, things along the way had changed. Unsure where to begin, he started with gratitude. “I can never repay you for getting that information about Todd and Joel.”

“You don’t have to repay me,” she said softly. “Sometimes having boobs really comes in handy.” She grinned. “This was one of those times.” Her smile began to fade as she continued to run her fingers over Houdini’s floppy ear while the puppy began snoring. “Did everything work out okay?”

Chase nodded. “Todd passed the inspection. Joel is out of our lives.”

“That’s good.”

She smiled again, and the warmth she offered him woke up foreign parts inside him that he did not know lay dormant. He wanted to give her the world. He reached for her hand and twined his fingers with hers. “For my whole life, I’ve always tried to do the right thing. That’s something Dad instilled in us growing up. We always needed to be the better man. To take the high road.” He stared down at his thumb stroking her soft hand, loving the way they fit together. “A few months ago, Shep had said to me that nothing would stop him from being with the woman he loved.”

He glanced at her, finding her unmoving, staring down at Houdini. Needing to see her pretty eyes, he tucked a finger under her chin, bringing her attention to him. “But when it came to you, it seemed more complicated at the time.”