Stud in Texas (Rugged and Risque 4)

“Thank you.” She hugged Reese. “I appreciate it. You know I do. I just need a little time to get my feet steady on the ground again. I could do without that asshole ripping the rug out from underneath me every time I turn around.”

“I hear that.”

They talked some more, then Sky left the office and headed to her dessert station. She baked more muffins to keep her mind occupied. She dropped off a basket at the med facility and then delivered another one to the stable.

Dalton said, “I’m glad you stopped by. Think Sam could use the company.”

She looked around his shoulder and found Sam standing at a stall midway down the wide aisle, one forearm resting on the ledge of the gate, his jaw clenched.

He looked miserable. Her heart sank.

Dalton told her, “I’m heading over to talk with Caleb, if you need me.”

“Thanks.”

He left and she joined Sam. The air between them crackled with tension. They hadn’t spoken much the previous evening. He’d held her in bed last night, but he hadn’t made love to her. And Sky had been quiet over breakfast, barely making eye contact with him. Too much stood between them, stemming from her situation with Mac.

She placed a hand on his shoulder and asked, “Something wrong?” Her gaze followed his to the empty stall. Her stomach plummeted. “Oh, Sam. The new horse?”

“Caleb put him down first thing this morning. He had no choice.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Had to be done.”

She sighed. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Nothing to say.” He pinched the bridge of his nose with his finger and thumb, then told her, “I’ve got an empty stall to fill. I need to get on the phone and make some arrangements for a horse in New Mexico that I want to pick up.”

“Maybe you should take the morning off. Give yourself a break.”

With a shake of his head, he said, “I don’t want to waste any time. It’ll take a couple days to get everything lined up, paperwork done.”

“You want me to go with you?”

His shoulders bunched. “Well, I certainly don’t want to leave you alone, if Willet isn’t hauled in by then.”

Sam’s gaze finally slid to her. His emerald eyes were clouded and his jaw was still set in a hard line. Sky’s heart wrenched.

“What’s going on inside of that head of yours?” she asked in a low tone.

“More than just thoughts of a dead horse and another one to try to rescue.”

She pulled in a long breath. “Care to elaborate?”

He shifted away from her.

“Sam.”

Glancing at her over a broad shoulder, he said, “I was able to block from my mind what happened to you in Nashville, but yesterday…when you went into the office with the sheriff and Ryan, the reality of it hit me. And it nearly knocked me off my feet.”

She stared up at him, seeing the torment in his eyes. “That’s why you didn’t make love to me last night.”

“It’s not that I didn’t want to. Just didn’t seem right.”

Stepping around him so they faced each other, she wrapped her arms around his neck and said, “You’ve got to let this go. What happened was a nightmare for me, yes, but it was months and months ago. I survived it. I’m okay. Pissed off, sure. And wary about what might be his next move, but I’m all right.”

He held her tight. But didn’t say anything.