Priceless

Chapter 7: Connection

Nessa unclipped the lead from Macho, giving his neck a few affectionate strokes before she left him in the pasture. He sported a beautiful white coat, dappled with gray. He was one of the most mild-mannered horses of the lot, second only to Honey.

"See you in the morning, Macho," Nessa murmured before turning away, shuffling through the grass of the pasture on her way back to the barn.

Though Troy had stayed at the ranch, leaving Dorrie, Reba, and Rhett to take care of Bailey, he had a plethora of his own work to get done. She'd been the only one available to help Thane take care of the horses once the riders left.

She understood now why the office sat in such disarray. Prepping the horses before and taking care of them after a ride took up all the time not spent riding. Her skills at unsaddling, picking frogs, brushing coats, and feeding and watering the horses still teetered on remedial, but Thane had thanked her numerous times for her willingness to help.

She smiled to herself, glancing around the pasture at the horses grazing in the blazing orange glow of the setting sun. The top of the mountains looked to be on fire even as the rest of the massive peaks hid in dark shadow. She didn't need to be thanked. Colorado proved to be as gorgeous as she expected. Spending time in nature, with the animals, helped to soothe parts of her soul that had been rubbed raw ever since the abortion.

She needed peace and quiet and solitude, away from the environment and people who continued to remind her of what a terrible choice she'd made. She did her best not to think too far ahead or dwell on the fact that, eventually, she had to go back.

This vacation would end and she'd have to face her mother again.

A wave of despair threatened to pull her under but she shut it down and pushed it back, not wanting it to ruin the end of a wonderful day.

She reached the barn, stopping just inside at the end of the aisle to take a deep breath, letting the warm, musky scent of horse fill her senses. With it came the memories of the warm sun on her back and the soft bobble of Honey's gait, the easy conversation and laughter she'd shared with their guests, and the gentleness she found in the chocolate depths of Thane's gaze.

Part of her longed to stay in this moment forever, to leave Pennsylvania and her past behind and start over in Colorado where no one knew her or what she'd done. But that was an unrealistic dream. Her past would follow her no matter where she went. Thane already knew she held a dark secret. If she let herself fall for him, she would have to tell him. And then that dream would vanish.

She could only live in the moment, cherish the here and now while it happened, and then let it go. And try not to hurt anyone along the way.

"Nessa, you okay?"

Her eyes popped open to see Thane walking towards her, pulling the worn leather gloves from his hands. His jeans and boots were dusty, straw and hay stuck to him in different places, and his shirt clung to him in spots where he'd sweated through. He'd traded his earlier hat for a different, dirtier work cap, which he wore backwards. A day or two worth of stubble graced his jawline and she knew he smelled of horse, and hay, and sweat. Despite all that, she couldn't remember a man ever looking better.

Before she had a chance to stop it, her heart sped up, her cheeks flushed, and the attraction she had to him jumped exponentially. The man before her stood in stark contrast to the clean cut, polished cowboy who'd offered to change her tire. That guy she could easily have ignored, unwilling to be fooled by the charm and good looks.

This Thane, the one she'd gotten to know over the past five days, wasn't afraid of hard work or getting dirty. He'd been patient with her while she fumbled and learned how to remove a saddle and pick the horses hooves. He'd praised her willingness to help out despite her inexperience. He seemed to have more interest in her emotional well-being than her physical beauty. He quoted scripture, spoke encouragement and strived to serve. Most of all, he'd respected her wishes not to push his desire to date her. While he didn't hide his interest in her, he didn't toe the line, instead keeping himself at a friendly distance all day.