Page 119 of The Bad Boy Prince in Love

“After all that trouble you went through to catch her?”one of the young guys said.

“It’s your call, I suppose,” Bert added, looking over at Luke.

Hallie realized Luke must have spent a lot of money hiring these people to track down this particular horse.

“I was hoping to tame the horse for you, but...it’s up to you,” Luke said to her.It was hard to tell whether he seemed disappointed at the prospect of letting the horse go.

Hallie looked at the captive horse, trying to decide its fate.She felt like letting it go was the right thing.The poor mare had been through enough.

“I think the horse should run free.”

“Okay, you heard the lady,” Luke said.

Hallie beamed, not expecting him to give in so easily.

“You’re the boss,” Bert said.He signaled to his assistants to release the horse.In a few minutes, the ropes were loosened, and the black mare stood uncertain for a moment, then ran to rejoin her herd.

“Thanks,” Hallie said, “I know you had some high expectations of taming your own wild horse, and you probably spent a fortune tracking her down.”

He shrugged in a relaxed way.“It was all worth it to see you smile.”

All around them, flower petals were swept away in the West Texas wind.Hallie wanted to cling to the idea that she couldn’t get swept away too, but it was extremely tempting.

Luke made her every wish come true, and even though he was the same guy who had tried to get away with countless escapades, she wanted to be near him.

***

WHEN THEY BID GOODBYEto the horse wranglers, Luke and Hallie set up their tents near the same copse of trees where the wranglers’ camp had been.It was a beautiful area, and they went for a walk under the shady foliage while the horses rested.

“That was well done.I didn’t know you could be a team player,” Hallie said.

He smiled slightly as he walked beside her.“And why wouldn’t I be?”

“I thought you were too much of a rebel prince.”

“I was just trying to be a good sport.It seems like in your family the women run the show and the men sit back and try not to screw up, so that’s what I did.”

Hallie laughed heartily because there was some truth to what he said.

“I’ve got something for you,” she said, “Just a minute...”She rummaged in her bag and found the gift she had been saving for him.She had felt somewhat shy about giving it to him, but now seemed like a good moment.

“For me?”He raised his eyebrows as she offered him the small cardboard package.

“Yeah.I’ve been meaning to thank you for giving me a job and everything.”

He opened the box to reveal a bolo tie nestled in crinkly white paper.The clasp was a gold-plated eagle on a silver background.It was something she bought from one of the neighboring ranchers who was also an artisan.

Luke seemed both surprised and happy, judging by his sudden laughter.“Wow, a real bolo tie!”

“It was made by a real Texan.”

“Am I allowed to wear this, or am I going to look like a poser?”

Hallie scanned him up and down as if evaluating his genuineness.“Well, you’ve worked on a ranch, and you’ve helped catch a wild horse, so I’d say you’re allowed to wear it.”

“I’ve dreamed of this day!How do you put this on?”

Hallie slid the rope through the clasp to make a bigger loop and put it over his head.She tucked it under his collar and pulled it tighter around his neck.