Protecting the Colton Bride. Elle James
Since the first day she’d come to work with Daniel, she’d known he was special. The man was quiet and dedicated. He loved horses as much as she did. His Cherokee ancestry didn’t hurt, either. He was tall and handsome. That dark, dark hair and even darker brown eyes made her crazy with longing. Maybe she should leave. Staying at the Lucky C and falling in love with Daniel would only set her up for a whole lot of pain.
The irony of it all was that all problems would have been solved if he’d professed a secret love for her and asked her to marry him. She’d have the man of her most sensual dreams and meet the stipulation of her grandmother’s will. She’d inherit her grandmother’s sizable financial holdings upon her marriage. That money would be enough to purchase the horses from her father and she’d never be subject to his threats again. Her life would be her own to live the way she saw fit.
Megan drew in a long, steadying breath and let it out on a sigh. If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. She held out no hope for another solution to her situation. But two more days with Daniel were better than nothing.
She sat behind the desk and thumbed through her contacts to find the number for the vet lab in Tulsa and called. When she reached one of the lab techs, she explained she was calling for the Lucky C Ranch.
“Oh, we’re so glad you called. We had a lull in samples, so we were able to get right on the one you left last night. I’m surprised that horse is still standing. The sample you left us indicated she was poisoned.” The tech gave her the scientific name of the poison, which Megan wrote on a pad.
“It affects the animal’s nervous system, making her jumpy and overstimulated.”
“How would a horse get hold of something like that?”
“It’s not like it grows around here. Either it was present in the food she was fed, something brought it into her environment or someone gave it to her.”
Megan’s gut clenched at the final option. They fed all the breeding horses the same feed, and Halo was the only one to show any symptoms.
“Okay, I’ll let the boss know. Thank you for the information.” Megan hung up and stared at the phone for exactly two seconds. Then she pushed to her feet and ran out to the stalls.
“What’s wrong?” Daniel had just finished mucking Rider’s stall and stood the rake against the wall.
“The vet lab said Halo was poisoned.”
“What?” He hurried to Halo’s stall with Megan.
The mare stood with her head sagging, her breathing labored.
“She seemed fine early this morning when I checked on her.” Daniel entered the stall and ran his hands over her neck, checked her eyes and looked down her throat. “Call the vet.”
Megan ran back to the office and dialed the veterinarian who serviced the animals on the Lucky C. He was there within twenty minutes, and they spent the rest of the afternoon working to save Halo.
Megan and Daniel cleaned her stall thoroughly, took samples from her trough and searched the barn for anything contaminated that she could have come in contact with. Nothing stood out.
After the vet left with strict instructions on how to take care of the very sick horse, Megan stood by Daniel. “What now?”
“We wait and see how she does by morning. We’ve done all we can do.”
Megan stared at Daniel’s worried face. Neither one of them had eaten lunch, and the work they’d done all afternoon had depleted Megan’s personal store of energy. It had to have taken a toll on Daniel’s. “It’s nearly supper time. Why don’t we grab a bite to eat?”
Daniel shook his head. “I have deli meat and bread at the cabin. Help yourself. I’m staying with Halo.”
Knowing Daniel needed to fuel his system for what appeared to be an all-nighter, Megan left him in the barn and hiked over to his cabin. It wasn’t the first time she’d gone to the cabin to make sandwiches. The man didn’t take care of himself. As his assistant, she’d helped him set up a robust database to track horses, feed, lineage, exercise and all the other nuances of running a breeding facility. She’d also learned what kind of sandwiches he preferred and made sure he ate.
She entered the cabin through the front door and headed for the small kitchen. Having little in the way of decorations, the cabin reflected the male occupant through the dark leather furniture and large television screen for the occasional football game he liked to watch. The furnishings were spare and serviceable.
In the kitchen, his refrigerator held five bottles of beer, a couple bottles of water, one moldy orange, a few bottles of condiments, a jug of soured milk and a package of deli meat. Megan gave the meat a smell test. Thankfully it passed.
After throwing together two sandwiches, she grabbed the bottled water and hurried back to the barn, not wanting to be away from Daniel and Halo any longer than necessary.
Daniel was where she’d left him and Halo lay on the ground beside him.
Her heart went out to the horse. “She doesn’t look good.”
“The vet said tonight would be the big test.”
Megan held out the sandwich she’d wrapped in a paper towel. “Eat. You’re no good to anyone if you pass out from hunger.”
“I don’t pass out,” he mumbled, refusing to take the sandwich. “I’m going to wash my hands first.”
“I’ll be here.” Megan sank to the ground beside Halo, unfolded the napkin around her sandwich and took a bite. She had no real interest in eating when such a beautiful creature was lying sick because of some toxin with a source they had yet to locate.
Over her shoulder, she heard the jingle of the phone ringing in the office. She struggled to stand but settled back on her bottom when Daniel’s deep tone said, “Hello. Yes, this is Daniel Colton. Mr. Kennedy, I’m glad you called.”
Megan stiffened. From the sound of it, Daniel was talking to the owner of Kennedy Farms. Excitement had her leaning toward the office, straining to hear the conversation. This was the call Daniel had been hoping for. Marshall Kennedy didn’t bother to talk to breeders unless he already had a good opinion of their programs.
Rider whinnied from his stall. Angel, Halo’s mother, answered, the noise drowning out whatever Daniel was saying.
The office door swung closed, shutting out the sound of the horses and cutting off any eavesdropping Megan hoped to accomplish.
Not that it mattered. She’d soon be on her way back to California to live the life her father and mother deemed appropriate for a debutante. All interest in the sandwich she’d prepared disappeared and she laid it on the napkin beside her.
Sleek, the black barn cat, trotted over to her side and sniffed at the discarded food.
“Go ahead. You can have it. You’ll need your strength here more than I will.” It appeared the cat would outlast Megan’s stay at the Lucky C.
“I’ve heard a lot about the Lucky C Ranch lately,” Marshall Kennedy’s voice boomed in his ear.
Daniel held the phone in a tight grip. This call might mean the difference between a good program and an excellent breeding program that could gain international attention. “Thank you, sir,” Daniel said. “I’ve selected from only the best lineage.”
“I assume that’s why you’re looking at purchasing semen from Striker’s Royal Advantage.”
“Yes, sir. I’ve done my research, and I believe a foal from Striker and Big J’s Lucky Coin will be the most sought-after registered quarter horse in the country.”
“I’m impressed with Big J’s Lucky line, but I