Cinderella's Tycoon by Caroline Cross

Author:Caroline Cross
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Harlequin Treasury
Published: 2011-05-26T22:00:00+00:00

“So where’d this little fellow come from?” Sterling asked his friend Becky Sullivan as he unlatched the back of her ancient horse trailer.

She tucked a loose strand of bright red hair behind her ear. Swinging open the trailer doors, she stepped up into the dim interior with the easy confidence of someone who’d spent her whole life around livestock. “I got a call a few weeks ago from an elderly lady with a few acres up near Big Spring,” she said over her shoulder. “Lou Verstadt—” she named a local veterinarian “—gave her my name because you were out of town. She’d sold her place and was going to live with her daughter in Austin, and she couldn’t stand the thought of having Shorty here put down.”

“Huh.” He stepped to one side, getting out of the way as Becky competently backed a compact pinto pony out into the yard in front of his stable.

“I can’t say that I blame her.” She stood still a moment, letting the animal, which was brown and white and had bright little eyes and a comically bushy mane and tail, get his land legs. “I’ve had him over at my place the past few days, and he’s a character. Twice he’s unlatched the corral gate, moseyed on up to the house and stood by the back door as if he expected to be let in.” Her green eyes softened beneath the brim of her hat. “Truth to tell, he’s so cute I almost let him.”

“Oh, that’s just what you need,” Sterling chided, knowing she already had more horses than she could easily handle. “You’ll both be better off with him here. What did you say his name was?” Leading the way, he walked into the stable and toward one of the roomy box stalls with the attached corral that would be the newcomer’s home for the next few days.

“It’s Shortcake. Shorty for short. I’ve got his paperwork out in the truck.” She led the pony into the stall, unclipped the lead line and joined Sterling in the corridor, watching as he shut the lower half of the double door and secured the latch. With the ease of the old friends they were, the two of them stood in relaxed silence, observing the diminutive pinto as it checked out its new surroundings.

Sterling supposed that to some people their friendship might seem odd, given Becky’s modest means and his own current wealth. Yet they had a lot in common. Not only did they both love horses, but they’d each grown up knowing a degree of financial hardship—and what it was to deal with a difficult parent. And since they were both prone to keeping their stronger emotions to themselves, they also tended to respect each other’s privacy. Introduced right after Sterling’s divorce by a mutual friend at a local horse auction, they’d been surprised to find they were extremely comfortable with each other, and their friendship had proceeded from there.

“So.” Becky turned, propped her shoulder negligently against the wall and crossed her arms.

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