Читать книгу Feels Like Home - Vicki Lewis Thompson - Страница 11

MEG ARRIVED AT THE BARN ten minutes ahead of schedule the next morning. Rafe hadn’t shown up in the kitchen for breakfast or even for a cup of coffee, so maybe he’d blow off this lesson. She hoped not. Teaching him to ride would satisfy several objectives.

Olivia and Wyatt would be much happier if Rafe participated in ranch life instead of staying aloof from it as he’d originally planned. Plus Meg enjoyed pushing people out of their comfort zones, and she wouldn’t mind getting to know Rafe better. But she couldn’t force him to do this.

If he didn’t keep their appointment, she’d back off, way off. She valued those who made agreements and kept them. Anyone who couldn’t do that moved several notches down in her estimation.

After petting Butch and Sundance, the two dogs lying on either side of the barn’s double door, Meg stepped inside and breathed in the welcome scent of hay, oiled leather and horse. She truly loved it in Jackson Hole, and specifically at this ranch. After only four days, she was already questioning whether she wanted to stay in Pittsburgh or consider a move to Wyoming.

Her two older brothers had moved away, one to Connecticut and the other to Indiana. Although her parents still lived in Pittsburgh, they’d started making plans to retire in Florida. She really had nothing holding her except a job and friends.

The job was no problem. She could find something out here. And her friends would simply come visit. The more she thought about the idea, the more she liked it.

Besides, she was already making friends here, like the foreman, Emmett Sterling. She found him oiling tack, which explained why the tangy scent had been so strong when she’d first come into the barn.

At their initial meeting she’d told him that he reminded her of Tom Selleck, especially with his graying mustache. Emmett had blushed. He was an old-fashioned cowboy, a modest man with a strong work ethic, and she admired that.

He glanced up with a smile when she walked into the barn. “Hey, there. When do you want to schedule that roping lesson?”

“I’m not sure yet, Emmett. I don’t know if you’ve heard that I volunteered to teach Rafe how to ride, assuming he hasn’t changed his mind since last night.”

“I did hear that from Wyatt.” He gave a nod of approval. “Great idea.”

“If he comes. Maybe he’s decided not to.”

Emmett looked over her shoulder. “I think you’re in luck.”

She turned and tried not to let her jaw drop. For a second she thought Jack had walked into the barn, but the stride was different and the jeans were blue denim, not the black that Jack favored. No telling where Rafe had dug up the jeans, shirt, boots and hat, but they fit him well.

A little too well, in fact. Yesterday his dress shirt and slacks had partially disguised his build, but this outfit disguised nothing. The snug jeans showed off his muscled thighs and the shirt emphasized his broad chest.

The borrowed hat was black. By accident or design, Rafe had tilted it at the right angle to make his dark eyes sexy and mysterious, exactly as she’d imagined they would be when shadowed by a hat. He looked amazing.

He came to a stop in front of her and spread out his arms. “Will this do?”

She had the inappropriate urge to move right into those outstretched arms in the hope he’d wrap them around her. “You should wear clothes like that more often.” Whoops. She’d said that out loud. “I mean, yes, that’ll do fine.”

“Sarah rounded them up for me this morning.”

“Did you eat any breakfast? I didn’t see you in the kitchen.”

“I never eat breakfast. I grabbed a cup of coffee before I came down here. That’s all I need.”

She didn’t think so. He might get away without breakfast when he sat in an office clicking computer keys, but his morning routine was about to shift dramatically toward fresh air and exercise. She decided against mentioning his need for real food because he probably wouldn’t believe her.

Instead she turned to the foreman, who was watching them with thinly disguised amusement. “Emmett, which horse do you recommend for Rafe?”

Emmett didn’t hesitate. “Destiny.”

“I was thinking that, too.”

Rafe shifted his weight and looked apprehensive. “‘Destiny’ sounds like the devil horse you put greenhorns on to test them.”

“We wouldn’t do that, son.” Emmett clapped him on the shoulder. “You’ve come here with an honest desire to learn how to ride. If you’d bragged about your riding skill when we knew you didn’t have any, then we’d bring out the devil horse.”

“Trust me, I have nothing to brag about when it comes to horses. I can deconstruct a stock offering in no time flat, but when it comes to mounting up and riding off into the sunset, I got nothin’.”

Emmett reached for a halter hanging on the wall. “It’s not a bad place to start. You’re a blank slate with no bad habits. Meg, if you want to lead out Spilled Milk, I’ll fetch Destiny. Rafe, you come with me. I’ll show you how to put this on him.”

Meg watched the two men head down the row of stalls. Emmett ambled along with the slightly bow-legged stride of a guy who’d spent most of his life in the saddle. Rafe moved with the grace of an athlete, but there was no cowboy in his walk yet. Even so, the view of a jeans-wearing Rafe from behind was outstanding. Life at the Last Chance had just become more scenic.

DESPITE BEING ASSURED that Destiny wasn’t a powder keg ready to explode, Rafe studied the large brown-and-white animal from outside the stall. He wasn’t eager to get into a confined space with him.

“Come on in, son. He won’t bite.”

Rafe edged into the stall. “How much does he weigh?”

“Around a thousand pounds, give or take.”

“He must be pretty strong.”

“Yes, but he’s trained to cooperate with you. Come closer so you can see how to halter him. You put this on in order to lead him out of the barn. Later you’ll take the halter off and replace it with a bridle, which provides your steering mechanism. Don’t worry. He’s used to all this, so he won’t put up a fuss.”

“Right.” Taking a deep breath, Rafe approached Destiny. As Emmett put on the halter, Rafe ignored the enormous teeth and concentrated on Destiny’s deep brown eyes. He could see himself in the reflection there, and he looked like a cowboy, even if he didn’t feel like one.

“See how that’s done?” Emmett finished with the halter, snapped a lead rope to a metal ring and handed over the rope. “Go ahead and lead him outside.”

Before Rafe could object that he didn’t know enough yet, he found himself tramping back down the aisle between the stalls, towing a horse behind him. Emmett walked along, too, probably to make sure Rafe didn’t do anything stupid.

“How long has Destiny been at the ranch?”

“Let’s see. I guess it’s about twenty-four years, now.”

“Yikes! I didn’t mean you had to give me a geriatric horse. Can he handle my weight?”

Emmett chuckled. “Twenty-four’s not so old. Horses can live to be forty or more. Destiny was born when Jack was around ten, and he came up with that name for him. Thought it was real dramatic.”

“So this is Jack’s horse?”

“Not really. He’s a little too tame for Jack these days. Jack rides a black-and-white stallion named Bandit.”

“Destiny isn’t a stallion?”

“Not anymore.”

“Oh.” Rafe was torn between relief that Destiny was a pushover and humiliation at being consigned to a horse with no balls, one that wasn’t spirited enough for Jack Chance.

“Destiny’s a good starter horse,” Emmett said. “He has one bad habit, though. If you’re out on the trail and decide to climb off him, you’d better tie him up real good. He likes to work himself loose and head on home.”

“I’ll remember that. But I think maybe I should just stay in the corral today, don’t you?”

“Maybe for the first ten minutes, until you get the hang of it.”

“I don’t think ten minutes will do the trick.”

“You’ll be surprised at how fast you pick it up, son. Once you’re comfortable in the saddle, you and Meg should take ’em out and admire the scenery. We have a lot to look at around here.”

“Yes, you do.” Rafe couldn’t argue with that. Coming out of the house this morning he’d been greeted with a spectacular view of the snowcapped Grand Tetons. Funny that his mother hadn’t mentioned the amazing scenery when she’d described the ranch. Lining rockers up on the front porch made a lot more sense when a person could sit and look at those mountains.

When they emerged from the barn, Meg was already at the hitching post with her horse, the one he remembered from yesterday.

“Just tie Destiny up next to Spilled Milk,” Emmett said. “I’ll get you a blanket, saddle and bridle.”

“Thanks, Emmett.” Rafe walked the horse in a semicircle so he could approach the hitching post from the right angle and do a decent job of parallel parking next to the other horse.

After tying the lead rope to the post, he stepped back. “So far, so good.”

Meg settled a patterned blanket over her horse’s back and glanced at Rafe. “Looks like you and Destiny are making friends.”

“I figure he’s just putting up with me.”

“Just think of him like one of those dogs over there.” Moving with calm efficiency, she put a saddle on top of the blanket. “Emmett said he was treated like a pet when he was young, so in some ways he’s more dog than horse.”

“If I’d ever had a dog, I could relate to that analogy.”

“You’ve never had a dog?”

“Nope.”

“You don’t like them?” She leaned to tighten the leather strap running under the horse’s belly.

“I don’t know if I do or not. We didn’t have dogs when I was a kid, so I never got used to having them around. With my work schedule, it makes no sense to have a pet, anyway.”

“I know what you mean about that. I decided not to adopt a dog right now, either, considering the hours I work. I have a fish tank, but it’s not the same. I get my horse and dog fix when I go out to the stables back in Pittsburgh.”

She straightened and pointed to the strap under the horse. “It’s a good idea to tighten it, then wait for the horse to let out some air, then tighten it again.”

“Good to know.”

“Okay, now I’ll tighten it again.” She went back to her task, which gave him a chance to watch her without her being aware.

This morning she’d returned to her cute and wholesome look. Knowing that she could be all sunshine and daisies during the day and transform into a seductress at night fired his blood. He wondered which persona she’d have naked. Probably both.

“Rafe?” Emmett tapped him on the shoulder. “You okay?”

Rafe turned toward him. “I’m fine. Why?”

“I told you a couple of times that I’d brought out your tack, but you were staring into space like you didn’t hear me.”

“Sorry.” He tugged his hat lower and hoped Emmett wouldn’t notice his embarrassment. “Lost in thought, I guess.”

Emmett’s slow smile indicated he knew exactly where Rafe’s mind had been. “Be careful,” he said in a low voice.

“I will.” He knew neither of them were talking about horseback riding. Meg had at least two male protectors, and Rafe wouldn’t be surprised to find more. She’d made friends in the short time she’d been here, and they didn’t want her to get hurt.

Well, neither did he. Wyatt knew that he wasn’t in the habit of treating women poorly, but Emmett couldn’t know that. In any case, Rafe would leave well enough alone when it came to Meg. Yes, she intrigued him, but pursuing that interest wasn’t worth the risk.

“I’ll leave you both to carry on with the program,” Emmett said. “Holler if you need any help, though.”

“Thanks, Emmett,” Meg said. “We should be fine.”

Giving her horse one last pat, she walked over to Destiny. “Let’s get this guy saddled. I’ll let you do it.”

“All right.” Rafe put the blanket on the way she had. Then he made sure the stirrups and the leather belt thing were lying on top of the saddle before he swung it up to Destiny’s broad back.

“Good job. You must have been watching very closely.”

“I was.” Good thing she didn’t know how closely.

“Then cinch it up.”

“With the belt thing?”

“Yes. It’s called a cinch.”

“Good to know.” He managed to knock his hat in the dirt while he dealt with the cinch.

She picked up his hat, dusted it off and hung it on the saddle. “This hat doesn’t have a string to hold it on.”

“No. Sarah mentioned that.” He grappled with the leather cinch while Destiny stomped his front foot. That startled him, but he soldiered on as if he had no thoughts of that hoof crushing his skull like a melon. “Can horses smell fear?”

“Why, are you afraid?”

“No, no. Just wondered.”

“I’m sure they can tell when someone’s afraid of them. Then they try to take advantage.”

“They do?” He managed to get the cinch buckled and stood up again. “Like how?”

“Like not minding you, walking you under a tree branch to scrape you off, things like that.”

“Good thing I’m not afraid of this horse, then.” And by God he wouldn’t be. He didn’t relish the idea of being knocked off by an overhanging branch. “Now we wait for him to let out air, right?”

“Right.” Meg gazed at him. “I’m trying to imagine growing up without animals in the house. We had dogs, cats, gerbils, hamsters, you name it. Was someone in your family allergic?”

“No. We had very expensive furniture and my mother didn’t want it ruined.”

“Ah.” For a brief moment sympathy flashed in her green eyes. Then she glanced away, as if she knew that he wouldn’t appreciate seeing that emotion coming from her.

She was right. He didn’t want her sympathy. “It was more of a hardship for Wyatt than for me. I didn’t really feel deprived.”

“I guess it’s all in what you’re used to.”

“Exactly. So is it time to tighten the cinch on this hay-burner?”

She laughed in surprise. “Hay-burner? Where’d you get that, from some old Western?”

“Probably. It just popped into my head. Hanging out at the old homestead must be affecting my vocabulary.”

“Next thing you know you’ll be saying things like ‘howdy, partner’ and ‘don’t you fret, little lady.’“

“God, I hope not. If you hear me start saying dorky things like that, give me a kick, okay?”

“I will.” She grinned at him. “And I won’t be the only one. Cowboys don’t talk like that in real life.”

“Do they say ‘hay-burner’?”

“They might, among themselves.” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “But if I were you, I’d avoid that one, too. The Chances are proud of their breeding program and their registered Paints. They might be offended.”

“Point taken.” He savored the cinnamon scent that wafted from her skin when she was this close. Her mouth looked delicious, and that’s why he had to move back and forget about it. He put distance between them, but forgetting about her pink mouth wasn’t so easy.

He cleared his throat. “So, is it time to tighten the cinch on this valuable registered Paint?”

“Yes.” Her green eyes sparkled. “But Destiny isn’t valuable to the horse breeding operation anymore, now that he’s no longer—”

“In possession of his family jewels?”

“You noticed?”

“I’m not that observant. Emmett told me. Damned shame.”

“It makes him easier to pair up with other horses. Stallions can get touchy with each other, and a mare like Spilled Milk, if she happened to be in season, couldn’t go on a trail ride with a stallion. Things could get complicated.”

And now he had a visual that was no help in getting his mind off sex. “I hadn’t thought of all that.”

“Fortunately, Emmett and I did. So cinch him up, and we’ll get started.”

“Sure thing.” Rafe was able to pull the cinch a couple of notches tighter, and while he did, he thought about the poor horse’s missing sexual equipment. Rafe, however, wasn’t missing any of his, and whenever he looked at Meg, his animal instincts took over.

He’d been so sure a riding lesson couldn’t possibly become sexual in nature. Less than thirty minutes into the session, it already had.