Seventeen-year-old Chloe Matthews is done with guys, done with her ex, and done with the cowboys of the Grand Teton Mountains. She refuses to get hurt again.
All that matters now are the horses. Every horse Chloe helps is another piece of herself pu...
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I walked to the passenger side of Gabi's Jeep. "Maybe we should get Cash. Wouldn't it be better to have two cowboys on our side?" I acted as if I didn't feel Gabi's laser-hot beam shooting from her eyes.
"He's on the morning ride," Jack said as he slid into the back seat.
"Good," Gabi mumbled.
Jack frowned. "Why don't you give the guy a chance?"
"Because I'm not interested in being his flava-of-the-week."
"It's not like that."
"It's always like that with Cash." Gabi swung her head around to glare at Jack. "Drop it, or get out." Jack leaned back without another word. He obviously knew more about the Gabi-Cash story than I did.
Gabi pulled a huge pack of gum from her glove compartment and held it out to me. "Want a piece?" She snatched her hand back when she saw my face, and pulled a piece out for herself. "My car, my rules."
When we arrived at Sagebrush Ranch, we found a well-groomed gravel parking lot, wine barrels with vibrant flowers popping out of them, and a cute country sign that read 'Sagebrush Rescue Ranch.' Maybe the place was legit.
Gabi had barely parked when I jumped out of the Jeep and headed toward the office. Gabi and Jack followed me in.
"Morning," the young guy behind the counter said.
"Hi." I glanced around the clean yet sparse room that reminded me of a vet office. There was a high counter separating the public from the staff and the files, and five metal folding chairs lined up against the wall. The solid wooden door across the room looked like it might lead back to the horses.
"How can I help you today?" the guy said.
I smiled. "I want to adopt a horse."
"That's what we do here. Just give me a minute and I'll have some brought up for you. What's your riding level?"
"Good."
"Excellent," Jack said as he joined me at the counter.
I raised my eyebrows at Jack and then turned back to the guy behind the counter. "Where do your horses come from?"
"Here and there. Any sick or abused horse within about a hundred mile radius."
Jack's hand hovered just below my elbow, his gaze intent on the side of my face. "Sounds like a good thing you do here," he said
"Yep," the guy said. "Just have a seat." He slipped through the door across the room, calling someone named Miller as he went.
I turned to Gabi. "It sounds good. But something doesn't feel right."
"Well," she said. "Something certainly isn't right with Penny."
A quick stroll around the back of this ranch would tell me everything I needed to know. I headed toward that door. Jack stepped in front of me and blocked my way. "Let's just see how far we get today, huh?"
