Wyatt laughed when he learned of the horse’s new name. “She isn’t a purebred with a registered name, so it’s probably fine for you to call her whatever you like. Slade says he bought her from a guy who raises parade horses. She’s half American Saddlebred and half Morgan, a great mix for elegant carriage and high-stepping.”

“I didn’t realize horses are raised specifically to be in parades.”

“They can be put to other uses in between events, which is probably why Slade bought her. She’ll make a good ranch horse if we can get her settled down.” He sighed. “Unfortunately, she isn’t settling in, and the ending for her won’t be good, I’m afraid.”

Ending. Erin didn’t like the sound of that. “What do you mean, ending?”

“Oh, nothing like that. Slade doesn’t euthanize problem horses. He just won’t keep her, is all. This is a ranch, not a therapy compound for troubled horses, and Violet is a very troubled horse.” His expression softened as he gazed at the mare for a moment. “Troubled horses are a liability. I don’t think it’s her aim, but she may hurt someone when she’s acting up. Slade will sell her. And then her new owners probably will, too. She’ll never find a good home. Unless, of course, a small miracle happens.”

“Such as?”

He shrugged. “If her next owner loves her and works with her, she could snap out of it and become a fabulous horse. Not likely to happen, though. Most people want a rideable horse right off the bat. And they aren’t knowledgeable enough to help her, anyway.”

Erin’s chest went suddenly tight. “If that’s the case, why are you letting me work with her? I’m the least knowledgeable person there is when it comes to horses. A city girl who never even got to have a dog growing up.”

His glanced at Pistol and Domino, playing nearby. “But you care about her. And whether you realize it yet or not, you understand her in ways even I don’t. The way I see it, you’re the perfect person to help her.”

As Wyatt walked away, Erin gazed after him. She was no longer quite as upset with him as she had been, so her attraction to him had resurfaced. Not good. No matter what happened, she and Wyatt could only ever be friends. Even so, she liked watching him cover ground, his muscular legs measuring off long strides with each loose and rhythmic shift of his hips. He swung his arms with every step, which set off a display of muscles rippling under the back of his shirt. He moved with incredible grace for such a tall man, never seeming to hurry and yet getting where he wanted to go with impressive speed. When she walked beside him, he made an obvious effort to slow down, which bugged her, but she kept telling herself that was silly. Her legs were shorter than his, and she couldn’t change that.

She turned toward the fence and studied Violet. Suddenly, working with her was no longer just something she’d been told to do. Erin couldn’t let this animal be sold to someone who wouldn’t care about her. The mare was frightened; that was all. A liability? Erin had almost been fired for the same reason, and unless she learned to work smarter instead of harder, she still might lose her job.