Romancing the Rancher. Stacy Connelly

you say so,” Sophia answered in a singsong voice.

      “I do.” And whatever it took, she was going to force herself to believe it.

       Chapter Three

      “Um, no.”

      Make that hell no, Jarrett thought as Nick Pirelli dogged his heels as he walked down the narrow aisle of the stables. The local veterinarian had offered his services as soon as Jarrett started the rescue operation, and a part of him had been waiting for this moment. Well, not exactly for this moment, he thought, still feeling the jolt of surprise at the request, but for the moment when the other man would call in his chips.

      Oh, sure, Nick had told him pro bono work was something he did on a regular basis. That he respected the rehabilitation Jarrett did with the rescue horses and wanted to be a part of it. But Jarrett had learned long ago that nothing in life was free, and once you owed another person, they owned you.

      So he insisted on paying for the vet’s services, though he suspected the bills were greatly deflated from what Nick would normally charge, and the year before he’d taken on an abandoned horse as a favor to the other man. Not that he would have turned the horse away under any circumstances, but it’d been a way to try to even the score.

      His muscles were tight, his movements jerky as he stripped off his scarred leather work gloves while he waited for Nick to turn his request into a demand. He was the only large-animal vet in the area, and they both damn well knew it. Jarrett couldn’t run the rescue or the ranch without Nick’s services, and that dependency—that need—to rely on another person twisted his gut. How many times had life slapped him down with the lesson that the only person he could count on was himself?

      “Look, Jarrett,” Nick began, and Jarrett braced himself for the ultimatum he knew was coming. Do this or the horses suffer. “I know it’s a big favor to ask, but I’d really appreciate it.”

      Stuffing the gloves into his back pocket, Jarrett met the other man’s gaze and waited. Then waited some more. That was it? Just the simple request? No blunt demand...no subtle insinuation of what might happen if Jarrett didn’t fall in line?

      The realization had him slowly lowering his guard. Truth was, he admired the work Nick did. Their love of animals gave them a common ground and was enough for Jarrett to think he might be able to call the other man friend. And friends did do favors for each other.

      But not this. Pretty much anything but what Nick had asked.

      “I know Theresa seems like she’s doing okay.”

      Jarrett sighed. “That’s what she wants you to think. Truth is she’s far from okay.”

      He’d seen the pain in her expression when she thought he wasn’t watching. Seen how hard she’d pushed herself just to make the easy walk to the cabin. Pride kept her from showing how weak she truly was, but he recognized the signs. Hell, he’d seen them more often than not whenever he looked in the mirror. If that was all that was going on with Theresa, then maybe he’d think about what Nick was asking of him.

      He’d still say no. But he’d at least think about it first.

      “Which is why I need your help,” Nick pressed.

      “But she’s also a grown woman,” Jarrett added, refusing to let his mind go where it wanted to go after those words. He didn’t need to be thinking how womanly Theresa was while talking to her overprotective cousin. “And she needs to prove she can take care of herself while she works things out. Which is why she’s staying out here. Which is why the answer is still no.”

      No, he was not going to look in on Nick’s cousin. No, he was not going to go out of his way to make sure she was eating right and taking care of herself. No, he was not going to make another offer to take her riding or to show her around the property.

      He planned on making that as clear to Nick as Theresa had made her disinterest in Jarrett’s offer clear to him.

      Okay, so for a second, he thought he’d felt an answering spark of attraction when he’d caught her in his arms on the porch. Maybe he had; maybe he hadn’t. Either way, it didn’t matter when the woman came straight out and said she wasn’t interested.

      Fine by him.

      The last time she’d come to town, for Nick’s wedding, she’d brought her boyfriend along. A surgeon from the hospital where she worked in St. Louis. Theresa had a type—blond-haired, blue-eyed, educated and wealthy.

      And it didn’t matter, he told himself again, that Theresa hadn’t brought him along with her on this trip. He didn’t want to know if she’d given the good doctor the same I-need-my-space speech or if the other man’s absence had something to do with the sorrow Jarrett had seen in her eyes.

      Theresa was not there for him to rescue.

      Stopping in front of one of the stalls, he reached out and ran a hand down Silverbelle’s forelock. The small mare stood passively beneath his touch, her soft brown eyes watching him with a hint of caution. Not long ago, the once abused and neglected animal wouldn’t have let him come within ten feet of her. Her first few weeks in the rescue, he’d left her loose in one of the corrals, not wanting to traumatize her further by trying to force her into a stall. It had taken time and patience, not to mention decent food and fresh water, to help bring the horse around.

      Jarrett was always amazed by an animal’s ability to forgive, to move beyond the cruel treatment by humans in the past, and by their willingness to trust again.

      Silver tossed her head and dislodged his hand from her warm and smooth hide, letting him know she’d had enough. She’d come so far, but that didn’t mean he didn’t still have work to do. She was still a little wary, a little standoffish—

      Another pair of haunted eyes came to mind. A gorgeous blue instead of soulful brown.

      And that was the real reason he wanted to stay away from Theresa. Her injuries went deeper than the physical damage done by the car accident. He could see the lingering shadows in her wounded gaze. Sadness, guilt, loss—he wasn’t sure what swirled in the blue depths. All he knew was that he’d felt the pull sucking him in like a whirlpool when it’d be best for both of them for him to stay away.

      Healing a horse’s broken spirit—that he could do. Healing a woman—no. Not in his skill set. “Look, Nick, I’d like to help—”

      “Great,” the vet interrupted, showing off that I’m-older-and-therefore-know-better judgment he was known for. “I knew I could count on you.”

      But Jarrett had faced down one-ton bulls. He didn’t let anyone run roughshod over him. “Like to,” he stressed, “but I can’t. I’m not the guy for the job. Trust me on this, okay?”

      “I’m not asking you to date her. Just check in on her once in a while.”

      Jarrett clenched his back teeth. Not asking him to date her. Why? Did Nick think Jarrett wasn’t good enough for his cousin? Just because he wasn’t some fancy doctor or— He swore beneath his breath. What the hell did he care what Nick thought? He didn’t even want to date Theresa!

      He stopped outside Duke’s stall, and the black horse shook his huge head with a short whinny—almost as if reading his thoughts and having a good old laugh. The gelding had technically been Jarrett’s first rescue, but he knew better. The one-time cutting horse had been his salvation.

      “Fine.” He turned to face Nick. “I’ll look in on her, but that’s all. And if she tells me—again—to leave her alone, I’ll be sure to let her know it was your idea.”

      “Now, wait a second.” Catching sight of the look Jarrett shot him, Nick raised his hands. “All right, all right. It’s a deal. We’re just...worried about her, you know?”

      Suddenly, the past few years disappeared in