River's End (River's End Series, #1)(21)

She avoided going close to the barn, where she knew she wasn’t welcome. She learned to spend most of her time down towards the river. She was, however, still an outsider like she’d never been in her life before. The air was so fresh and invigorating, she felt different being there. Healthier and more aware of her surroundings.

But the horses intrigued her. She watched Jack with them all afternoon. Chance came in at one point, but didn’t speak to her. She sighed.

Putting her tennis shoes on, she went out to report to Jack that her brother was back. She assumed Jack wanted to know when he came back in order to fire him. She dreaded leaving the ranch. She had no idea where she’d go next; but knew she had no choice. Jack was leading a horse around in a circle. She walked closer and paused along the fence. He stopped and glanced at her.

“Need something?”

“Chance is back. I thought you’d want to know.”

He nodded and looked her over. “I don’t think Joey’s ready to fire him yet.”

“And you’re willing to let that be?”

Jack shrugged. “Not my call right now.”

She looked down at her shoes. Why now? When she wanted to write Jack off as an unfeeling asshole, why was he then so not like that? Giving his little brother so much leeway, on a ranch that was clearly Jack’s, surprised her. Most men like Jack would not put their egos aside.

Erin looked up when Jack started moving again and watched for several moments. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. “What are you doing?”

He didn’t look up at her as he turned the horse. “This filly is only two years old. She hasn’t worn a saddle very much, so I’m introducing it to her. Each day a little more, and a little longer, until eventually, she’ll be riding me around.”

“The training takes infinite patience, doesn’t it?”

“Sometimes,” he said, stopping the horse. He walked closer to where she stood. “Surprised you haven’t gotten Joe to take you on a ride.”

She stepped back. “I can’t ride. I’ve never even touched a horse before.”

He jerked his head with a startled expression. “How can that be?”

She grinned. “I didn’t have one stored in the local parking garage. This is as close as I’ve ever been to one.”

He regarded her. “Go into the barn.”

“The barn? I thought I wasn’t allowed in there.”

He frowned. “Who told you that?”

“No one. I just thought, since, well… I just thought I shouldn’t.”

“Let me put this filly away. Then I’ll show you a horse.”

After walking the horse through a gate, he turned and headed into the barn. She went in through the front door. Her stride was unsure. It felt strange to be stepping into a place she’d spent so much time watching strictly from the outside. It was cooler in there, and it smelled, but not unpleasantly. It smelled earthy. Several horses peered at her over their stall doors. The stomping of hooves and thrashing of the beasts filled the silence. Jack came from the other end of the barn and shut the door behind him. He put the leather strips in his hand onto pegs nailed into the barn’s walls. Finally, he looked at her and she shuffled her feet, feeling awkward.

“Are you afraid of them?”

“Not afraid… exactly. Maybe just intimidated,” she said with a small smile of self-deprecation. “They’re awfully big.”

“They are. Being aware of their size is always something you should remember. Know where your body is when compared to theirs. They startle easily, and their first natural reaction is to run. So they can be jumpy, and having a nearly half-ton animal getting startled near you is something to respect. I always respect that and I’ve worked with them continuously since I was boy.”

“Have you ever been hurt?”

He turned and tugged his gloves off before walking over to a workbench and tossing them down. “Probably more than I should admit. But not from touching them. From doing things I know better than to do with them.”

She eyed him. “Like how hurt?”

He grinned and she stepped back. God. He was so different looking when he smiled. His eyes changed, and his whole face lost that usually sour, grumpy exterior. His smile took years off his age. “Like a few broken bones, some sprains and bruises.”

She gulped. “Broken bones?”

He shook his head and chuckled when he noticed her reaction. “Don’t worry; nothing like that will happen to you. Come here.”

She stepped towards where he indicated. The stalls lined both walls of the barn and each had a door with wood on the lower halves and metal bars on top. That allowed the horses to stick their noses through the openings. Their breaths filled the barn with warm humidity. She was short, standing next to Jack, and came only to below his shoulders. Her throat constricted at being so close to him. He wore blue jeans, as all the men on the ranch did, with his brown, worn cowboy boots, and a button-up, flannel shirt. Looking up, she noticed the faint shadow of red hair along his chin. He couldn’t grow a thick beard. His black cowboy hat covered his red hair. She felt like she just stepped into a western historical novel. Who knew men like Jack Rydell existed nowadays? It was so odd. Yet, he looked so right there, in the barn, and in command of all the horses around them.