Follow a Wild Heart: A Christian Contemporary Western Romance Series by Natalie Bright (top reads .TXT) 📗

heart did a flip flop. The more she resisted him, the stronger the pull.

“So, what’s the story with that bundle of fur, Lank?”

With a handsome smile he glanced at her and then explained. “Sis found her on the side of the road along with a couple of siblings. No momma around. The pups are about eight weeks or more. A vet checked ’em out, but my sister can’t have any pets at her apartment. My nephews were devastated. Her friends took the other two, but she said this one looked perfect for me, on the condition my nephews can visit her any time.”

“Boy, are you a sucker. Your nephews get a dog but you get to feed and train it.” Lank looked at her in surprise, as if the idea had never crossed his mind. Carli laughed at the expression on his face. “She is a friendly little thing.”

“We’ll make her into a ranch dog. She’s a Border Collie, or at least that’s what she looks like. They’re really good at herding cows and earning their keep. And I heard you say something to Lexi about helping out with L.J. That’s a great idea.”

At that the dog scrambled out of his arms and full body wiggled towards Carli.

“And maybe you can help, too?” There was his mischievous smirk she found so hard to resist.

The dog was on the attack again with Carli’s jean cuffs. “Hey, you little rascal! Quit it. You’re gonna tear a hole in my pants.”

Scrambling to keep her footing, Carli gave up, landed on her bottom, and wrestled with the pup who still had some razor-sharp puppy teeth. She held its kicking paws in a vice grip. “I’m not gonna let you go, you wild thing!”

Suddenly the black and white dog looked up into Carli’s eyes and relaxed its squirming as though it liked being held by her. Then slowly licked her chin.

“Oh, boy,” Lank said, “you might be done for. I think L.J. is claiming you as her owner.”

“What? No. I’ve never had a dog before. Wouldn’t know what to do with one.”

“Well, you feed her, pet her, throw the ball or stick if that’s what she wants, pay her vet bills, and let her protect and love you. And you love her back.”

Carli gazed into his gray-blue eyes and almost swooned but shook that silly feeling from her mind as best she could.

“I thought she was your dog, Lank. You’re not trying to pawn off your responsibilities on me, are you?”

“No, of course not. I’ll help. And Lexi will help. How ’bout we see how it plays out? See who L.J. chooses as her human?”

The dog roused out of its temporary rest in Carli’s arms and started roughhousing again, so much so that Carli fell flat on her back with the dog jumping on her stomach and chest and licking her face again.

“Quit, quit, you little rascal! Lank, don’t just stand there laughing. Help get your dog off!”

“Now don’t tell me you can’t handle a little bitty puppy dog like L.J.” The beginnings of a smile tipped the corners of his mouth as he tried to grab the dog off Carli. He kneeled on the ground next to her.

She kicked at him gently with her boot. “Stop laughing! You’re just egging her on.”

But she couldn’t help smiling and soon they both were laughing as the dog went from one to the other.

“C’mon, help me up. We’ve both got work to do.”

“Since you mentioned work, I guess that means I still have my job.” Again, that charming smile.

He reached out to help her up and yanked a little too strenuously so that she ended up with her palms against his chest. He held her arms to steady her footing. They both stayed in the embrace for a couple of extra seconds until Carli pushed back. He resisted for a minute. There was a boldness in his stare, and she felt an overwhelming urge to lay her head on his shoulder, but, of course, didn't.

“Ahem, excuse me, you two. Carli, I think some of your kids are arriving,” Buck said.

She felt her face grow warm at the sight of Buck standing there awkwardly looking at the ground.

Then she gave Lank an angry scowl and pushed away.

Lank released her and took a step back, but she didn’t miss the humor in his eyes. “You want to take your dog with you?”

That smart-aleck smirk on his face she had seen more than a few times still irritated her.

“No. She is not my dog.”

Lank’s deep belly laugh followed her as she walked towards the cookhouse to greet her riding school students.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Lola rested an elbow on the corral fence and nodded her head when Carli walked her way. “Are you ready for this?” she asked.

“After that last Saturday I’m not sure if this is what we should be doing. But it can’t go any worse, right?” Carli shrugged and leaned up against the fence next to her.

Lola laughed. “You never know.”

“I wonder if Bianca will be allowed to come back. Her mother wasn’t too happy that we had a Bible study.” Carli felt bad about offending someone, but she couldn’t change the past. “Maybe I should call Bianca’s mother and explain.”

“All we can do is plant the seeds, but then it’s between that person and God. It’s in His hands now and we can certainly pray that Bianca is allowed to come back. Do you want to have a Bible study during your riding school?” Lola asked.

Carli nodded her head.

“Then, that's what we'll do.” Lola patted her arm.

Carli wished she had Lola’s confidence and sense of self.

Buck joined Carli and Lola as they watched a boy, about thirteen-years-old, step out of a van. Carli thought he looked like a feral animal, eyes darting side to side, head down, mouth clenched tight, but his eyes perked up when he saw the horses.

Another car pulled to a stop and Carli watched a little girl, with a wild, headful of fuzzy curls,