Ain't No Angel by Henderson Peggy L

Author:Henderson, Peggy L [Henderson, Peggy L]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-01-16T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Tyler released Laney’s hand and she pulled her arm back as if his touch had burned her. He forced his eyes away from her to look toward Beau, who came loping up the path from the barns.

The man scratched at the back of his neck and adjusted his cowboy hat. He ran his hand over his face to cover his obvious embarrassment at his interruption.

“Sorry, Ty,” he mumbled, his eyes darting from Laney to him.

“What is it, Beau?” Tyler asked impatiently. Dammit. Every time he wanted to get close to Laney, something else came up. These interruptions were getting downright bothersome.

“A few of the colts we brought in last week . . . I think they’re sick.”

An icy chill raced down Tyler’s spine. The image of a dead yearling in Ian Frazier’s wagon popped into his mind. The headcount he’d done that day with Laney had proven that it wasn’t his colt. All of his yearlings were accounted for.

“What do you mean, sick?” He leapt off the porch to meet his wrangler.

“Gabe told me to come fetch you. He says to tell you he’s sorry to bother you, but a few of the colts are hacking and coughing something fierce. It started early this morning, and is only getting worse. The gray seems to be in bad shape.”

“Damn.” Tyler ran a hand over his face. “Why didn’t Gabe come and find me earlier?” he wondered out loud.

“He thought maybe it was just the dust in the air, and them being so close together in the holding pen. Gabe’s got the worst of them in the new barn.”

Tyler glanced at Laney, who’d come up beside him. Her forehead wrinkled in a worried frown. He studied her face for a moment, the concern in her eyes twisting his insides. He wished Beau wasn’t standing right there or he would have pulled her to him and kissed her again. Her look once again proved that the horses were important to her. Tyler tore his eyes away from his wife, and headed for the newly built barn that was supposed to house some of his stock over the winter.

“I’m coming with you.” Laney fell in step beside him, running to keep up with his long strides.

Tyler reached for her hand, and she didn’t pull away. He gave it a gentle squeeze and offered her a smile. She held his gaze, but there was a pained look in her eyes, something close to regret. He didn’t have time to contemplate her odd mood, but he made a mental note to ask her later.

They passed the main barn and corrals, and he cast a quick look at several of the pens that held some of his three-year-olds. Most of them munched contently on their hay on the ground, while others stood, head to tail, dozing in the late afternoon sun. The freshly caught bunch of two-year-olds had been moved to a larger paddock that skirted the property behind the new barn.

“Gabe?” Tyler called before he reached the barn, and pushed the wide wooden doors open.

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