The Rebel Rancher by Donna Alward

Author:Donna Alward [Alward, Donna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary
ISBN: 9781459230453
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2012-05-31T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

SHE FOUND TY in the corridor with a gorgeous chestnut cross-tied. Ty hefted a saddle over the horse’s back, swinging it as if it weighed nothing, centering it on the blanket and adjusting the position just a little. He wore his black cowboy hat and a brown jacket with a heavy collar. He was the very picture of a rugged cowboy, and for a moment Clara caught her breath. He was so strong and capable—far more than he gave himself credit for.

She finally found her tongue and stepped forward. “Is this Herb?”

Ty looked up, his face pressed against the horse’s smooth hide as he tightened the cinch. “Of course not. This here is Rattler. Seven years old and too smart for his own good. A little too much horse for a greenhorn.” He flashed her a quick smile. “No, that’s Herb.” He pointed his thumb towards another stall where a horse waited, tacked and ready to ride.

“Of course he is,” Clara said, immediately understanding, and she let out a laugh on a delighted breath. His bones were too sound to be called a nag. But the dappled gray had a low-maintenance look. His wide eyes had a knowing look to them, his forelock hung shaggily down the center of his nose, and she smiled widely at the sight of one back hoof resting jauntily on its edge on the floor as if to say, “Whenever you’re ready. Take your time.” All in all he looked like a Herb—not a Conqueror at all!

“Can you lead him out?”

Clara reached over the stall door and rubbed Herb’s nose. Sure she could do this. She stepped inside and grabbed the reins. “Come on, Herb.”

His hooves made slow clopping sounds on the concrete—Herb wasn’t one to hurry—and then they were outside, standing on the hard gravel while Ty followed with the high-stepping Rattler. Clara looked up into Herb’s brown eyes. He looked trustworthy. Surely riding a horse was like riding a bike, right? Determined to take the initiative, she put her foot in the stirrup, grabbed hold of the saddle horn and none too gracefully hauled herself up, swinging her leg over the saddle before plopping down heavily in the seat. Herb looked around as if to say, “Hey, take it easy back there!”

She could hear Ty’s light laughter behind her. “That’s the spirit,” he said, and moved closer to adjust her stirrups. She looked at Rattler, who had stopped his prancing and was standing quietly even without Ty’s hands on the leather. Ty held his gloves in his teeth as his sure fingers adjusted the buckles until her boot was cushioned in the stirrup. When he was done, he slipped the gloves back on his hands, took Rattler’s reins and then slipped into the saddle with the balletic grace of a dancer.

“Warm enough?”

She nodded, and then as an afterthought pulled the knitted hat down over her ears. It was a thick, mismatched hat and the green color clashed with the red of her coat, and she knew that she must look comical next to Ty’s cowboy perfection.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.