Horse Play (Horse Play #1) (3 page)

Once my helmet was secure on my head, I mounted Halley and we headed for our favorite trail. My body was a little stiff from my fall, but I knew a nice soak in my tub tonight would help loosen all the tension.

Halley and I walked down a trail beneath a canopy of branches with autumn-colored leaves, letting the early morning breeze waft over us. It was always refreshing to go on a trail ride, and while I went on them often, this was my first time in months with Halley.

Being in the fresh air with my horse calmed me down. It allowed me to think back to my accident and realize that maybe I had reacted immaturely. I was sure Jensen hadn’t meant anything by his comments; he seemed genuinely concerned. Sure, his tone implied a holier-than-thou attitude, but then again, so had mine. Perhaps I’d been a bit too quick to judge.

It didn’t seem like we had gone very far before I had to head back. Halley was starting to favor her foreleg, so I had to get her brushed down and rub some cooling gel onto the area before turning her out for a bit. When we returned to the barn, I took Halley’s bridle off and refastened her halter before removing her saddle and taking everything to put it away.

After washing off the bit, I headed into the locker room, stopping dead in my tracks when I saw Jensen standing with his back to me. Then, I saw a slender hand appear on his arm, running up and down its length. A familiar giggle sounded in the small room, and I chuckled softly. I should have known that Jillian would take notice of the fresh meat.

Jillian Walker was our twenty-four year old instructor. During the winter months, we kept her on staff in the evenings and on weekends, but during the summer, she upped her lesson load substantially since most of her students were out of school. It was no secret that she liked to have a good time; she was always telling stories about her many suitors, and she told them without the slightest hint of regret to her tone.

Twirling a lock of her chestnut-colored hair around her finger, she smiled up at Jensen with her perfect teeth. She was a very beautiful girl with her big doe eyes, shiny long hair, and athletic body.

Jensen quickly snapped his head around, looking flustered because I had clearly just caught them flirting. “No need to worry. We don’t care if you feel the need to fraternize. Just keep it professional when on the job, and should it not work out … well, don’t let it affect your work.” I tried to keep the experience on the subject from my voice, but I wondered if a little of it had maybe slipped out. If so, I chose to ignore it.

Without a word to me, Jill turned and headed toward the viewing gallery with a little extra bounce in her step. She opened the door to the indoor arena and disappeared from sight.

Rolling my eyes, I pushed past Jensen as he stood there, stunned, and stopped in the far corner where my locker was. Lifting the saddle over my head, I tried to slide it onto its mount, but unfortunately, at five-foot-five I was too short, and the stepladder had gone missing a few weeks ago. I grunted and stood on my tip-toes, but I was still unsuccessful. Suddenly, two warm hands brushed mine, and I could feel the heat of a body directly behind me as I gripped the pommel of the saddle and tried not to pass out from the bizarre fog that instantly filled my head.

I was acting like a swoony little schoolgirl at the scent of his cologne, and it should have bothered me.

“Allow me,” Jensen crooned, the warmth of his breath dancing across the exposed skin of my neck. My skin prickled all over my body. Apparently my brain hadn’t passed the memo along to the rest of me yet that I had sworn off men, because I was instantly overcome with the need to do very,
very
bad things to him. A lot.

Once the saddle was secure on its rack, I quickly ducked out from under his arm. “Uh, thanks. I should, um … get back to Hails,” I stammered as I backed out of the locker room, leaving Jensen there staring at what I could only assume was a cloud of dust shaped like my retreating form.

When I reached my mare’s side, I rested my forehead on her neck and took several deep breaths to calm my nerves. I couldn’t understand it, but when his hands touched mine, a tiny current of electricity had passed through us. I could only wonder if he felt it, too.

“Halley, huh?” Jensen said from behind me, shocking me once more.

I turned around abruptly, causing Halley to throw her head up in fright. “Wh-what?” I stammered.

Jensen stepped closer to me, his deep blue eyes locked on mine. His eyelashes were thick and dark, accentuating the color of his eyes. I was sure women were envious of them. I kind of was.

When he lifted his arm, I watched nervously as it got closer to me, and then passed me to run over Halley’s face. Now that it was right in front of me, I was able to see the tattoos on his arm a little better. The colors were vibrant and the designs exquisite in the way they all tied together to tell a story I was suddenly curious to learn more about.

Halley exhaled heavily through her nostrils, and I turned to look at her. Her eyes lulled shut as he stroked the white streak and chuckled. She trusted him within seconds, and I knew she was generally a pretty good judge of character …

If only he hadn’t been such a jerk earlier.

“Like the comet. Clever.”

“I tend to be, yes,” I quipped, turning away from him so I could groom Halley and go about my day.

“So, is there anything I should know before I officially start tomorrow?” he asked, still petting Halley’s face as her breathing deepened.

I laughed. The sound echoed through the barn, startling the barn cats that were sleeping peacefully in a vacant stall. “No, I think you pretty much know everything, now don’t you?”

“Touché,” he replied with a chuckle. “Well, I’m just going to walk the grounds and learn where everything is at so I can properly navigate with little to no instructions needed.” Jensen headed for the doorway before turning back. “I look forward to working with you, Madi.”

My knees threatened to buckle as the low vibrato of his voice moved through me. Instead of answering, because I couldn’t trust my own voice to remain steady, I raised my hand without turning to him and waved it dismissively so I could finish up Halley’s grooming. Once she was cleaned up, I knelt down next to her and rubbed her ointment on her leg before wrapping it with bandages and putting her in her paddock.

Once she was happy and feeding, I headed to the viewing gallery to check on Jill’s lesson. Everything seemed to be running smoothly as four girls ranging from ages six to ten, rode around the arena at a steady trot, coming down the middle over the trotting poles that Jill had spaced out. It made me nostalgic for when I used to teach before I decided I wanted to compete and help my dad rescue and rehabilitate. After waving at Jillian, I headed outside just as Tom pulled into the yard. He was backing the truck up so he could unload the feed, and when he stepped out of the truck, Jensen came jogging over with a smile on his face.

“Hey, there. You must be Tom. I’m Jensen, the new ranch hand.”

While the two of them got acquainted, I decided to help Jill out. “Um, I’m going to go grab the next round of lesson horses for Jill, and then get Starla ready for today’s session,” I explained. “Meet you in the outdoor arena in about an hour, Tom?” Tom nodded once before opening the tailgate and slinging a bag of feed over his shoulder, and I walked in the opposite direction.

I checked the schedule and grabbed the two horses that Jill would need for her lesson. On my way to the barn, I found my dad in the outdoor ring, setting up a small course for my session.

“Madi,” Dad greeted as he set the final oxer in place. “I figured since you were so gung-ho to jump, maybe you and Starla would like to try a course.”

Annoyed, I glared at him as I slipped between the fence rails. “Dad, I told you it was an accident. I feel bad enough.”

He laughed and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, tucking me into his side. “Aw, Madi, I’m only teasing.”

I heard the crunch of gravel heading our way and saw Tom making his way toward the arena. “Why don’t you go and get Starla ready and we can get started a little early.”

Confused, my eyebrows pulled together.

Tom smiled. “That new ranch hand of yours has quite the initiative. He was quick to offer to put the feed away.”

Hearing this made me reevaluate Jensen’s earlier attitude again. Perhaps I’d been a little too defensive given how my last relationship ended. I was even more certain now that he probably hadn’t meant to sound as judgmental as he did. Maybe I should have given him the benefit of the doubt. After all, he wasn’t Dane Hall. Just because my ex was a complete and utter waste of space didn’t mean that all men were. Jensen seemed genuinely concerned when I fell off Halley, and he’d been nothing but helpful when I got back from my ride.

I owed him a huge apology, and I planned to make it up to him the next time I saw him.

Hoping to find him in the barn, I headed there. I didn’t see him on my way to grab Starla’s halter and lead, and I didn’t see him on my way out to her paddock. My apology would have to wait unless he found me while I was tacking her up.

He didn’t.

As soon as she was ready, I grabbed my helmet and led Starla to the arena.

“Glad to see you remembered a helmet, Madi,” Tom teased as I hopped into the saddle.

“Har har,” I dead-panned as I started Starla’s warm-up.

During the entire session, Starla was a dream. She was still young, and this was her first time completing a course, but her gaits were smooth, her transitions seamless, and her warm-up jumps perfect. She refused a couple of the oxers the first few times, but she eventually grew comfortable with them, and after a couple of awkward deer-hops over them, she sailed like a pro.

Tom instructed me on my course order, and Starla took the first three low rails like a champ. However, when we rounded the corner and headed to the low brush fence, I caught a glimpse of Jensen carrying a bale of hay right past the arena fence. I didn’t miss the way his muscles tensed beneath the weight of the bale, and I may have even sighed, or moaned, or something equally as wistful. Whatever the sound was, it could only mean trouble.

Apparently, Jensen had this pull over me because before I knew it Starla veered right, and I went left, landing on my left side with a solid thud.

I looked up, silently cursing my luck today, and saw Jensen drop the bale he was carrying and hop the fence, beating Tom by a few paces. “Damn, Madi. Today’s just not your day, huh?” He reached out to help me up, but I denied his help, slapping his hand away, and pushed myself to my feet. My pride was hurt, and I was trying to rebuild it by denying anyone’s help.

“Apparently,” I practically sneered.

“Are you all right, Madi?” Tom asked as he held my face and checked my eyes.

I nodded, pushing his hands away. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

Tom checked his watch and then looked over at Starla who had stopped near the abandoned bale of hay and stretched her head through the fence to feed on it. “What do you say we call it? I think Starla’s had enough. Go comb her down, we’ll have lunch and prep for our afternoon session with Ransom.”

“Okay, but if I fall off again, I quit,” I half-joked through clenched teeth as I sucked in a painful breath. I brushed the dirt off my jeans and headed over to where Starla was currently stuffing her face. As I grabbed the reins and coaxed Starla’s head away from the hay, it didn’t escape my notice that Jensen was right behind me. He opened the gate for me, and I nodded my thanks.

“Um, don’t forget to take the rest of that bale into the barn,” I instructed, not even taking a beat to look at him. I didn’t mean for it to sound rude, but I was embarrassed about falling in front of him twice in one day. I must have looked like an amateur, and not someone who’d been riding for her entire life. My apology could wait until I’d had a chance to stitch my pride back together.

“Yes, ma’am.”

After tethering Starla, I removed her saddle and set it aside. I brushed her down and gave her a small bucket of grain before turning her out to her usual paddock. I cleaned up my mess in the barn and put the saddle away before heading to my dad’s place for lunch.

Having lunch with Dad, Tom, and Jill gave us a chance to discuss what was going on with the ranch and map out the rest of our day. We were all so busy at any given hour that this one hour was crucial to running our business.

The entire way over to Dad’s, I thought about Jensen. Horrible thoughts. Then remorse and regret set in. Soon, everything quickly turned into confusing and dirty thoughts when I remembered the strain of his biceps as he carried that bale of hay earlier and the warmth of his hands over mine.

I tried to shake it off when warmth spread beneath my skin, a dull tingle working its way down my body. It was probably a good thing I had an hour to regroup before I had to see him again.

“Dad? I’m here!” I announced as I untied my boots and left them next to everyone else’s.

“In the kitchen, sweetheart,” he replied.

As I made my way down the narrow hall, I could smell something being cooked. This confused me because I always prepared lunch. When I turned the corner, I stopped as soon as I spotted Jensen standing over the stove.

So much for that hour …

Chapter 3. Been There, Done That