by Kit Morgan
One of Jake’s eyebrows slowly rose. “And your point is?”
“My point, Mr. Sullivan, is that the socially elite in this city think the world owes them.”
His other eyebrow went up. “How so?”
“I’ve had some in here who have servants at their beck and call, and treat everyone else as if they’re also servants. I’m not the type to cater to them, nor am I about to start – every client here gets the same treatment. A few don’t like that and quit, but they do not get their money back. Neither do those who don’t show up for their lesson on time, or at all. That’s a policy I strictly enforce.”
Jake listened to the petite woman with interest. She was a spitfire. No wonder Grandpa Joe didn’t worry about this place. “Have any ever demanded their money back?”
“A few times, but it’s been years. Now if you’ll excuse me, I don’t want this new client yelling at me for being late. I’m sure we’ll talk later.”
“I look forward to it.” He tipped his hat then watched her march through the wide door and down the shed row. He hoped she didn’t get sprayed when she passed the wash area. The thought brought to mind the pretty redhead, Casey, and her friend. They seemed nice enough, but who knew what they were like the rest of the time? Maybe “nice” was just a public persona.
Jake pushed the thought aside, headed for the nearest paddock and walked around it to inspect the fencing. He hadn’t realized there would be so much to inspect. During the long plane ride from Portland to Newark, he’d had plenty of time to envision a big dilapidated mess. What he found was nothing of the kind – so far. Still, there was a lot to do and see before he could report back to his family.
He checked two more paddocks before returning to the arena, wanting to catch part of the lesson Miss Williams was giving and how she handled it. Not to mention, how her new client handled it. The barn manager had piqued his interest concerning the “more elite” clientele. Were they as bad as she said? Would this Casey Woodrow have a meltdown if things didn’t go her way? How would Miss Williams respond if she did?
He walked down the shed row lined with horse stalls on one side, tack rooms, wash area and storage on the other. There was no sign of the other socialite, Melanie, or her horse. When he reached the other end and re-entered the arena, he noticed a seating area for spectators. He must have missed it when he first arrived. He knew the stable hosted shows among other things, and planned to find out what sorts of other things later.
He took a seat near the rail to get a view of what was going on at the other end of the arena, not wanting to distract teacher and student by watching them close-up. Especially since this was Casey’s first lesson – Lord only knew how nervous she might be …
“Oh, c’mon!”
… then again, maybe nervous wasn’t the right word.
A scream pierced the air, and Casey Woodrow’s mount began crow-hopping across the arena. Casey was no longer aboard.
Without thinking, Jake jumped to his feet and vaulted the rail, hitting the ground hard enough to send a jolt through his legs and hips. He’d been higher up than he thought, but that didn’t matter. What did was the woman sprawled on the same hard ground. The arena had a good layer of dirt, but no matter how thick it was, it wasn’t like landing on a mattress. “Is she all right?” he asked as he came to a skidding stop and knelt beside her.
Miss Williams, looking panicked, shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m not even sure why Bojangles got so riled so suddenly. He’s usually quite gentle – one of our best schooling horses.”
Jake nodded absently as he bent over the still form. “Miss Woodrow?” He patted the side of her face even as he studied the riding helmet she wore. Good thing the stable had a rule that helmets were to be worn at all times in the arena. “Miss Woodrow?”
Miss Woodrow moaned and grimaced. “Owww.”
Miss Williams breathed a sigh of relief. Jake didn’t. “Are you all right? Can you sit up?”
She opened her eyes. They were a beautiful chocolate brown, and he had a fleeting thought of what they might look like in sunshine. “Ow.”
He smiled. “‘Ow’ isn’t what I’d say if I were you, but it’ll do. So where are the ‘ows’?”
She held up one arm, then the other, as if she wasn’t sure how to get up.
“How’s your head?” he asked with concern. “Are you dizzy?”
She touched her helmet. “Not my head … my back,” she gasped.
“I’d say you got the wind knocked out of you. Is your back in a lot of pain?”
She shook her head. “No, just … can’t breathe.”
“Yeah, that’ll happen when you get bucked.” He turned to Miss Williams. “Or did he just start crow-hopping?”
“He crow-hopped, but I don’t think she was ready.”
“I wasn’t,” Casey said with a groan. “Why does Melanie like this again?”
Jake laughed. “Because she knows how to stay in the saddle.” He glanced at the horse now wandering around the other end of the arena, then at Miss Williams. “Could you fetch him back here for me?”
Miss Williams looked at Casey and smiled. “Yes, sir.”
Casey watched her go as Jake helped her to sit up. “She sounds awful happy about catching a horse.”
“Probably because she knows what I’m going to do.”
She looked frightened. “And that would be?”
He grinned. “Help you get back on. What else?”
Casey adamantly shook her head. Clearly it didn’t hurt much. “No way.”
“Way. That is why you’re here, isn’t it – to learn how to ride?”
“Ride, yes. Fall flat on my back, no.”
He laughed. “Come on, princess, it’s the first rule of riding. You fall off the horse, you get right back on.”
“The horse didn’t like it the first time. What makes you think he’ll like it the second?”
“Because one, we want him to know he can’t get away with it, and two, because I don’t want you to lose your nerve.”
“Too late.”
He laughed again. She was witty, despite just having the wind knocked out of her. And Bojangles was not a small horse – sixteen hands or more.
Miss Williams led the horse back, having already checked his saddle to make sure it wasn’t coming lose or bothering the animal in some way. “I still don’t know what happened. I’m positive he’s been turned out as scheduled.”
“Turned out?” Casey asked.
Jake stood. “If you were cooped up in a twelve-by-twelve stall all day, wouldn’t you want to get out once or twice?” He offered Casey a hand as Miss Williams nodded in confirmation.
Casey took it and let him pull her to her feet. “I guess I would at that,” she said stiffly.
Jake took a moment to study her mount. At the ranch they had several quarter horses, Jenny’s Appaloosa and an annoying donkey named Willy. If Jake’s guess was right, Bojangles, a beautiful dapple-gray gelding, was some sort of warm-blood like Melanie’s horse. “He’s nice-looking.”
“He was my late husband’s,” Miss Williams said with a hint of sadness.
Jake solemnly nodded. “I’m sorry. Did he pass recently?”
“Four years ago. But he loved this horse, and like I said, he’s one of our best school horses.”
“He’s not sore or anything, is he? I didn’t notice that he was, but …”
“No, just feeling too good is my guess.” She shrugged.
“Who’s in charge of turning the horses out?” Jake asked.
“Our head groom, but I haven’t seen him for hours. He had some errands to run today. Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him.”
Jake’s hands went to his hips. “Hmmm. Mind if I speak with him when he returns?”
“You’re the new owner, Mr. Sullivan. You can do what you want.”
He was about to answer when he caught Casey slinking away out the corner of one eye. He leaned over enough to take her by the arm and gently pull her
back. “You’re getting back on that horse.”
“I didn’t pay for this.”
Miss Williams smiled and crossed her arms in front of her. “Actually, you did.”
Casey looked at her, her mouth flopped open like a fish.
The older woman nodded. “Just like learning to ski or ice-skate, falling is part of the learning curve. But we’ll make sure he behaves. Besides, he can obviously use the exercise since he didn’t get any this morning.”
“Oh, all right, I’ll get back on. But don’t let him start jumping like a frog again.”
“You mean hop like a crow,” Jake corrected. “It’s called ‘crow-hopping’ for a reason.”
“Crow, frog – what’s the difference?”
He laughed. “Trust me, what he did is much better than what he could have.”
“He could have bucked you off, Miss Woodrow,” her instructor clarified. “Falling off is much gentler than getting bucked.”
Casey absently rubbed her lower back, then her butt. Jake quickly looked away, lest his eyes linger on her cute little derriere.
Her eyes skipped to the horse and back. “Okay, now what?”
Jake smiled. “Now we ride.”
Chapter 4
Casey tried to keep from shaking. The fall had scared her, and she still hurt. She hit the gym several times a week, but it didn’t make you invincible. Worst of all had been getting the wind knocked out of her and the horrid sensation of not being able to breathe. She didn’t want to climb back on the beast’s back, but her pride – and her instructors – wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s all right, don’t be scared,” Mr. Cowboy – Jake Sullivan, she remembered – said gently as he led her to the horse. “I’ll give you a leg up.”
She eyed him dubiously. Help her up, possibly to watch her fall off the other side? She stared at his cupped hands. “What do I do?”
His eyebrows rose in amusement. “Wow, you really are a beginner.”
She shrugged. She couldn’t argue with that.
“Put your left foot in my hands and I’ll boost you up.”
She glanced at Miss Williams. Wasn’t she going to say anything? She was the one supposed to be teaching the lesson. But then, she wasn’t offering a leg up. Casey had been lucky the woman let her use the mounting block the first time she struggled onto the horse. With a sigh and a fluttering in her stomach, she took a step toward him.
He smiled and straightened. “I think for you, we’ll do this the other way.”
Her brow furrowed in incomprehension. “What’s the other way?”
“Face the horse.” She did. “Good. Now raise your left foot. Ready?”
Casey gulped. “Yes … OH!” He boosted her up with a strength she hadn’t expected. At least she had the foresight to swing her right leg over the horse as he did. What if she hadn’t? How embarrassing would that be?
“There. Got your seat?” His bright smile made her insides go to mush.
“I hope so,” she mumbled. She wiggled her butt in the saddle then looked on either side of the horse for the stirrup irons, slipped her feet into them and took a death grip on the reins. “Now what?”
A groom appeared at the gate. “Miss Williams, you have a phone call. It’s the vet.”
The riding instructor blew out a breath. “All right, tell him I’ll be there in a minute.” She looked up at Casey. “Excuse me for a moment, but Dr. Cohen is hard to pin down. I need to take this.”
Jake nodded. “Then you won’t mind if I help your student out?”
Miss Williams glanced between the two. “What did you have in mind?”
He casually shrugged. “Just taking her around the arena.”
“What?” Casey squeaked.
He glanced up at her. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall.” He turned back to Miss Williams. “I take it this horse can handle double?”
Miss Williams took a moment to decide, but finally sighed and headed for the gate. “You realize you’re breaking my helmet rule.”
Jake took the horse’s reins, with an effort, and led him to the mounting block. “I’ll remedy that as soon as I can.”
Miss Williams disappeared through the gate.
“What are you doing?” Casey asked nervously.
“Making sure you don’t fall off again.” He mounted up behind her.
“What if Miss Williams suddenly decides she doesn’t want you on her horse?”
“I’ve already told her I’ve been riding all my life. Besides, I asked to borrow a horse to check things out around here. This is the one she suggested I take.”
“But … what if he bucks us both off?”
“He won’t.”
“How can you be so sure?” she asked, now sounding even shakier as he wrapped his strong arms around her. Get a grip, Case! she thought furiously.
“Because I’m the one controlling him now, not you.”
Ouch. But what could she say? After all, it was her fault the horse did all that funny jumping around earlier. She’d kicked him when Miss Williams wasn’t looking, kicked him hard. Stupid. Her glorious vision of riding to the other end of the arena (past the spectator area to show off for a certain cowboy) had been dashed the moment her butt left the saddle. She’d seen Melanie effortlessly ride from one end of the arena to the other – how hard could it be?
Come to think of it, Melanie didn’t really kick her horse so much as give him a little nudge. Where had she gotten such a ludicrous idea? Probably some old movie. Oh my, the man behind her was deliciously warm …
He didn’t seem to notice the effect he was having on her, and really, thank God! “Let’s try walking him first.” He slapped the reins gently on Bojangles’ neck, and the horse began to move.
“Are you sure you don’t want to sit up front?” she asked.
He laughed. “No, not with you. Besides, I’m used to riding Western. I don’t know how I’d feel in an English saddle. Even the reins are different.”
“They are?”
“Yes. Western bridles have split reins.”
“Split?”
He chuckled. “Sorry, I keep forgetting you’re a newbie. There are two reins on a Western bridle.”
“Oh, I get it.” She enjoyed having his voice so close, not to mention the rest of him. She just didn’t want to be obvious about it. “I take it you own a horse?”
“Yep. Colonel Jackson is his name, a big black quarter horse. I use him to work the cattle.”
Casey’s heart flipped. “You mean, you’re … you’re a real cowboy?”
He laughed. “I’ve never thought of myself that way – a rancher, yes, but never a cowboy.”
“But you work with cows,” she argued.
“Yes, but … well, I guess you have a point.”
“You own your own ranch?” she asked eagerly. She couldn’t wait to tell Melanie. Speaking of which, where was Melanie? Had she left for home and not told her?
“My family owns a ranch, in central Oregon. My brother and I work it.”
“Oh.” She pondered his answer. It must not be a very big ranch if it only took two people to run the thing.
“You sound disappointed.”
“No, no! I was trying to figure out … well, how big your place is.”
“Not very. But we make enough to take care of ourselves. We also raise alfalfa.” He leaned closer to her ear. “That’s hay, in case you were wondering.”
“Thanks. I never would have guessed.” Also true – she was a city girl through and through.
They’d already reached the other end of the arena. Jake guided the horse along the perimeter and around to the other side. “Here, you take the reins.”
“Me? But what if he goes crazy again?”
“Then I’ll grab them back. Besides, he seems fine now. I don’t know why he did what he did.”
I do, she thought to herself and cringed. But let’s just keep that under our silly plastic hat, shall we?
“Go ahead,
” he urged. “Take them.”
She did, albeit with white knuckles, her fall still too fresh to relax. Leave it to her to be the one to cause it. She hoped he hadn’t seen her kick the horse like a moron.
They continued riding in silence, and Casey started to relax once she discovered she didn’t have to do much. The big gray walked along the perimeter without much guidance from her. They were halfway into their third lap when Miss Williams called to them from the gate. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to cut our lesson short.”
Jake took the reins from Casey and expertly turned the horse around. He made a clicking noise and, to her surprise, the horse took off at a trot. She wanted to grab onto the saddle, the horse’s mane, anything, but found she didn’t have to. Jake pulled her against him, one arm pinning her to his body.
Then, much to her surprised delight, he signaled the horse to break into a canter. She laughed at the surge of speed and the sudden sensation of floating. But her rear was firmly in the saddle, held there by the man behind her.
“What’s up?” he asked as he brought the horse to a stop near the gate.
Miss Williams gave him an appreciative smile. “You’re pretty good with him.”
“This ain’t mah first rodeo, ma’am,” he said with a mock-country twang.
Miss Williams smiled and shook her head. “I have to meet with Dr. Cohen, our vet on retainer – he’ll be here any minute. I’m sorry, Miss Woodrow, but he had an opening and I took it. Do you mind if we reschedule your lesson for another day?”
Casey stared down at her, trying not to enjoy the warmth of Jake’s body against hers. It was impossible. “No, not at all.” Her voice cracked on her last word, causing her cheeks to flush pink. Maybe she should get off the horse?
“I have an opening tomorrow at one – will that do?”
Casey nodded as a tingle went up her spine. On second thought, what could riding with him a few more times around the arena hurt?
“Charlie is cleaning out Bojangles’ stall and should be done soon. He’ll take care of the horse when you’re through. He’s a tall, thin fellow, wispy blonde mustache.”
