7
MATEO CLENCHED HIS fists as the therapist affixed the leads to his back. He should be back at the ranch making sure Claire stayed out of trouble. Not that she seemed to get involved in trouble. The truth of the matter was, she handled the horses very well and with great patience.
“You’re tense today,” his technician, Amber, said. The girl couldn’t have been more than twenty-two. As part of her degree and licensing program, she worked at the physical therapy suite where he received treatment. His plan called for him to go three times a week, but it was a hell of a drive and he went only once a week—if it was a good week.
“Long morning.” Deflecting concern had become a habit for him, and he didn’t see any reason to stop now. His appointment had been at seven, so he’d left the ranch at five to make sure he had plenty of time to get there. It usually took an hour to ninety minutes. By the time he got home, most of the morning would be gone.
Amber chuckled. It was what she did. From what Mateo had been able to determine, if a patient spoke, the staff listened or responded. It didn’t matter how benign the comment.
“Okay, you’re set,” Amber said. Ready to lie down?”
“Yeah.” He waited till she had all the leads before lying down on the table where the heating pad waited for him. The air inside the therapy center was cool, but not uncomfortable. The leads were connected to a TENS—or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation—unit, to which they hooked him up every session. It helped with nerve pain, increased blood flow to his muscles, and ultimately made the rest of his therapy bearable.
Or at least, that was the theory.
Amber got the device turned on and dialed up until he could feel the tingles spreading from the pads she’d affixed to his back. Once done, she turned to the door. “Fifteen minutes, then Tony will be with you next.”
“Thanks.” Though he gave voice to a sentiment he didn’t feel, Amber didn’t seem to notice. She closed the door behind her and he began to flex his hands. The unit and the heating pad were supposed to help him relax, alleviate the tension and cramps in his back while also helping him numb some of the nerve pain. The pull across his back didn’t abate, though, and he gritted his teeth against the clenched muscles.
Why the hell did he have to come to these sessions? It made sense after the first round of surgeries, even the second. The third proved they weren’t ever going to fix him, not fully. Taking huge chunks out of his day for sessions, which more often left him more sore and exhausted than improved, were not high on his list.
I passed out on her. Collapsing while showing Claire around Fredericksburg didn’t qualify as a shining-star moment in his existence. She’d covered for him, taken him back to her place and let him sleep off the painkillers. Insisting he sleep in her bed had been above and beyond the call of duty. So as much as he might hate therapy and the time it took, he owed her the effort.
He’d already dumped enough on her plate. The least he could do was try to avoid a repeat performance of Mateo the damaged. Blowing out a breath, he released his clenched fists and closed his eyes. The tingles of the device spread over his back. A hint of a muscle spasm had him tensing, but then it released and he breathed deeper. By the time Tony opened the door, Mateo had almost managed to forget why he was there.
“Hey man.” Tony’s go-to greeting offered familiarity in spite of Mateo’s grumpiness. Clasping his hand by way of a handshake, the physical therapist pulled him upright.
A wince of pain rippled along his spine, but the heat and the TENS had done their job, and Mateo’s back was looser than it had been in a while. “Hey, Tony. How’s your brother?”
“Got fitted for a new prosthetic. How’re the horses?” A familiar refrain as Mateo waited for Tony to remove the adhesive leads.
“Glad to hear it,” Mateo replied to the first statement. Tony’s brother had been in a motorcycle accident and had lost one of his legs below the knee. Mateo had actually met him his first couple of weeks as Tony’s patient. “The horses are great. We’re working with a new trainer for a few weeks for a new program.”
“Yeah?” The therapist shifted his position and began to stretch one of Mateo’s arms while he pressed against his back. Previous experience told Mateo to relax as much as possible and let Tony do the work. The stretches were designed to increase his range of motion.
“Yeah. She’s from England. Knows a thing or two—and she specializes in therapy horses.” Where the hell was this all coming from? He tried to limit his conversation and focus on the work, but as Tony continued to stretch him, Mateo added, “Tanner and Jules brought her over, and I’ll be working with her.”
“Sounds good.” Tony applied pressure to his rhomboid muscle along his right shoulder blade. “Different training techniques? This is gonna pinch, so breathe.”
It did a hell of a lot more than pinch, and it took Mateo a moment to catch his breath. “Yes, and no. Still . . . getting a feel.” He exhaled and took a couple of shallow breaths before pressing on “Getting a feel for her methods. It’s a lot of psychological stuff and horse behavior.”
“Cool. You’ll have to fill me in on how that works out.”
Mateo didn’t respond right away because Tony worked the stretch again and left him gritting his teeth. Goddamn physical terrorists—the man was killing him. He made it through the first set of stretches, then the second. When Tony switched him out to a pulling exercise, Mateo was almost relieved. If he was going to be in pain, he’d rather earn it than have someone else putting him through it.
The ice after the session would help, but the drive home would still leave him stiff as hell.
Dammit.
Claire finished grooming a mare named Cagney and smiled. The chestnut colored horse was tall, with elegant lines and a sweet disposition to go with her looks. Of the initial horses Mateo had selected for her to vet for the program, Cagney was one of Claire’s favorites. Since he’d mentioned being away from the ranch for an appointment that morning, she’d indulged herself with some “get to know you” time with the horses.
Every trainer she knew did something different during the initial training phases. Some went to work immediately, seeking to create a mentor relationship with the horse. Ideally, the horse would recognize when its trainer was present—that meant it was time to go to work. Other trainers preferred to get to know the personality of the horse, in part to adapt their training to the horse’s strengths and quirks. Claire fit in the latter category.
“Good morning,” Jules called as she strolled down the barn aisle. “How ya doing?”
“I’m very well, thank you. Yourself?” Claire closed the bottom half of the stall door securing Cagney in to enjoy her hay. Since she planned to work the horse when Mateo returned, she wanted her inside where it was cooler. At least the big barns had fans.
“I’m good.” Dressed in a T-shirt, jeans, and work boots, Jules had arrived carrying a black medical kit and a pair of work gloves. “Running late. Ran over to the neighbor’s to check on their new foal.” That made sense. In addition to being Tanner’s wife, Jules was also a veterinarian, and though she lived on Round Top with her husband, she also took care of herds and animals all over the region.
“The neighbor?” Claire grinned. “How close does one have to be to be a neighbor out here?” The ranch was huge. She’d considered an exploratory drive about. Based on the rough map Mateo had given her to get from the guesthouse to the training barn, she thought it best to wait for a day off in case she got lost.
“Oh, pretty much anyone around Durango Point is a neighbor.” The earnest nature of Jules’s smile set Claire at ease. Jules paused at the stall and glanced at Cagney. “How are you settling in?”
“Well, I think. Though I admit, I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to the heat.” It wasn’t even nine in the morning, and it sweltered outside. The flow of air from the fans helped dry the sweat on her arms, but Claire had pulled all of her hair up into a ponytail to keep it off her neck.
“Everyone says that, but you’d be surprised by how fast you can adapt. It’s not all that bad right now.”
Unable to stop herself, Claire snorted. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, but at home I’d be in cardigans and jackets. Here, I want to strip down, not layer up.”
“True. You know what we need?” Jules leaned toward her as though sharing a note of conspiracy. “A swimming pool.”
“Right.” Claire could see the benefits. “But I thought cowboys swam in creeks.” At least, they did in the movies.
After setting her kit down, Jules leaned against the door and stretched a hand over to stroke Cagney’s face when the mare whickered at her. “You couldn’t pay me to swim in a creek. At least, none of the creeks around here. Water moccasins are bad enough, but there’s also trash, glass, and bugs.” Sticking her tongue out while wearing a eww expression, the other woman shook her head. “Just no.”
“I suppose you could put a pool in back of the new house you and Tanner are building.” They’d discussed some of their plans for the new place during supper that first night. The foundation had been poured, and the frame was up. The roof would be going on soon, and after that—or so Tanner claimed—it would be only a month or so before the interior was complete.
“Maybe. It might take bribery to convince Tanner to change his plans at this late a date.” Jules tapped a finger against her chin. “You know, I think we should have them put the pool in at the main house—then we’d all have an excuse to visit and eat Maria’s cooking.”
“From what little I’ve seen, Maria does not require an excuse to feed anyone.” Claire shook her head. “I’m going to pull Sin in and groom her—did you need one of the other horses?”
“Nah, I’ll go with you. And you’re right about Maria.” Jules fell into step with her. “I’m playing hooky at the moment, then I have to go worm some horses at the gelding barn.”
“How many bloody barns does the ranch have?” Though she laughed, she was quite serious. The full tour was still in the offing, but she’d been concentrating on the training barn, as it was where she’d do most of her work.
“Three. Likely four, if we’re successful with this project. We’ll want a barn dedicated to the therapy horses and their training, and another where we can continue our standard training and riding.” Another big arena and training barn would be an expensive prospect. “That’s the next stage—first we work on getting horses ready while Tanner and I explore funding options for the guesthouses we want to add on, and other amenities.”
Shading her eyes against the sun, Claire squinted as she checked the paddocks for Sin. Most of the horses were turned out in the mornings if they’d been in the barns. Horses in training were kept closer than the rest of the herd. Mateo had moved all the horses he’d picked out for her into the paddocks nearest the barn. “I know I said it before, but I am very grateful for the investment you and Tanner are putting into this program. I understand the difficulty of getting it going from the ground up.”
Despite the lack of rain, a mud-spattered Sin met them at the gate to her paddock. Jules laughed and shook her head. “I’ll check the water trough while you get her out. She probably pawed water out or pulled one of the hoses. She does that sometimes.”
“Well, aren’t you a clever girl.” Claire favored the mare with a scratch to her chin. Sin leaned forward, lipping at her shirt as though looking for a treat. After snapping the lead rope to the halter, Claire chuckled. “And a greedy one at that. You can get a treat after we clean you up, not before.”
Jules joined them on the walk back to the barn. “I’m glad we’re doing this,” she said, reminding Claire of her earlier statement. “It’s important. Tanner’s family were all military men, at least going back a few generations. He and Mateo aren’t the only ones from town who served. I think in the long run it will help both of them too.”
Both of them? Did Tanner have issues? Would it be too forward to ask? She was still mulling it over as they reached Sin’s stall.
“Tanner’s fine,” Jules said, as though reading her mind. “He loved serving, and I think a part of him still misses it. Misses being there for his team, for his country—misses being on active duty. I’m glad he’s home, but being able to help the men and women who served like he did? It’s good for him.”
Claire studied her a moment. “It’s good for you too.” Jules was a nurturer. That much was clear, from both her choice of occupation and her personality.
She didn’t deny it. “I like helping.” Then, as if to prove a point, she grabbed two currycombs from the tack box and joined Claire and Sin in the stall. “You do that side and I’ll do this one.”
Appreciating the assistance, Claire smiled. It was nice to spend time with another woman who enjoyed horses as much as she did.
“You can fill me in on you and Mateo. I had the sense there were sparks—were there sparks?”
And then again, she’d enjoyed the peace and quiet of working alone. “He’s a good trainer,” she said, choosing to avoid Jules’s meaning. “I think the reason he showed his temper that first night was because I caught him off guard.”
“Uh-huh.” The other woman gave her a look. “I should warn you, I’m very determined when I want to learn something.”
“Fair enough.” Claire accepted the information with a nod. “Then I should, likewise, advise you that I’m not easily swayed.” Not when she’d made up her mind, and not where her patients were concerned. While she hadn’t made up her mind about Mateo and though he wasn’t necessarily a patient, she refused to gossip about him—better to change the subject altogether. “I don’t suppose there are more historical towns like Fredericksburg within driving distance?”
Jules gave her a knowing look but continued to brush Sin. “Well played.”
Perhaps. Jules was first and foremost one of her employers, while also being one of Mateo’s friends. Discretion served her both professionally and personally.
Mateo’s trust in her was a fragile thing at best. She wouldn’t dare betray it.