“Good boy.” Jake fed him a piece of carrot and turned to Beth.
He handed her a bridle. “Go for it.”
She stared down at the leather and metal in her hand, then at Thunder’s big yellow teeth. “I guess you can keep your boots on after all. I don’t remember this part.”
“Hold the bridle like this, and slip it under his chin and up over his eyes like this.”
She tried to concentrate as he demonstrated, but instead she noticed the faint scar that started just below Jake’s ear and ran to his jaw.
“This is a split-ear bridle. It goes around each ear. The bit rests forward in the horse’s mouth.”
He stopped as Thunder’s mouth opened. “See? Thunder’s used to it. He knows what to do even if you don’t.”
“Thank goodness.”
“You ready to try it?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
“Relax. He’s not going to bite you.”
His arms wrapped around her from behind. She could feel every hard muscle, every mountain and valley of his body against hers. His crotch bumped against her backside. She tried not to notice.
Oh, sure.
He helped her guide the bridle into place. “See? Nothing to it,” he said.
Why am I so warm?
She turned and found herself staring at Jake’s full lips. They turned up into a sly grin.
He was so close, so overwhelmingly masculine, and she had a strong desire to get away from him. She stepped back.
“Drop ’em.”
“What?”
“Drop the reins to the ground. Thunder’s a cattle horse. He’s trained to stand still when the reins are dropped to the ground.”
She just couldn’t think around him, and she hated to feel so out of control, so disjointed. “Oh. You want me to drop the reins.”
She did as instructed. Thunder stood as still as a statue in a park.
“Ready to ride?”
She nodded, feeling like she was a kid again. She was at the horse barn at the state fair. Only this time, the horse was hers.
He patted the horse’s neck. “Cowboy up!”
Her cheeks were flushed. Jake suspected it was because he made her nervous and she wasn’t particularly fond of him. But perhaps she was just excited about riding the horse.
She sucked in a deep breath. “I guess this is how Kevin feels. Maybe he’s more like me than I’ve given him credit for.”
“Ah, so you’re a cowgirl at heart?”
“When I was a girl, I wanted a horse more than anything in the world.” She petted Thunder’s neck. “We lived in a tract house, so there wasn’t enough land for a horse. Even if my father had bought one, he couldn’t afford to stable it.”
Jake couldn’t imagine growing up without horses and cattle. He needed wide-open spaces. “Out here, just about every kid grows up with a horse, or dozens of them.”
“This means a lot to me. How can I thank you, Mr. Dixon?”
“By calling me Jake, for heaven’s sake.”
She started to protest, then her jaws shut. “Okay.”
He let out a long, low whistle. “Finally.”
He held Sidewinder’s…er…Thunder’s reins and lightly touched her arm. “Up you go.”
Jake gave her a gentle push on her cute behind. She landed in the saddle and grinned down at him. “It’s pretty high up here.”
“You’ll get used to it.” He handed her the reins, and she took them. She clutched the saddle horn, her knuckles turning white. “Relax, Beth. Take a deep breath and relax. Thunder won’t do anything stupid.”
She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. “But I’m afraid I might.”
“I personally tested him for Wheelchair Rodeo. He’s a good, calm horse. Just relax and enjoy.”
He showed her how to hold the reins. “I’m just going to lead him around the corral until you get used to the motion.”
“Ramon!” He cupped his hands and shouted to a group of cowboys who were watching intently. “As long as you’re just sitting there looking pretty, would you mind saddling Lance for me?”
One of them jumped down from the fence. “You got it, bro.”
Jake continued to walk Thunder around the corral. She noticed that the more they circled, the worse Jake limped. No doubt the loose soil was taking a toll on whatever was wrong with him.
“I’m comfortable now, Jake. I can see you limping. Wait until Ramon brings your horse out.”
“Move forward in the saddle.”
“Huh?”
“Move forward.”
She did, and before she could blink, Jake had swung a leg up behind her and they were both sitting on the saddle. His arms and thighs were tight around her and she felt him snug against her bottom.
She sat up straight and tried to put a breath of air between them, but there was none to be had. She could smell the laundry soap clinging to his shirt and his unique scent, a tantalizing mixture of pine and leather.
He made a clicking sound and moved the reins. Thunder turned and walked, and she felt the animal’s hardness against her, rocking…rocking…
“A couple more times and then we’ll take a slow ride on the Chisholm Trail,” he said.
His voice was low and seductive in her ear. She wanted to lean her head back on his chest and feel the vibration of his deep voice passing through her.
Instead, she struggled to take her mind off him.
She finally found her voice. “I’d like to ride the Chisholm Trail.”
“We also have the Santa Fe Trail and the Dixon Trail and a couple more. They go up in level of difficulty. Guests can only go on the trails I approve them for. The cowboys who work here get a copy of my list each morning, and it’s posted in the bunkhouse. No one can go to the next trail unless I pass them.”
Jake Dixon ran a tight ranch, and against her better judgment she was starting to like him.
But she still wasn’t sure she could trust him with her son.
Chapter Four
R amon led Lance over. Jake steered Thunder to the corral fence and got off using one of the slats. He immediately felt better with the pressure of Beth’s body off his groin. If he had spent any more time snug in the saddle with Beth, he would have embarrassed himself.
Beth was watching his every move. He would have thought that she was interested in him, but he knew better. She was taking his measure, and interested in riding Thunder somewhere other than in a circle around the corral.
“Ready for the Chisholm Trail, city slicker?” he asked.
She grinned. “Round ’em up, move ’em out. Lead the way, cowboy.”
He liked it when she loosened up and joked with him.
“Our Chisholm Trail goes from behind the mess hall to behind the cabins. It ends at your cabin. Then we cross the bridge over the Gold Buckle River and end up right back here.”
She looked toward where he pointed. “Here comes Kevin!”