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He grimaced. “Do you have to call it that?”

“Therapist then.”

“Worse.”

She pressed her lips together. “Then what would you prefer?”

“Callahan works.” He edged away from her, putting quite a bit more space between them. “I’ll call you that.”

“You can call me Grace.”

He studied her for a moment. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not. I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to complete my duty and then I’ll be gone.”

Shane wasn’t kidding when he’d warned her about this one. It was clear Riley didn’t want to be here. She reminded herself to keep a smile on her face as she tilted her head. “This is going to go a lot smoother if you’ll just—”

“I’m not dangerous,” he muttered.

“No one ever said you were.”

“I don’t need therapy.”

She forced a small laugh. “Well, obviously not everyone agrees with you.”

His dark blue eyes flashed. “This is my life, and while I agreed to come here for the next four months, I’m doing it my way.”

Grace folded her arms, reminding herself that this outlook was to be expected. Riley would figure things out. She just had to give him time. “You can do whatever you want when it comes to the therapeutic side of things, but when it comes to the horses, you have to follow my rules or you’re going to get hurt.”

He huffed. “Like how you nearly broke your neck last week?”

Of course he would try to throw their first encounter at her. He wanted control.

Grace scooped her hat from the ground and dusted it off, then brushed past him. “You’re completely right. I’ll go let Shane know you would like a more seasoned cowboy—”

His hand reached out, pulling her to a stop. She stopped and looked down where his large hand lightly wrapped around her upper arm. His touch was warm and gentle despite the way he’d caught her off guard.

Slowly, she lifted her gaze to meet his and cleared her throat before pulling away from him.

“Sorry,” he said, with the rough edge gone from his voice momentarily. “I’m happy to work with you.”

Eyes narrowing, she lifted her chin, hoping that he would notice that she wasn’t willing to be pushed around. With pursed lips, she gave him a short nod and then motioned to the stalls where their horses were stabled. “Then let’s get started.”

Normally she could hear when someone walked behind her. But not Riley. He was as light-footed as a rabbit in the woods. It didn’t matter how much she strained her ears; she couldn’t tell if he was five feet or six inches behind her.

Grace slowed to a stop in front of Dolly’s stall. When she faced Riley, she let out a yelp at his close proximity. Once she caught her breath, she reached for a brush and placed it firmly in his hand. “The first thing you do before you saddle a horse is give her a good brushing. This helps prevent any sores from developing. Make sure to get rid of any dust and dirt. Pay attention to her back and her girth.”

He stared at the brush in his hand for a moment, then moved into the stall.

Out of the corner of her eye, as she brushed Buster, she watched as he meticulously ran the brush down Dolly’s back. He murmured something she couldn’t hear. It was sorta sweet, the way his features softened.

Riley looked up at her and she sucked in sharply, spinning until he couldn’t see her face. Oh great. She wasn’t supposed to stare. That was one of the big no-nos. That, and pretending not to see them.

She brushed Buster with a little more fervor, eliciting a snort from her steed. She relaxed her pace and rubbed his neck. “Sorry, buddy.” A few minutes later, she snuck a glance in Riley’s direction again.

No longer brushing, Riley rubbed his hand down Dolly’s nose. He had a soft kind of smile on his face, and it was the most relaxed she’d seen him since they’d interacted the previous week.

Grace ducked her head back to Buster and completed her brushing. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad after all.

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