She blinked at him. “Excuse me?”
“Don’t move. Stay exactly where you are. Elias?”
“On it, boss.” The teen slipped between the rails of the corral and started walking in a wide circle.
“It’s going to be all right,” Shane said, never taking his eyes from her.
Annabelle realized this wasn’t some strange game, that there really was a problem. Her body went cold as she imagined a large snake approaching. One with big fangs and poisonous venom designed to kill in six painful seconds. Or maybe she was being stalked by something worse, although right now she couldn’t imagine what could fit that description.
“A bear?” she asked hopefully. Being mauled seemed better than anything to do with a snake. “Is it a bear?”
“A horse.”
“What?”
She turned and saw the large white stallion they’d talked about the day before. Apparently he’d let himself out of his enclosure and was now trotting toward her.
He was beautiful—like something out of the movies. His mane and tail shimmered, muscles rippled and his hooves were a shiny black. Dark eyes locked with hers as he headed directly for her.
He had the most gentle expression, she thought, her nervousness fading away. Almost as if he were trying to reassure her.
She put her hand on her chest, just below her throat. “You scared me. I thought it was a snake. While I hate to be one of the crowd, I share the typical female fear of snakes.” She turned toward the horse. “Hey, big guy. You’re beautiful. I assumed I would be afraid of horses because you’re so big, but you’re sweet, aren’t you?”
“Annabelle, stay calm.” Shane’s voice was insistent, almost fearful.
“Okay,” she said. “I can do that.”
“Move back slowly.”
From the corner of her eye she saw Elias approaching with a rope. The teen was bent over at the waist, practically running. Overreact much, she thought, as Khatar reached her.
“Hey, baby,” she murmured, reaching up and stroking the huge animal’s face. “Who’s a handsome boy?”
Khatar shuffled closer and placed his face near to hers. She smiled at him and breathed in the scent of horse. It wasn’t as overwhelming as she would have thought. She patted his neck.
“You’re very strong,” she told him. “Do all the girls say that? I’ll bet you’re very popular with the lady horses.”
He put his head on her shoulder and leaned into her. The action nearly sent her to her knees, but she managed to stay standing. She wrapped both arms around him and would have sworn he sighed.
“What’s the matter?” she asked, stepping back and rubbing his cheek again. “Are you lonely? Does mean old Shane ignore you?”
She glanced over her shoulder and saw both men staring at her. Elias’s eyes were wide, his mouth hanging open. Shane looked surprised, but slightly less comical.
“What?” she asked.
“Stay calm,” Elias told her, sounding oddly desperate.
“I am calm. What is with you two?” She glanced around, half expecting to see a marauding snake or twelve.
Shane and the teen exchanged a whispered few words, then Elias began to circle the stallion. Khatar, still nuzzling her, casually kicked out a back hoof. Elias jumped back.
“Annabelle, please step back.”
Shane sounded stern. She did as he asked. Khatar followed. She rubbed his shoulder.
“Will I be riding him?” she asked.
“No!” The two men spoke as one.
“Okay, okay.” She returned her attention to Khatar. “Are you valuable? Is that the problem? You’re pretty enough to be worth a ton. Although I suppose handsome is a better word, right? Who’s a handsome boy?”
Elias and Shane had another whispered conversation.
“Annabelle, we’re going to put a halter on Khatar,” Shane said in that slightly annoying, reasonable voice.
“Want me to do it?” she asked. “He seems to like me.”
“No. I want you to slowly step away, while I get between you and him.”
She took the horse’s big head in both her hands and lightly kissed the hair above his nose. “You be good for Shane, you hear me?”
His eyes flickered and his gaze shifted to the cowboy. Then his ears went back.
She didn’t know much about horses, but that didn’t seem like a good sign.
“Why don’t I stay close,” she offered. “That way he’ll be calm.”
“She’s not crazy, boss,” Elias said. “Look at him.”
She’s not crazy. Wow—maybe she could get that made into a bumper sticker for her car. Talk about a way to step up her game in the romance department. Men would be flocking.
Shane hesitated for a second, then nodded. “Be careful,” he told her. “Watch out for his hooves. He’s likely to kick.”
“How do you know that? Has he kicked you?”
“No, but—”
She folded her arms across her chest. “Has this horse done even one mean thing since you got him?”
“No, but—”
Annabelle exhaled. “Why do you think he’s a problem?”
“I don’t. He’s a great horse. Okay? Happy now?”
Shane moved in. Khatar stiffened slightly. Annabelle rubbed his neck.
“It’s okay, big guy. He’s not going to hurt you and I’m right here.”
Khatar relaxed and Shane slipped on the halter. She grabbed the rope hanging down.
“Now I have you in my power,” she joked. Khatar took a step toward her. She glanced at Shane. “I guess I can take him wherever you want him.”
The two men both looked stunned. Again. Shane pointed to the corral where Khatar had been kept before. She led the way, stroking his neck as they walked, his head right beside hers. When they reached the enclosure, she walked him in, closed the gate and then unfastened the rope.
“Home again,” she said with a smile.
Khatar sighed. Or maybe snorted. She couldn’t tell.
Shane secured the latch on the gate. “Annabelle, slowly move to the railings.”
She glanced at him. “Seriously, you don’t need to talk in that ‘let’s keep the crazy horse calm’ voice. He’s fine. Too bad I can’t ride him.”
“You can’t,” Shane told her. “Now please come out of the corral.”She did as asked. Khatar followed her to the fence, then stared at her, looking lost and a little stricken.
“I think he’s lonely,” she said. “Can’t you pay attention to him more?”
Elias walked up. “Ma’am, that horse is a killer.”
“He’s not a killer,” Shane said quickly. “He’s difficult. Or has a reputation for being difficult.”
“You didn’t find out for yourself?” she asked. “You just assumed?” Annabelle looked at the forlorn expression on Khatar’s sad face. “Maybe you should do a little more checking.”
“I’ll get right on that,” Shane told her.
* * *
THE WORLD LOOKED DIFFERENT from the back of a horse, Annabelle thought thirty minutes later. She was perched on Mason, her friend Charlie’s large horse, hanging on to the saddle with both hands. Although she’d read a couple of books on riding, none of that information had prepared her for how far away she was from the ground.
“I don’t think I can do this,” she said desperately.
The horse stood perfectly still, which was a good thing. If he took even a single step, she was pretty sure she was going to start screaming.
“Just relax,” Shane told her. He held on to Mason’s bridle and patted the horse’s shoulder. “Get used to how it feels.”
It felt too high and way too scary, she thought frantically. A hundred or so yards away, Khatar ran back and forth, keeping close to the fence line as he called out to her.
“If you’re telling me to be careful, I’m so listening,” she murmured, knowing the horse couldn’t hear her. Riding while a horse danced? What had she been thinking? “Maybe I’ll try a car wash instead. That would raise money, right? I can wash cars.”
Shane flashed her a grin. “Come on, Annabelle. I was riding a horse before I could ride a bike. It’s not that bad.”
“I’m too small.” Her short legs were sticking out so much they were practically parallel to the ground. “Does he even know I’m on his back? What if he thinks I’m a bug and decides to shake me off?”
“Mason’s a good horse. You’ll be fine. Now take the reins.”
She shook her head. That would mean letting go, which was so not going to happen.
“Use your left hand,” he instructed. “You can still hang on with your right.”
“I don’t want to,” she whined, but then slowly, carefully, picked up the reins. The thick leather was worn and softer than she would have thought. She still kept a firm hold on the massive saddle, but felt slightly more horsewoman-like, perched there and actually holding reins.
“Now think about him moving forward and gently kick him.”
“What?”
“You want him to move, right?”
“Not really.”
She was up to sitting on a horse while the horse stood still. Everything else seemed a little too risky. She reminded herself this was for a good cause. But kicking?
“I don’t want to hurt him.” Or piss him off. At this point, as far as she was concerned, the horse was seriously in control of the situation.
“Then don’t,” Shane told her. “Like I said. Be gentle.”
She sucked in a breath and lightly touched her heels to his side.
Nothing happened.
She did it again. This time Mason turned and stared at her, as if asking if that was her or just a leaf.
“It was me,” she informed the horse. She wiggled in her seat, urging him forward. “Walk.”
He took a lurching step.
Actually it probably wasn’t lurching, it just felt lurching to her. The entire world seemed to jerk slightly as he walked. She screamed, dropped the reins and grabbed onto the saddle with both hands.
She heard something that sounded suspiciously like a laugh but was hanging on too hard to look in Shane’s direction.
“You’re not helping,” she yelled.
“You’re doing fine.”
“This is not fine. This is flirting with death.”
“Relax. Move with him instead of against him. You’re fighting movement you can’t control.”
Not information designed to make her feel better. She sucked in a breath and tried to relax. As her muscles unclenched, she realized the movement wasn’t as lurching as she’d first thought. She was staying in the saddle and didn’t feel that she was in danger of slipping off. While she kept a tight grip on the saddle with her right hand, she once again picked up the reins with her left.
“Good,” Shane said, his mouth twitching suspiciously. “Just like that.”
“Are you mocking me?”
“Only a little.”
Thirty minutes later, Annabelle had figured out the walking thing and had even been slapped around during a very bone-crunching trot. She’d managed to let go of the saddle and hang on to the reins like a real rider.
“Not bad,” Shane said as she drew Mason to a stop.
“Thanks,” she said, bending over and patting the horse’s neck.
“I was talking to him.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Very funny. So how do I get down?”
She’d used wooden steps to get up to horse level, but wasn’t sure she was comfortable dropping onto them. If Mason wasn’t in exactly the right position, she could easily fall off the stairs and snap a bone or something.
“Swing your leg over and drop to the ground,” Shane said, moving in to hold on to the horse’s bridle. “I’ll keep him still.”
She looked all the way down to the ground, then shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“You can’t stay up there forever,” he pointed out. “You’ll be fine.”
“Do you know how short I am? It’s farther for me than most people.”
“By a couple of inches.”
Inches could be significant. As a man, he should know that. Still, his point about not staying up in the saddle for the rest of her life was a good one. So she followed his instructions on how to position her hands and then swung her right leg over Mason’s wide and very high back. Holding on to the saddle, she reached down and down and finally felt the solid earth with her toe. She released and sank back. Only to find herself unable to stand.
Annabelle’s arms went up and out as she staggered, her legs too wobbly to support her. It was as if the muscles had suddenly become al dente pasta.
Just before she hit the ground, strong arms came around her and saved her.
She found herself pressed up against Shane, staring into dark eyes that were bright with humor. This close, he looked even better. She liked the firmness of his jaw and the shape of his mouth. She was aware of his hands—one on her waist and one resting at the small of her back. Her body nestled against his and there was heat everywhere.
“Your muscles take a minute to recover after riding,” he murmured. “I probably should have warned you.”
She felt the first serious zing of attraction ricochet through her. It left her weaker than being on horseback riding ever could and alerted her to fifty kinds of danger.
Apparently Shane should have warned her about a lot more than riding.