Page 9 of Saddles and Snowstorms (Sagebrush Cowboys #4)

Rowan

A nother day, another lame horse. I’d gotten the call first thing Sunday morning, before the sun had even come up.

When I left my apartment, there was frost clinging to the grass as the first rays of sun broke over the horizon.

My breath clouded in front of me as I walked to the truck.

There was a definite bite in the air that didn’t feel quite like Texas.

But the sky was clear, and the sun felt warm on my cheek.

Hopefully it would warm up a little before I got to the ranch.

I’d been hoping to have a day to myself, but when the only rodeo training facility in town calls for the vet, I knew I had to answer.

Besides, I’d heard a bit about them from Beau and Lucas and I was curious to meet everyone in person.

Plus getting in good with a rodeo training facility was guaranteed work.

There was always a horse, bull, or calf that needed care in that kind of sport.

The truck rattled over the gravel road as I wound my way through the countryside.

I’d been in Sagebrush for just under a month, and the landscape still took my breath away sometimes.

Even in the dead of winter, with everything brown and graying, it was still beautiful.

Austin had nothing on Sagebrush in terms of scenery and I was getting used to the lack of nightlife.

Not like I had any time for that kind of thing, anyway.

I was happy to be busy either way, it kept my mind off the past.

As I pulled up to the Baker Ranch, I spotted two figures leaning against the metal fence surrounding the arena.

One was distinctly feminine, a long braid running down her back.

The other was a wide-shouldered man with light skin and a small tuft of red hair peeking out from under his cowboy hat.

Thanks to Lucas’s descriptions, I knew exactly who I was looking at.

Caroline Baker squinted against the morning sun as I pulled up. She didn’t waste any time with pleasantries, pushing off from the fence as soon as my boots hit the ground.

“You’re the new vet?” Her drawl was thick, her eyes assessing me with the same critical gaze I imagined she used on her horses.

“Yes ma’am. Dr. Rowan Walsh.” I extended my hand, which she took with a firm grip that suggested years of ranch work.

“Caroline Baker. This here’s my business partner, Colt.” She nodded toward the man beside her, who offered a friendly smile and a tip of his hat.

“Nice to meet you both,” I nodded. “Heard a lot about you from Lucas and Beau.”

“Oh, have you now?” Colt’s grin widened, a mischievous glint in his green eyes. He pushed off the fence with an easy grace that belied his stocky frame. “Don’t believe everything those two queens tell you.”

“Especially about him,” Caroline added with a snort. “Colt’s reputation is about ninety percent his own making.”

Colt clutched his chest dramatically. “You wound me, Caroline.”

I couldn’t help but smile at their banter, though I kept my professional demeanor. “So, you have a lame horse?”

Caroline nodded, suddenly all business. “Our best barrel racer, Whiskey. Started favoring her right front yesterday during training. No visible swelling, but we found her hobbling around this morning. She won’t put weight on it.” She turned and beckoned me to follow. “This way.”

As we walked toward the stables, I noticed Colt studying me with interest.

“So, you’re the city boy turned country vet everyone is talking about,” he said, falling into step beside me. “How’re you finding Sagebrush?”

“Quieter than Austin,” I replied, adjusting my medical bag on my shoulder .

“Quieter’s one way to put it,” Colt chuckled, his voice low and warm. “Boring’s another, depending who you ask. But we make our own fun around here.”

The way he said it made me wonder exactly what kind of fun he was referring to, but I kept my expression neutral.

Professional. That’s what I needed to be.

But on the inside, I was dying to know more.

Lucas told me about Eli and Colt, the town’s newest gay couple.

An accountant and a rodeo star coming together? I wanted all the details.

“I’ve been too busy setting up the practice to notice either way, unfortunately.”

Caroline led us into a spacious barn, the smell of hay and horses filling my nostrils. The familiar scent was comforting. Animals had always made more sense to me than people. My ex liked to call it a character flaw. I called it a career choice.

“She’s in the last stall,” Caroline said, her braid swinging as she walked ahead.

I could feel Colt’s eyes on me as we moved down the center aisle of the barn. When I glanced his way, he didn’t bother to hide his appreciative gaze, instead offering a slow, confident smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes.

“So, you know Lucas and Beau pretty well then?” he asked.

“Went over the other night to treat Beau’s horse and they invited me to stay for a barbecue,” I nodded. “Probably put away a few too many beers, but it was fun. I needed the break from work.”

“Well, any friend of those two is a friend of mine,” Colt said, tipping his hat back slightly to reveal more of his face. The morning light streaming through the barn windows caught his red hair, making it glow like embers. “Though I reckon I could show you a better time than they did.”

Caroline rolled her eyes. “Down, boy. The man’s here to work, not flirt. And you’ve already got a man.”

“I can multitask,” Colt replied with a wink in my direction. “And Eli would join me on this one. This guy’s cute as hell.”

I felt a flush creep up my neck but kept my focus professional as we approached the stall where Whiskey was waiting. The mare was a beautiful palomino with a white blaze down her face, and I could see immediately she was favoring her right front leg, barely touching the hoof to the ground.

“Hey there, beautiful,” I murmured, letting her catch my scent before I moved closer. Her ears flicked forward, curious but cautious.

“She’s usually a firecracker,” Caroline said, leaning against the stall door. “Seeing her this subdued ain’t natural.”

I nodded, carefully opening my bag and extracting a pair of latex gloves. “Let’s see what’s going on with you, girl.” I approached slowly, my movements deliberately calm and measured.

As I ran my hands down Whiskey’s right foreleg, I could feel Colt and Caroline watching me intently. The mare shifted nervously but allowed my examination, her large brown eyes watching me warily.

“How long have you had her?” I asked, gently lifting the hoof to examine it.

“Three years,” Caroline answered. “Best barrel racer I’ve ever trained. We’ve got regionals in three weeks.”

I nodded, probing carefully around the coronet band, feeling for heat or swelling. Whiskey flinched when my fingers found a tender spot just above the hoof.

“There it is,” I murmured, more to myself than to them. I set the hoof down gently and reached into my bag for my hoof testers.

“Is it serious?” Caroline’s voice had lost some of its edge, revealing genuine concern beneath her tough exterior.

“Can’t say for certain yet, but I’m suspecting an abscess.” I positioned the testers and applied gentle pressure around the hoof, methodically working my way across. When I hit a certain spot, Whiskey jerked her leg and gave a soft whiny of protest.

“There we go,” I said, patting her neck reassuringly. “Definitely an abscess. Good news is, with proper treatment, she should recover in time for regionals.”

The relief on Caroline’s face was immediate, though she tried to hide it. “What’s the treatment plan?”

I reached into my bag for the tools I’d need. “I’ll need to open it up, drain it, then we’ll do a poultice and wrap. You’ll need to change the wrapping daily and keep her stall clean and dry.”

“I can handle that,” Caroline nodded firmly.

As I worked, Colt leaned against the stall door, watching my hands with interest. “You’ve got a gentle touch, Doc. Those city folks must’ve hated to lose you.”

I snorted, focusing on the abscess. “Trust me, they didn’t.”

“Their loss is our gain,” he replied, his voice dropping low enough that Caroline couldn’t hear. “Especially for those of us who appreciate a man who’s good with his hands.”

I kept my eyes on Whiskey’s hoof, trying not to react to his flirtation. I’d heard about Colt’s reputation from Lucas, but experiencing it firsthand was something else entirely. The man radiated confidence and charm like heat from a furnace.

“So, this Eli you mentioned,” I said, carefully applying pressure to drain the abscess, “is he around today?”

Caroline snorted. “Probably still in bed with his fancy silk sheets. Man doesn’t know what to do with himself out here in Sagebrush after his high-flying Dallas life.”

“He’s not that bad. He just likes to sleep in. I do too, in fact,” Colt said, his eyes never leaving my face. “We’re having dinner down at the diner tonight with Beau, Lucas, Logan, and Dakota. You should join us.”

I glanced up, catching his gaze. There was something inviting there beyond simple flirtation, it was an olive branch of friendship offered my way.

I had a feeling that I wasn’t the only one in Sagebrush yearning for community and Colt, it seemed, felt the same way.

Besides, I’d never say no to compliments from a man as handsome as him, even if he was taken.

“I’ve got some evening appointments,” I lied, returning my attention to Whiskey. The abscess was already draining quickly, the relief evident on the horse’s face. “But I could probably find some time to swing out there. What time?”

“Seven sharp,” Colt replied, a triumphant smile spreading across his face. “Dolly’s Diner. Best steak you’ll ever have.”

“I’ve been there quite a bit actually,” I admitted, carefully applying the poultice to Whiskey’s hoof. The mare had already relaxed, the pain clearly subsiding. “Everything I’ve tried is great so far.”

Caroline crossed her arms, watching me work. “You know those boys will talk your ear off all night, right? Fair warning.”

“I think I can handle it,” I said, wrapping the hoof with practiced efficiency. “Been pretty quiet around here otherwise. Might be nice to have some actual conversation.”

“Quiet?” Colt laughed. “Wait ‘til you hear what happened at the Founder’s Day dance last year. Lucas got so drunk he?—”

“Hush,” Caroline cut him off. “Save the gossip for dinner. Some of us have work to do.” But there was a fondness in her tone that took any sting out of her words.

I finished wrapping Whiskey’s hoof and stood up, brushing hay from my jeans. “Keep this clean and dry. Change the poultice tomorrow morning, then again tomorrow night. I’ll stop by Wednesday to check her progress.”

Caroline nodded, patting the mare’s neck. “Appreciate it, Doc. What do we owe you?”

As I gave her the details and wrote up a quick invoice, Colt pushed off from the stall door and stretched, his shirt riding up to reveal a strip of tanned, muscled abdomen. I caught myself staring and quickly looked away, but not before he noticed, his smile widening.

“I’ll walk you out,” he offered when I’d finished with Caroline.

The morning had warmed considerably as we stepped out of the barn, the Texas sun burning away the last of the frost, though it was still damn cold. Colt matched his stride to mine as we walked toward my truck, our boots crunching on the gravel.

“So,” he said, his voice casual but his eyes intent, “I wasn’t just being polite about dinner. We’d really like you to come.”

“We?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Me and Eli,” he clarified. “Well, all of us actually. There’s not a lot of guys like us out here.”

“I’ll think about it,” I said, though I already knew I’d go. The prospect of spending an evening with people who understood—really understood—was too tempting to pass up. “But I can’t promise I’ll be great company.”

“Trust me, doc, you’ll be fine.” Colt’s grin was infectious. “Besides, once Eli gets going about the Dallas corporate world versus Sagebrush’s ‘cultural wasteland,’ as he calls it, you won’t have to say a word.”

We reached my truck, and I tossed my medical bag onto the passenger seat. The sun had fully risen now, bathing the ranch in golden light that made the dew-covered grass sparkle .

“Eli’s not wrong about the cultural differences,” I admitted, leaning against my truck. “Going from Austin to here was... an adjustment.”

“Yeah, but you’re adjusting.” Colt crossed his arms, biceps flexing beneath his flannel shirt. “Eli’s still fighting it. Man dresses for the boardroom to go to the post office.”

I chuckled, picturing a suited-up executive trudging through Sagebrush’s dusty streets. “Sounds like quite a sight.”

“You have no idea,” Colt said, shaking his head. “But underneath all that polish, he’s got a good heart. Just don’t tell him I said so.” He winked, then glanced back at the barn. “Caroline’s gonna work me to the bone today, so I better get back. See you at seven?”

I hesitated only briefly before nodding. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

“Good man,” Colt said, clapping me on the shoulder. His hand lingered just a moment longer than necessary, warm and firm through my jacket. “Looking forward to it.” He took a couple of steps before he stopped. “And Doc… if the flirty thing bothers you, I can stop.”

“Honestly?” I replied with a shrug. “I’m enjoying it. As long as Eli doesn’t mind.”

“Believe me,” Colt winked. “If he was here, he’d be flirting with you too. Because… damn .”

With one last tip of his hat, he was gone. As I drove back toward town, I found myself smiling. Maybe Sagebrush wasn’t going to be as lonely as I’d feared. The ranch disappeared in my rearview mirror, but Colt’s invitation stayed with me, a warm counterpoint to the winter chill.