River Road (River's End Series, #4) (4 page)

He nodded and didn’t say anything for long moment. Then he sneaked a glimpse at her and looked quickly away. “For real?”

“Totally. I doubt I’ve ever been this close to a horse before.”

He leaned over and grabbed the leather strap of the horse he’d been talking to, easily petting her nose as he briefly glanced at Kate and then away again. “Where you from then?”

“Seattle. Born and raised.”

“Yeah? Never been there. Never been over the Cascades, actually. But Mrs. Rydell, she’s from there, born and raised too, I believe.”

Erin was a city girl too? The one she saw yelling? The one who was all controlled around horses? Go cowgirl. How did she end up here? More importantly, why? Kate could not fathom what would make any girl stay on at a place like this.

And AJ here, never venturing to the west side of the state? Where more than three fourths the population lived? That was odd, unimaginable. Crazy. The thought made Kate shiver as she imagined being trapped here.

Hearing the raised voices of the crowd entering the arena, she saw Erin following right behind them. Kate’s gaze fastened on her. She was a small woman. Both in size and presence. Tiny boned, even her face seemed pixie-ish. Her hair fell to her waist in a rope-like braid. Beautiful. She smiled easily as she started with the first horse and rider. AJ left the corner where they were talking and went over to help. Erin began by taking an inventory of who’d ridden horses before and their history. Kate wondered how many of them lied. It was an elaborate process, but the two worked in tandem to make it appear seamless and streamlined.

Kate would have been a mess of straps and animal gear. The two easily lined the horses up once the rider was mounted. Most of the horses danced around a little bit, taking a step forward or back, but nothing erratic or unnerving. Kate’s palms sweated as she began thinking about herself doing that. Erin got on a horse, which she rode in front of the group, and gave a ten-minute demonstration of the riding basics and how their horses were trained. She was, in a word, masterful. And in complete command. She made it seem effortless, in fact. Then, taking the lead, she started out of the open gate of the arena while AJ worked to get the rest of the horses in a single file, relatively nose to butt, following each other. Amazingly to Kate was how the horses did just that, obediently following Erin out of the arena, towards the driveway and up across a pasture. Kate approached the gate where AJ stood, watching them go.

“She’s good.”

“She took to it like a natural.”

“You mean, she didn’t grow up with them?”

“No. She was terrified of them at first.”

“Why did she come here then?”

“Just… life.” He fidgeted, moving around anxiously before he started to back up. He couldn’t easily talk. Apparently, no gossiping for him either. She sighed. So far, her reconnaissance mission had yielded zero, nada; nothing of real value, that is.

“Look, if you have other work to do, I can wait until they come back and go with… Erin, isn’t it? Anyway, I’m on vay-cay, so I can do whatever, whenever. No hurry or schedule to meet.”

“Jack asked me to do this now, and I’d rather not change the plans.”

“Right.”

AJ disappeared and came back, leading a horse. He swiftly tied a magical knot, and off he went again, returning with another. Kate stood back, waiting. He didn’t fill the silent gaps with any conversation. Yeah, not the best horseback riding coach. No wonder that was Erin’s domain. She easily talked and smiled and jabbered to all thirteen guests the entire time. AJ could saddle the horses in minutes flat. He’d saddled eight horses already that morning. She was exhausted just watching him, but he didn’t act as if it were any different than her wandering to the coffee bar for a snack.

AJ’s gaze rarely acknowledged her. Yet, it wasn’t in a cold or disinterested way. It wasn’t rude either. It was more like he suffered from unsureness. He didn’t seem at all comfortable around her. He was quiet. There was no doubt about that. But watching his shoulders flex and move, and his giant, broad back lifting and bending soon had her insides contracting with lust and want. She could use his tongue for lots more than talking.

Finally, he patted the gray horse.
It was a girl
, Kate thought, as he finally acknowledged Kate still standing there. “So, they’re all ready to go.”

She walked forward, and his gaze dropped to her feet, then shot back up, frowning. “Uh, ma’am?”

“What?”

“You sure? About those shoes?”

She kicked a heel up. “About these? Hell, yeah. They are cute as hell, am I right?” His eyebrow arched. He was one serious guy, she’d give him that. She sighed. “I was kidding. I know what you meant. I don’t have anything close to cowboy boots.”

“Most people don’t. Just sneakers will do.”

Sneakers? She had a pair of special order Nikes that she used entirely for running. As if she’d wear those works of art out here where manure bits were mixed into the sand. “It’s these or flip-flops.”

“Okay. Just be careful. Don’t need a twisted ankle. The roads ain’t too good for walking in those things.”

Those things?
She cringed. They were three-hundred-and-fifty-dollar boots. And those things weren’t at all appreciated here. In fact, he seemed to visibly disdain them. As if. She stood nearer the horse now, staring up at it. Even though she was tall, she still had a good distance to look up.

He was close, holding the horse’s head. He had flat, wide, kind of fat hands, actually, for how muscular and broad the rest of his body was. She liked his hands. They seemed… She didn’t know, but they seemed capable of gentleness and caring. Something about the way he stroked the horse’s neck appealed to her. Kate was thinking of him stroking her in some way. But it wasn’t all a sexual response. It was more like intrigue. “What is that thing?”

“What?”

“The thing on the horse’s head?”

“Bridle.”

“Bridle, right. So you got a good hold?”

“Yup. Grab the saddlehorn, put your foot inside the stirrup, and pull up.”

She did so, hauling herself up before settling on the saddle. He nodded as he walked closer and took her ankle in his hand. He gently pulled it from the stirrup and began working on the leather and metal fastener. “What are those?”

He was just below her. When he looked up, she could see his eyes under the hat. “Adjusting the stirrups. You’re a lot taller than the last lady that rode this one.”

“Probably more than most riders.”

“Probably the tallest woman ever, to be honest.”

He finally tucked her foot back inside the stirrup and didn’t notice her scowling. Charm wasn’t his forte, and she could vouch for that. He adjusted the other stirrup and told her to stand up on them before he asked her how it felt. As far as she knew, it was fine. Never mind that she feared she was flying up in the air. He came closer and gave her a quick tutorial. He showed her how to pull ever so gently on the reins, where to place her heels and the commands she needed to use. “Don’t worry; you’ll be following my horse. We only bring out the most laidback, older, well-trained, and trail-ready horses for the guests. So don’t expect too much excitement.”

“What does that make your horse?” Her eyes tracked him as he swung up with such ease and agility, it surprised her, given his linebacker bulk and muscles. His stirrups were already adjusted. “Mine? It’s not like any of those.” He eyed hers. “Mine’s a lead horse.”

“Is it your personal horse?”

He shook his head. “No. They all belong to the Rydells. Ready?”

She nodded.

AJ made soft, clicking sound and swung his horse around. It was a magnificent mahogany color with a black mane and tail. It pricked up its ears at the sound and began a little shuffling dance. AJ pulled back on the reins. “Whoa, easy, girl. Easy.” He had a light touch with the reins. The rest of his body didn’t even move.

Her horse simply started walking. Kate didn’t have to click her tongue, or push into the horse’s flanks or move her hands. She grabbed the knob that AJ referred to as a saddlehorn and let out a small exclamation, scrambling to accustom herself to the back and forth rocking of the horse’s gait.

He glanced back. “All good back there?”

“Fine.” Maybe that was an exaggeration, but at least she was staying on. The horses leisurely walked across the road, starting up a gentle incline that criss-crossed back and forth. The horses’ hooves clattered over the rocks and bits of wood and branches. The trail was very narrow, weaving through the sagebrush until they reached the top of the hill where it flattened out to meander through the pine trees. They were red-barked, and the morning sun gleamed over their straight, dark green needles. It was so peaceful, and lovely, really. She relaxed her grip on the horn, holding only on to the reins. Her whole body started to undulate with the slight swaying and repetition of the horse’s calm, sure steps. She let out a long breath. Wow. It was strangely peaceful, almost nice.

AJ wasn’t much for words out there either. She watched his straight back swaying easily with the horse’s movement. He mostly rode one-handed. This was a
job
to him, she got that. The trees opened up and they started down again, now that the mountains were visible once more. The white peaks of the Cascades were miles off, capping the uneven stacks of ragged mountains.

After a good fifteen minutes, AJ merely glanced back to check on her, and she asked, “So, are you from around here?”

“No.”

She rolled her eyes at his back, sticking her tongue out at him. “Then… where are you from?” She was trying to guide him into normal, conversational rapport.

“Uh, nowhere, really. Dad toured in the rodeo, so we traveled a lot.”

“How’d you end up here?”

“Followed the work.”

“How long have you been working for the Rydells?”

“Just about four years.”

She sighed, sucking on her lower lip. The guy wouldn’t give a fricking inch. What good was he if she couldn’t get anything out of him? He had no curiosity about her whatsoever, which was a little offensive. She usually let a guy know if she were interested in him with her strong signals, which most men usually picked up on. They flirted and conversed with her in exchange. Had she ever been so overtly denied such a response? She wasn’t exactly sure that AJ was denying her. Perhaps he had nothing to say, and no real interest in conversing. Maybe he was that dull. Maybe he was uninterested in anything but his own life and ranching?

She let her attempt at conversation die a natural death. Zoning out, her eyes ate up the scenery. Crossing a ridge with a sloping hill below them, she admired the gentle roll and sway of the land where the river bisected the valley. She took in a deep breath of the warm air. Okay, for country, rural-hick-hell, it had some pretty spots in it. Watching the horizon, she jerked when her horse suddenly jumped, shook, and took off with a little leap. Without thought, or any understanding of what was going on, she was on the horse one moment, and the next, she was eating the ground. The world spun and swirled in colors all around her. Landing flat on her face, the air was rudely expelled from her chest and she lay there, stunned. What happened?

Her brain started to make sense of it. She’d fallen. She was off her horse. And flat on her stomach. Hands touched her back. “Ma’am? Are you all right? Can you move?”

She lifted her head off the ground. Dust coated her lips and filled her mouth. She spat several times and motioned toward her chest. She was suffocating, and hurting. Shit! Was she choking? What was that horrible sensation?

His gaze followed her hands. “The wind was just knocked out of your lungs. Give it a second. You’ll be okay.”

She gasped in a hitched breath and finally got up on all fours so she could try and breathe. Then she sat back on her heels. AJ squatted next to her. His hand remained on the center of her back. The warmth of his handprint radiated all over her skin. There was a tenderness in his soft rubs. Just liked he cared for the horse. She kept her face pointed down, trying to regulate her breathing, so she could continue more easily. Finally, the urge to gasp and the feeling of being strangled started to dissipate. Her breathing returned, and she tilted her head to the side. AJ Reed, in all his muscular bulk, was kneeling next to her with his hand still resting on her back. “Do you even know my name?”

His gaze shifted from the top of her back, where he’d been watching her, to her face. “What?”

“It just occurred to me, you keep calling me
ma’am
because you have no idea what my name is.”

His lips twitched. “That’s what most concerns you right now? Are you okay?”

“I’m going to live. Now, do you?”

“Um,” he muttered and his gaze skittered away from her. “I’m sorry, Jocelyn didn’t write it down and I couldn’t remember. I didn’t want to be rude. They usually take down the names for the ride.”

Her eyebrows arched up. “Kate. My name is Kate Morgan. You could have asked me. And no more with the horrible
ma’ams
. It makes me feel like I need a shawl so I can sit on a rocking chair on the front porch of my cabin.”

“Okay, Ms. Morgan.”

She rolled her eyes. “Kate. Just call me Kate.”