Taming a Texas Rascal (Bad Boy Ranch #6) - Katie Lane Page 0,42

interrupted. “Why I think we do have your horse, Daryl. We found him on a road not too far from here scared out of his wits. Maisy, honey, why don’t you go on in and get Mr. Bradley something to drink while I take him over to the paddock.”

She knew what he was doing and she wasn’t going anywhere. She might have to give Angel back, but she was going to make sure Daryl knew where she stood on animal abuse.

“I’m sorry, honey,” she said. “But we’re all out of drinks.”

Sawyer narrowed his eyes at her and she narrowed hers right back. Daryl looked between them like he didn’t know what was going on. Sawyer finally gave in and sighed.

“You’ll have to excuse Maisy. She’s gotten kind of attached to . . . Black Beauty. You know how sentimental women can get over animals.”

Daryl nodded as he pulled a perfectly folded bandana out of his back pocket and leaned over to wipe a speck of dust off his high-polished boots. “I know exactly what you mean. My wife is begging for one of those little lap dogs, but I refuse to let her get one. I’m not having my orderly life messed up with hair all over the house and a dog that yaps every time someone rings the doorbell.”

Maisy now understood why Angel had been beaten. The horse hadn’t fit into this uptight jerk’s vision of an orderly life. She knew Sawyer had been thinking the same thing when he spoke.

“What made you decide to become a horse owner, Daryl? Horses can be kinda messy.”

“I’ve always wanted a ranch. And when my stock investment app took off, I decided to buy one. A place I can chill out with my friends on the weekends. And I can’t really call it a ranch if it doesn’t have horses, now can I?” He flashed an arrogant smile Maisy wanted to wipe off his face with her fist.

“Now I don’t know about that,” Sawyer said. “A lot of ranchers have moved away from horses and just use all-terrain vehicles to do their ranching. Have you ever driven one of those? They’re a hoot. And the seats are a lot more comfortable than being bounced around on the back of a horse. Plus, all they need is gasoline and the occasional tune-up. Horses need much more work and attention.”

“You can say that again. I didn’t realize how much work until I purchased one.”

Maisy perked up at his words. “You could always sell him and buy yourself a four-wheeler.”

Daryl hesitated for a moment before he shook his head. “Black Beauty has become somewhat of a project for me.”

“A project?” Maisy couldn’t keep the anger out of her voice.

Sawyer put an arm around her waist and pulled her close as if he was worried she might attack the guy. It was a legitimate concern. “Well, you’re probably right about not selling Black Beauty. You wouldn’t get much for him, anyway. Not with his major health issue.”

“Health issue?” Daryl said. “What kind of issue? The guy I bought him from said he was in perfect health.”

Maisy didn’t know what Sawyer was talking about either. He hadn’t mentioned any major health issue to her.

Sawyer shook his head. “Well, the man who sold it to you probably didn’t known what signs to look for. But I’ve had two horses with equine mambolitis.”

“Equine mambolitis? What’s that?”

Maisy didn’t have a clue, but Sawyer seemed to. “It’s a virus that’s transmitted by a tiny horse fly. It causes swelling in the legs—I bet you’ve seen that on Black Beauty.” When Mr. Bradley nodded, Sawyer went on. “But mostly it affects a horse’s brain and behavior. It’s no wonder you haven’t been able to train him. Even an expert trainer wouldn’t be able to train that horse.”

What was Sawyer talking about? They’d been doing a great job of training Angel.

“So there’s no fixing him?” Daryl looked truly concerned, and suddenly Maisy realized what Sawyer was doing. He was talking Daryl out of wanting to keep Angel.

“I’m afraid not,” Sawyer said. “All he’ll be good for is making manure.” He paused. “Of course, I can always use manure.”

“Are you interested in buying him?” Daryl asked.

Seeing a chance to help, Maisy jumped in. “Oh, please, Saw. I don’t care if he has a bad brain and bucked me off and broke my collarbone. I love that horse and want to keep him.”

“Now, Maisy, we can’t keep someone else’s horse. And Daryl has just said