“Hi, boys. Having fun? You look like real cowboys.”

“Like Luke?” Jack asked.

“You sure do. Keep practicing, I’m going to talk to him.”

He tried to keep his voice low, but he really wanted to yell. “Are you crazy? That horse could kill you, and you take off bareback on him with no regard for his safety, or yours.”

“You don’t have to snap at me. I’m an experienced rider, and Ace is a great horse.”

“He’s a very expensive horse, and I can’t take the chance that he’ll get hurt with you riding him like a maniac. What the hell were you thinking?”

“Listen, I took care of your horse and exercised out his frustration from the morning. I can see you’re upset, but the horse is fine.”

He kept his concern on the horse because thinking about her being hurt still made his anger and fear rise. “He’s got a bad hoof. Did the doc take care of it?”

“The hoof is fine. Nothing but a stone. You need to fire that terrible vet. Ace doesn’t trust him. I don’t either, for that matter.”

“Is that so?” He didn’t like her telling him what to do on his ranch. But maybe she had a point. He’d been having doubts about the vet’s skills and lack of enthusiasm for his job.

“He doesn’t keep his tools clean, he has no patience with temperamental horses, he’s arrogant, and he lacks common sense when it comes to dealing with irate horses. You should contact Dr. Fields. She works at a ranch I know about. She’s great with horses and is building a reputable list of clients.”

He usually didn’t mind someone making suggestions, but something about her showing up and taking authority of his prized horse and sending him off to babysit rubbed him the wrong way and his mouth ran away with him. “Taking care of Ace for me is one thing, telling me who I should hire and fire is something else. I run this ranch, and I make the decisions. You don’t get to take over just because you feel like it. Maybe that worked with Sean when you took over his life and business, but it won’t work with me.”

The stillness in her unsettled him.

He’d gone too far, and said things he didn’t really mean.

By the look in her eyes, he’d hurt her feelings, but she quickly hid that away and blanked out everything on her face.

She swung her leg over Ace’s back, slid down his side, and landed on the dirt. Her leg gave out, but she caught herself. He thought he saw a flash of pain, but she turned away before he could really tell.

He looked Ace over for any sign he’d been hurt or favored his back leg. The horse looked fine and stared adoringly at Sarah, irritating Luke even more.

She gave him that blank look again. “Thank you for teaching the boys to ride. I’m sorry I missed the lesson, but it appears they’ve learned a lot in a short time. I appreciate your taking the time with them. They’ll never forget it.” With that sincere gratitude, she turned and walked to where the two boys had halted their horses in order to watch their exchange, making him regret raising his voice and talking about Sean in front of them.