Hometown Fireman
Page 19
They approached Cisco who’d found a patch of grass to nibble on. The sooner he got Miss Annalisa mystery woman off this mountain and into someone else’s care, the easier he could breath.
“You know how to mount? One foot in the stirrup. Throw the other over. I’ll give you a boost. You take care of the arm.”
She nodded and with a gritty determination given her condition, stuck a foot in the stirrup and hopped. Austin leaned in to help, a hand beneath her free foot, the other ready to brace her back. The scent of perfume, definitely not the cheap stuff, but mysterious like her, contrasted with the earthy, wetness of the falls. He did his best not to notice, but the fragrance reminded him of something. Something he’d put out of his mind long ago.
He clenched his teeth against the fantasy, hoisted her other foot and put her into the saddle as gently as possible. She was light if leggy, tall enough to reach his stirrups. And he was no small fry.
Annalisa’s face paled with the movement. She bit back a groan. A small one, but he heard it.
“Easy,” he said, feeling like a heartless slug for hurting her. If he wouldn’t have been thinking of her long legs and heady scent, he could have been more careful.
Yeah, and if that sorry calf hadn’t gotten out, he wouldn’t be here in the first place with his sixth sense screaming like a banshee.
Ifs didn’t mean much in Austin’s vocabulary. If life was as it should be, he’d still be in Texas.
He took Cisco’s reins and tossed them over the saddle horn. In quick, efficient movements he swung into the saddle in front of his guest, taking care not to jar her. Annalisa leaned back, away from contact.
Austin shifted in the saddle to look at her. “Brace your bad arm against my back and give me your other.”
She hesitated, clearly not wanting to touch him. Well, too stinkin’ bad. He didn’t want her falling off.
“One broken arm is enough,” he barked. She flinched, eyes widening.
He grabbed her good hand and slapped it against his rib cage. With a tsk and slight tightening of his knees, he set Cisco on an easy walk through the trees.
Behind him, Annalisa was as stiff as new leather.
What was up with this lady?
ISBN: 9781460312810
Copyright © 2013 by Melissa A. Manley
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