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“So this is like a hospital?” I ask, glancing round.

I get the feeling this place is his sanctuary too. He loves animals; that’s his purpose. And I love the fact I get to see this side of him.

“Yeah, essentially. For the animals on the ranch, but sometimes people bring in wild animals they’ve found that need help.”

I brush my hand along the beam and approach the huge white horse slowly. “Will it bite?” I ask.

“Hopefully,” Colten jokes.

I hold out my hand and the horse sniffs and lets out a huff, turning away from me. Don’t animals pick up on energy? Maybe mine is bad.

“It always helps if you have food, G.”

“Oh.”

I keep walking past the animals; most of them are resting. “It’s really cool you do this, Colt.”

He’s right on my tail as I meet Wyatt next to the pen for the sheep. I drop to my knees and she, or I assume she, hobbles over. When I hold out my hand, she rubs her soft face against it.

And I smile. I can’t help myself. “I know nothing about animals, cowboy,” I say, looking up at him.

He’s grinning, his eyes sparkling in a way I can only describe as admiration. “I can teach ya.”

“I can’t even ride a horse.”

He takes off his hat, placing it on my head, and runs a hand through his dark hair. “Again, same answer.”

I run my fingers along the rim. I’ve had my eye on this one for a while, but I never dared to touch it. Colten is very possessive of his hats, keeps them lined up, always clean, even after work. It kind of seems like an extension of him, and now I’ve got it.

“Uncle Colten, can I take this sheep home?” Wyatt asks from beside me.

“No. Your dad will lose his mind. Gary is quite enough for now.”

I run my fingers in the sheep's coarse hair, and she lets out a baa. “Gorgeous girl, aren’t you?” I tell her.

My boots in the hay, a cowboy hat on my head, talking to a sheep. What have I become?

“You wearin’ my hat is by far the most gorgeous view, viper,” Colten says, his voice low.

I sink my teeth into my lip, my fingers brushing the rim of the hat to tip it for him. “Oh, yeah? Maybe I’ll wear it later,” I say with a wink.

Wyatt grabs Colt's hand and drags him off to another stall, so I stay with the injured sheep.

“What happened to you, girl? Did someone hurt you?” I whisper.

She lies down beside me, resting her head right on my knee. And I stroke her gently. Colten is giving her a second chance; I bet most people would have put her down. They don’t see the value in anything weak.

That’s what I was taught. You can’t be weak. You can’t be injured, even if you’re hurt or have been beaten to shit by two guards when you’re sixteen. You carry on as if nothing happened.

I never had anyone to help me heal. To look after my injuries. I think honestly, if I was useless to my father, he’d eventually put me in the ground.

“I won’t let anything happen to you, ever again,” I tell her.

Colt returns, this time without Wyatt, who is climbing up to see into a pen with a baby cow.

As I stand, the sheep makes another noise, and I pout. “Could we keep her?” I ask, turning to Colt.

He tugs me closer by the waist, tipping my chin up. “You could ask me to do anything wearin’ that, and I’d agree.”