Wild About the Wrangler (12 page)

“What do I do, first?” Tension laced her words.

“Breathe.”

“Ha-ha.”

“No, I mean it.” He set the mug down next to her lunchbox on the hay bale. “Take a nice deep breath and blow it out slowly.”

She stopped in the middle of the aisle and followed his instructions.

“Good. Any better?”

“Some.”

“Then do it again.” He took the lead rope out of the tack room while she pulled in another deep breath and let it out. Then he walked up next to her. “Okay, now?”

She glanced at him. “If I say
not quite
you'll know I'm stalling, so I won't say it. I'm fine. Or as fine as I'll be until I jump this next hurdle.”

“Then take this lead rope, go into the stall, and clip it to his halter.”

She took the rope. “You make it sound so easy.”

“It is easy. He likes you. He'll be thrilled that you want to take him out of the stall and groom him.”

“Thrilled, huh?” She paused in front of the stall and Jasper stuck his head over, as always. “Hey, Jasper.” She stroked his nose. “Want to take a short walk with me?”

He bobbed his head.

Mac observed that with interest. “Funny I never noticed how consistently he does that. I must not ask him questions.”

“Because you already know all the answers.”

“Don't I wish. Need any help opening the door?”

“No. I watched you.” But she hesitated. “What if he starts to come out before I have the lead rope clipped on?”

“He shouldn't, but just say
back
, and he'll back up.”

She squared her shoulders and opened the door. Jasper, bless him, stayed right where he was. Her movements were tentative, but she stepped into the stall and hooked the lead rope to his halter. “Now what?”

“Just turn around and start out of the stall. He'll come right along with you.”

When she faced him again, anxiety shone in her eyes. “Will he step on me?”

“No. But I'll walk along beside you so you can gauge the pace.”

“Thanks.” She was quivering a little, but she did exactly as he'd directed her and soon they were headed down the aisle. Jasper did what he'd been trained to do, walking steadily along beside her.

“You're doing great. When we get outside the barn, let's walk him around a little so you can get used to the feel. Turn left, turn right, maybe take him around in a circle.”

“All right.”

“I'll step over by the fence and give you room to maneuver.”

She glanced at him in panic.

“You'll be fine. Jasper's crazy about you.” He wondered if she'd ever catch on that he was projecting his feelings onto the horse. Jasper liked her, but he liked everybody unless they were mean to him. Mac's feelings, on the other hand, were quite specific to her and they were growing stronger with every minute.

He leaned against the fence and watched her with pride and an emotion he dared not identify. He'd always thought she was adorable and a very talented artist. But because of this project he was learning things about her he wouldn't have known otherwise, personality traits that made her more appealing than ever.

At the age of six she'd been intrepid. If her mother hadn't forbidden her to ride, she'd be an accomplished horsewoman like Georgie. She wouldn't have needed him to teach her anything. He shouldn't be glad that she'd suffered that trauma at a young age. But guilty though it made him feel, he was.

T
he grooming went faster than the day before, but the saddling and bridling went slower because Mac made her do it pretty much by herself. Thank goodness she still hadn't been required to stick her thumb inside Jasper's mouth. The day would come, Mac assured her. She hoped by then Jasper would seem like a lap dog and she'd have the courage to do it.

Mac decided to use a mounting block for her to climb on Jasper. Then he had her climb back down again, to make sure she could do it by herself using the block. After the fiasco yesterday she was relieved that he'd chosen that method.

The less time they spent touching each other, the better. She avoided looking at his mouth just as she had all through dinner the night before. But she couldn't very well avoid looking at him. He was her teacher, after all, her broad-shouldered, narrow-hipped, bodacious teacher.

“Let's have you mount and dismount a few more times,” Mac said. “Maybe if you practice that you'll feel like trying it without the mounting block, although I grant you Jasper is a tall horse.”

“He is, but that's good. I need to conquer the fear of being up high, and he's helping me do that.” She climbed on again, using the block, sat in the saddle for a moment getting the feel of being up there, and dismounted again.

Mac propped his hip against the hitching post and folded his arms as he watched her. “I just thought of something we're missing. If we're going out into the corral this morning, you need a hat.”

She laughed. “Where's Travis when you need him?”

For some odd reason Mac looked annoyed. “We don't need Travis. I can round you up a hat.” He pulled out his phone. “Let me see if Ed has one we can borrow. I'll bet he does.”

Interesting. If she didn't know better, she'd think Mac was jealous of the relationship she had with Travis. That was illogical on many levels. She and Mac had decided they wouldn't become involved, for one thing, so jealousy shouldn't even be on the table. Yet it seemed to be there.

Mac had to recognize that she wasn't attracted to Travis. Nothing about their interaction was sexually charged, whereas she was pretty sure people had guessed there was chemistry between her and Mac. Like Ida, they were waiting to see if anything would come of it.

She continued to practice her mounting and dismounting while he talked to Ed.

“Ed's bringing down a couple of hats Vivian doesn't wear much. She'll happily loan you one.”

“That's nice of her.” She mounted for at least the fifth time. She was losing count. She wondered if Jasper was as bored as she was. “I should probably buy one if I'm going to become a rider.”

“Wouldn't hurt.”

She sat there judging the distance to the ground. The more she'd fooled with the mounting block, the less she liked it. There wouldn't be one waiting for her in the canyon.

She might not have to get off and back on again during the wedding, but if she wasn't good at it she'd be trapped on Jasper the whole time. “Would you please move the block? I want to see if I can get down without it.”

“Sure.” He moved it well out of the way. “Have at it.”

She'd mastered the trick of getting her right foot out and her leg over the cantle in one smooth motion. Putting her weight on her hands, she slipped the left foot free and began sliding down.

“You've almost got it.”

“How far?”

“About six inches.”

“That's far enough.” She hopped down, spun around, and lifted her hands in the air. “Nailed the landing.”

“Yeah, you did.” His gaze had taken on that melted-chocolate look that turned her insides to mush.

He liked her a lot, and they were only two days into this. Over the weekend they'd have more hours together. They were probably fooling themselves that they could keep things strictly platonic.

Ed showed up with the hats, one brown and one black. In order to put them on, she had to take her hair out of its ponytail. She didn't have a mirror, either. Both hats fit, so she had to rely on Mac and Ed to tell her which one was better.

Ed refused to choose one over the other. “They both make you look prettier than a picture,” he said. “You can't go wrong with either one.”

“The brown,” Mac said without hesitation.

“How come?”

“It goes the best with your eyes.”

Oh, Mac.
She wondered if he had any idea how Ed would interpret that statement.

Not surprisingly, Ed gave her a knowing smile. “There you go. The brown it is. Vivian said to keep it as long as you need to. It was in the closet gathering dust. I can testify to that because I'm the one who brushed it off before I walked down here.”

Anastasia settled the hat on her head. “Thank you, and please thank Vivian for me. I'll buy my own hat soon and then I'll return it.”

“I probably shouldn't say until I check with her, but my guess is she'll give it to you if you want it. Our daughter doesn't wear such hats and Vivian really doesn't use either of these. I bought her one with a special hatband studded with turquoise, and she wears that one.”

“I'm sure she does.” She'd always thought Ed and Vivian made a sweet couple and the hat story only confirmed that they were still devoted after many years of marriage.

“Okay, then.” Ed tucked the black hat under his arm. “I'll leave you two to carry on.” He gave them one last glance before heading back to the house.

That last look convinced her that he knew something was going on between her and Mac. He might have even seen them kissing. But pointing that out to Mac wouldn't be particularly helpful.

“You look great in that hat.” His admiration was obvious. Even if Ed hadn't witnessed the kiss, he would have noticed Mac's behavior this morning. “I don't think I've ever seen you wear one.”

“I wasn't a cowgirl. I didn't ride. It seemed like an affectation to me, so I didn't consider it.”

“Not even to keep the sun out of your eyes?”

“Nope. I've used shades.”

“I guess that's right. You had a really wild pair you wore this summer. I'd forgotten about those.” He gazed at her. “And you can't wear a pony tail with that hat.”

“Nope.” No doubt about it. The hair down and the hat on had put him in some kind of a trance. If she stepped into his arms right now he'd kiss her again.

And then he'd be upset, because he was attracted but reluctant. He could still be worried about Georgie's reaction, although Anastasia suspected it might be something besides that. But now wasn't the time to quiz him, with Jasper saddled and ready to go. She had the hat and she'd learned to dismount by herself. Time to ride.

“Let's see if I can climb on without the mounting block.”

That seemed to snap him out of it. “I'd like you to be able to do that.”

“Then here goes.” She grabbed the saddle horn with her left hand. Holding the stirrup with her right, she stood on tiptoe and managed to get her left foot securely in place. After that it was easy. She was on in nothing flat.

“Good.” He put a hand on Jasper's shoulder and glanced up at her. “You look like a pro up there.”

“It's the power of a hat. I saw what it did for Ryan Nesbitt yesterday. Apparently it's working the same magic for me.”

“Could be.” He looped the reins over Jasper's neck and handed them to her. “I'll lead you into the corral. How much do you know about neck reining?”

“Assume I know nothing.”

“All right.” But he kept looking at her with that light in his eyes. “I can't get over the difference the hat makes.”

“It's an illusion, Mac. I'm no different.” But he wasn't totally wrong. The hat did have a subtle psychological effect. With it on, she fit the profile of a competent rider.

The hat wasn't new, but it had been subtly shaped by a woman who could ride rings around Anastasia. Vivian had been a barrel racer when she was younger. She could probably do a credible job of running those barrels even now.

Compared to Vivian, the owner of the hat, Anastasia was a fraud. Now she had a third goal to add to her list. She'd started out wanting to see the Ghost in person. Yesterday she'd tacked on participating in her sister's horseback wedding. Her third goal had just been revealed. She wanted to become worthy of this hat.

The man who would help her achieve that had paused to open the gate to the corral, which was round instead of square. He had to let go of Jasper's bridle in order to pull the gate back so they could all enter. Yesterday she would have freaked out to be on a horse with nobody in charge but her.

Today, thanks to Mac's coaching, she didn't freak out. Well, maybe she was freaking out a little bit. Her heart was beating fast and her mouth felt dry. She was about to attempt something she'd been afraid to do for twenty years of her life.

Jasper stood quietly, ears swiveling back toward her. “I'm a little bit scared, Jasper,” she murmured. “Will you take it easy for me?”

Jasper bobbed his head as he did every time she asked him a question. She realized now it was a trick someone had taught him, but it calmed her, all the same. Her hands had tightened on the reins, and she consciously loosened her grip. Easy does it.

Mac came back from closing the gate. First he gave her a quick lesson in neck reining, explaining that laying the reins on the horse's neck guided him away from that direction and moved him toward the opposite one. She tried to focus on what he was saying while her stomach churned.

“But you won't need to do much of that as you circle the corral,” Mac said. “Once you start along the perimeter, Jasper will keep to the rail. He's done it a thousand times.”

“Can we just walk around at first?”

“Absolutely. Walking is perfect.”

Her throat felt as if she'd swallowed barbed wire. “What if he starts going faster?”

“He won't unless you ask him to. Let's stick with a walk for now.”

“Which way am I going, clockwise or counterclockwise?” Her pulse raced.

“Either. He's used to both directions. You can go one direction and then reverse if you feel like it.”

She wouldn't feel like it. Going round and round would be challenge enough. “I'll go clockwise, then.”

“Okay. Reins in your left hand. That's it. Nudge him with your heels.”

She gave Jasper a tentative tap with the heels of her boots.

“A little harder. And click your tongue.”

When she did that, Jasper began to move. Her chest tightened and she grabbed for the saddle horn. But the pace was slow enough that she let go immediately, feeling a little silly for that instinctive reaction.

“Breathe,” Mac called after her.

Oh. No wonder she was feeling a little dizzy. She was barely doing that, as if breathing would upset her balance. The saddle creaked as Jasper plodded along, his hoofs landing with rhythmic thuds on the soft ground of the corral.

If she fell off, it wouldn't be so bad this time. At this speed she wouldn't go sailing into the air, and no rocks or bushes were in her way. Gradually she realized that she'd have to work at falling off.

Her booted feet were tucked into the stirrups and getting them out wasn't all that easy. She'd struggled with that a couple of times while practicing her dismount. Instead of sliding around the horse's broad back the way she had as a kid, she was sitting on a saddle that cradled her backside. If things got really dicey, she could grab the saddle horn.

Slowly she began to relax. Jasper moved without any input from her. She was inside a corral, and Mac was in there with her, leaning against the fence, arms crossed. When he realized she was looking at him, he gave her a thumbs-up.

She circled the corral twice and nothing happened. “Is this what it's like out on the trail?” she called out to Mac.

“Pretty much. There are stretches where you can go faster, but trail riding is supposed to be leisurely, not a race to the finish line. I guarantee the wedding party won't be galloping out there with everybody all gussied up.”

“Georgie said I'll be wearing a dress with a split skirt. That sounds complicated.”

“You'll be ready when the time comes.”

That was exactly what she needed to hear, and he had an uncanny ability to know that. “Will you be riding behind me?”

“I don't know, but you'll be with someone who's experienced, whether it's me or Georgie. Come to think of it, you may ride out with Georgie.”

She decided she'd be okay with that. “Will I be on Jasper?”

“That's my plan and I can't imagine anybody objecting.”

“Then I think I can do this, Mac. It's not so hard.”

“Well, no, but there's a difference between riding in a circle in the corral and going along a trail with a horse in front and a horse behind.”

“Of course there is. The second one sounds like a lot more fun.”

He greeted that with a soft laugh. “Getting bored?”

His amusement sent a delicious shiver up her spine, and his words carried a subtle challenge. He wanted her to show some spunk. His reaction to the mug told her he liked that quality in her.

So did she, as a matter of fact. When her professor had told the class not to let fear get in the way of art, she'd known then that creativity and courage went together like peanut butter and jelly. Yet she'd allowed herself to be afraid of things. Horses, for one thing. Romantic entanglements, for another.

Some artists recommended good sex for inspiration. She'd never experienced inspiring sex, but she thought Mac would be capable of providing it. She'd have to give this some more thought, but for now, going round and round at a walk was getting old. “What's the next speed?”

“A trot. It's a little bouncy. Takes some getting used to.”

“Is there a chance we'll do that one on the trail?”