Neither of them breathed, as far as she could tell.
Eventually, it occurred to her to ask, “What’s the second reason you’re here?”
“I have something for Makayla. But I need to get your permission first to give it to her. When I saw your car in the driveway while Makayla’s at school, I saw an opportunity to check with you while she’s not around.”
Tessa replied teasingly, “If it’s a rhinestoned western shirt to go with her pink boots and cowboy hat, I’m going to have to put my foot down and say no. My good taste in fashion will only bend so far before it breaks.”
“That’s not what I brought, but it’s a great idea,” he retorted, his eyes twinkling.
“Don’t you dare. I’d never get her out of it,” she laughed.
When their smiles had faded he said, “Pete Maddox called me yesterday. He’s a little short on cash to settle his bill with me at the moment, but he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. You may recall him mentioning that his daughter left for college last fall.”
“I do. She’s studying agricultural science at the University of Nebraska. Wants to develop drought resistant crops and farming methods.”
He grinned. “I don’t know how you remember those kinds of details about people.”
She shrugged. “Information is power in the business world.”
“You’re in Montana, now, kid.”
“People do business in Montana, too,” she retorted. “How do you think I built my store into a success and am doing the same for Charlotte’s wedding gown designs?”
“Fair point.” He paused. “Anyway, Pete’s daughter has a horse. Name’s Murphy. A sweet old Quarter Horse gelding his daughter’s had since she was little. He loves kids, is as trained as they come, and is bomb-proof, which is horse talk for he’s dead calm and nothing bothers or scares him. Pete and Marla kept the horse because his daughter planned to come home this summer and ride him, but she’s gotten hired to work on a research project and is staying in Iowa this summer. Pete hates to see Murphy stand around the pasture lonely and doing nothing, and he called to ask me if I’d be willing to take Murphy in payment for his vet bills.”
Her eyes widened in alarm. “A good horse seems like way too much in trade for delivering one calf.”
Dillon smiled. “I’ve been making calls to Pete for months without taking payment. He bought a bull that turned out to be sterile year before last and didn’t get any feeder calves last spring. Had almost no beef to take to market last year and has been real tight on cash. He’ll be okay come this fall, but in the meantime, I’ve run a tab for him.”
“You’re a good man, Dillon Steele.”
“We’ll see if you think that in a minute.”
“Why?” she asked cautiously.
“Because Murphy’s in the trailer, and I’d like to give him to Makayla. She needs a proper riding horse and he’d be perfect for her.”
“You got her a horse?” Tessa gasped.
“Technically, I got me a horse. I’m just asking if I can board him here—I’ll pay you for feed and care—and if it would be okay to let Makayla ride him whenever she wants.”
“You got my daughter a horse,” she declared.
He shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
The last thing she needed was another mouth to feed around here, another animal to look after and worry about.
Dillon said evenly, “Makayla’s old enough to take care of a horse herself. It’s a solid life lesson to be responsible for an animal. It’s also important to learn that the fun part, riding, also requires the hard work of cleaning a stall, getting up early to feed, and being home every evening to feed again.”
“You make a good point. But I’m concerned that if she has a horse she’ll get behind on homework and not practicing her violin like she should.”
“Then you make those the conditions of her keeping the horse. She can’t go out to the barn except to clean stalls or feed unless her homework’s done and she’s practiced fid—playing violin.”
She supposed that might work, but still. A horse was a huge investment of time, energy, and potentially money that she didn’t have.
He added persuasively, “She’s going to be a teenager soon, and all teens rebel. Might as well put in place a powerful incentive for her to stay focused on school and music instead of boys, friends, partying, and getting in trouble.”
She tried hard not to remember that Makayla was growing up fast, but he was right. Her teen years were the blink of an eye away.