Christmas Kisses with My Cowboy. Kate Pearce

of local girls and when they got a whiff of his language, they ran for the hills.”

      “But he never used a bad word,” Katy continued, trying to explain.

      The farrier looked at her with total shock. “We talking about the same Parker? Big guy, long black hair, breaks horses for Denton?”

      “Well, yes.”

      He caught his breath. “That’s one for the books, then.”

      Teddie laughed softly. “Well, apparently my daughter has a good effect on him.”

      “I would say so.” He finished his work, accepted a check for it, and said his good-byes after giving Katy instructions about keeping the horse in the stable for a few days until the worst of the damage healed. She didn’t mention that the vet had told her the same thing.

      “How is he?” Teddie asked when her mother came into the house.

      “He’ll be fine,” she assured the girl. “He just needs to rest for a few days while he’s healing. By Saturday,” she added with a smile, “he should be ready for Horses 101.”

      Teddie laughed. “That’s a good one, Mom. Horses 101.”

      “Well, let’s get supper going. Then we need an early night. School tomorrow, for both of us.”

      “I know. It’s not so bad here, I guess. I made a friend yesterday: Edie. She loves horses, too. She’s got a palomino.”

      “I’m glad. You’re like me, sweetheart. You don’t warm up to people easily. Your father was the very opposite,” she added with a wistful smile. “He never met a stranger.”

      “I miss Daddy.”

      She looked at her daughter with sad eyes. “I miss him, too. It takes time, to get over a loss like that. But we’ll make it.”

      “Sure we will.” She looked up at her mother hopefully. “I love you.”

      “I love you, too,” Katy said, but she turned away quickly. “Now, let’s get something to eat. Do you have homework?”

      Teddie was resigned to never getting a hug from her remaining parent. She and her dad had been close. He hugged her all the time when he was home. But her mother almost never touched her. It was the only thing that made living with her hard. Teddie couldn’t change it, so she just accepted it. “Yes. Math.” She groaned. “And history.”

      “I used to love history.”

      “I would, if we didn’t have to memorize so many dates. I mean, what does it matter if we don’t know the difference?”

      “It would if you ever started writing books and you had George Washington helping the men fight in Vietnam,” Katy replied, tongue-in-cheek.

      Teddie glowered at her and went to wash up for supper.

      * * *

      Saturday morning, Parker was at the door just after breakfast, while Katy was mending a tear in Teddie’s jeans.

      She went to the door and laughed. “You’re early. I’m sorry, I meant to . . . Teddie’s watching cartoons. Should I get her?”

      “Not yet. I just need to do some measuring,” he added with a smile. “For the steps.”

      “Oh, yes. Of course.”

      She went out onto the porch with him while he marked wood with a pencil and wrote figures on a piece of paper. He handed it to her. “That’s what I’ll need, to do the repairs.”

      It wasn’t even a lot of money, she thought with some relief. The vet and the farrier had made inroads into her budget. “I’ll phone the hardware store and tell them to let you get what you need. Are you going right now?”

      “I am,” he said. “Shouldn’t take too long. Then I can show Teddie how to saddle Bartholomew.”

      “The vet said he should be all right to let out by today,” she began.

      “And you’re worried,” he guessed. He smiled. “Don’t be. We’ll keep him in the stall or the corral while we work with him. What did the vet say?”

      “Not a lot. He gave him an antibiotic injection and stitched up his cuts. He gave me the name of a farrier, too, and I had him come out and clean Bart’s hooves and replace his horseshoes.”

      “You’re having to go to a lot of expense,” he said.

      “It’s not so much,” she replied. “And it’s nice to see Teddie interested in something besides TV. She’s been sad for so long. She and her dad were really close. It was hard for her, just having him in the service overseas. And after what happened . . . well, she wasn’t looking forward to moving here. She’s been very depressed.”

      “Not surprising,” he said. “I still miss my mother, and she’s been gone for years. I lost her when I was twelve. Another family on the rez took me in and adopted me. We have good people there.”

      She cocked her head and looked at him. “Which one of your parents was white?”

      “My father.” He closed up. “I’ll run to the hardware and pick this stuff up, then I’ll come back and fix the steps. Don’t bother Teddie right now,” he added, and forced a smile. “Won’t be long.”

      He went to the truck and drove away, leaving Katy guilt-ridden. His father must have been bad to him, she decided, because that look on his face had been disturbing. She was sorry she’d brought up something that had hurt him. It had been a casual remark, the sort you’d make to just an acquaintance. But it had really dug into Parker. Considering how little emotion escaped that face, it was telling that he reacted so quickly to the remark. She’d have to be careful not to bring up the past.

      She recalled what the farrier had said about his language and she just shook her head. He hadn’t said a single bad word around her or Teddie. Maybe he only cursed around people he didn’t like. He was very good-looking, and very athletic. She smiled to herself. It was much too early to be thinking about men in her life. She’d tried to explain that to the attorney back home, but he hadn’t listened. He’d invited himself out to see them next month, but he was in for a surprise if he thought he was staying in the house with Katy and her daughter. She didn’t know him well enough, or like him well enough, for that sort of familiarity.

      It was disturbing to think of herself with another man right now. Maybe, in time . . . but it still wouldn’t be that smarmy lawyer, no matter how desperate she got. And that was a fact.

      * * *

      Parker was back in an hour with a load of lumber. He lifted it out of the truck with incredible ease. Katy marveled at how strong he was. Involuntarily, she mentioned it.

      He chuckled. “I live at the gym when I’m not working. Muscles turn to pure flab if you don’t keep up the exercise. I got used to it in the military and never really lost the habit. I have to keep in shape to do the work I do.”

      “You have an amazing way with horses,” she commented.

      He smiled. “I get that from my mother’s father. He could outrun any horse on the place, but even the wildest ones responded to him. He never used a whip or abused his horses in any way. But he could do anything with them.”

      “I think that must be a very special skill,” she remarked. “There’s this guy on YouTube who works with horses like you do. It’s a treat to watch him work an unbroken one.”

      “I know the one you mean. His father was vicious to him. He didn’t understand that some people have talents that aren’t mainstream.”

      “Like yours,” she said softly. “Did you take a lot of heat for it, at home?”

      He shook his head. “I was very small when my mother and I came back here to the rez.” He smiled. “My people don’t have the same attitude toward