Read Online Montana Hearts by Darlene Panzera - Free Book Online Page A

leg. But instead of complying, Tango pulled away from her.
    â€œHey, boy, what was that all about?” she asked, running her hand down his leg again.
    The area just above his hoof was warm and slightly swollen. Gently, she lifted his foot to take a look beneath and, sure enough, he had a pea-­sized abscess. The good news was that it was draining. The bad news was that she’d have to soak his foot in Epsom salts and they’d have to back out of the rodeo that weekend.
    Maybe she could spend the extra time with Luke?
    The familiar rumble of her father’s truck pulled into the driveway. Good. She wanted to talk to him about the Collins building permit to uphold her end of the bargain.
    Except . . . her father wasn’t alone. This time he did bring that banker woman, Winona Lane, with him. And another truck, a brown Ford with a deep V-­shaped dent above the left rear wheel well, pulled into view behind them. Harley Bennett’s truck. He was pulling a brown horse trailer and Sammy Jo could see through the side window slits there was a single horse inside.
    â€œOh, no,” she told Tango with a groan. “Looks like I won’t be able to talk to my dad about the Collinses anytime soon.”
    She let her palomino friend go back to grazing, and looked around for a bucket to fill with water and the salts for his hoof soak, then realized her father wasn’t taking his company into the house. He was leading them toward her .
    â€œWe have a surprise for you,” her father announced, a proud eager grin spread across his face. “Mrs. Lane has agreed to sell us her barrel-­racing champ, Black Thunder.”
    Sammy Jo glanced at Mrs. Lane, who affirmed what he said with a nod and a smile, then her gaze flew toward the dark horse Harley Bennett was unloading from his trailer.
    â€œBut—­” She looked back at her father, who had come to all her competitions while growing up but had never been interested in riding too much himself. “I don’t need another horse.”
    â€œTango’s age may be catching up with him. I heard you didn’t even place in the top three at the last rodeo.”
    That wasn’t Tango’s fault, it was hers, but instead of telling her father that, she said, “Tango has a hoof abscess. I’m sure that’s why we didn’t place. It might have already been bothering him.”
    â€œSee?” her father exclaimed. “Another reason you need a second horse—­in case one is lame. Now you’ll never have to miss another rodeo.”
    He had a point. Every rodeo she passed up meant less money in her pockets and she needed to be able to support herself and save enough for her own house someday.
    â€œAt least take him for a quick ride to try him out,” her father insisted.
    Thunder had beautiful conformation. A quick ride wouldn’t hurt. It would be fun to see what kind of speed and pivotal turns the supposed “champion” had.
    â€œAll right,” she agreed. But then after Harley brought the horse’s tack out of the trailer and she saddled up, Tango let out a soft whinny that shot a pang of guilt straight through her heart. “Don’t worry, Tango,” she called over to him. “You’re still my best boy.”
    Her ride around the orange barrels strategically placed in the open field beside the river affirmed it. Although Thunder had Tango’s talented ability, Sammy Jo didn’t have the same bond with him as she did with her own horse. Bonds like that took months, sometimes even years, to develop. But when two hearts finally shared that special connection . . . it was worth every moment of the wait. And with that realization came another. She now knew what it was she had to do.
    â€œI appreciate the offer,” Sammy Jo told her father’s entourage upon her return. “But I don’t have time for another horse. I’ve been overwhelmed