Chapter Two #2
He nodded to himself. That was it. Tomorrow morning, he’d have her follow him through the field. He liked checking the soil before they tilled the land, then he would walk ahead of the planters, feeling the rhythm of the land. She wouldn’t be expecting that.
After a few hours, he pushed his chair back, stood, and went into the kitchen area.
He snagged his hat from the peg, slipped it on, and opened the back door.
A cool breeze carried the scent of rain as he jogged down the steps, past the scatter of bare lilac bushes in the yard, and into the barn.
The warm, sweet tang of hay dust danced in the late morning light slanting through high windows.
In the corner by the corn planter, Cull and Ryan stood close, talking. She wore dark jeans and a red T-shirt covered by a flannel shirt. He strode across the spill of straw to them.
“Ms. Carroll?” His voice echoed off the rafters.
She turned, her smoky tone soft but firm. “Mr. Harrison.” The syllables rolled off her tongue like silk. Seth felt a twinge in his chest.
“Tomorrow morning, eight sharp,” he said, planting his feet in the strewn straw. “You’ll come out to the field with me.”
Her blue eyes lifted, unflinching. “Alright.”
He looked over at Cull. “Get her a pair of muck boots, please.”
“I have boots, Mr. Harrison,” she offered, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Just like you told me. Why muck boots?”
“I already told you it’s too muddy for regular boots,” he replied, his voice taut.
“Are you telling me I’m going to be walking in mud?”
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you,” he said, tone steely. “I’ll see you here at eight. For now, you can ask Cull any questions you have. I have to work with a horse today.” He pivoted and strolled along the aisle toward the door.
“Seth.” Cull’s voice stopped him in his tracks. He turned to see his manager and friend walking toward him. He folded his arms when he reached him.
“You’re making her trudge through mud?” Cull asked, brow raised.
“Why not?” Seth shrugged. “Think she’s too delicate?”
Cull shook his head slowly, surprise flickering across his features. “No, but you never bring anyone else out on foot.”
“It’s the best way for her to see how it works. Ash said she needed before, during and after photos,” Seth replied.
“What’s your problem with her?” Cull frowned.
Seth tugged his hat down, annoyed. “My problem is, I don’t have time for this shit. If Ash hadn’t asked me to do this, it wouldn’t happen. I have enough on my plate and don’t need to babysit a high-society woman who expects all men to bow down to her.”
“I don’t expect any man to bow down to me, Mr. Harrison. Especially you. I am here to do my job, and I will, whether you like it or not.” Ryan turned and walked further into the barn.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning. At eight sharp.” She said over her shoulder as she disappeared into the darkness.
“Son of a bitch,” Seth muttered, watching until she disappeared.
Cull shook his head with a laugh. “Looks like you’ve got your hands full.”
“Yeah, fuck you, Byrne,” Seth shot back, but the tight edge of his scowl cracked into a grin when Cull’s laughter echoed through the barn.
Wednesday morning light filtered through the barn’s weathered slats as Seth stepped inside the sweet, dusty smell of hay and leather greeting him.
He found Cull bent over a saddle stand while Ryan Carroll, her dark hair tied back in a ponytail, checked her watch with a tense flick of her wrist. Seth caught the glance she threw at him; pained impatience mixed with curiosity.
He suppressed a grin. Five minutes late… on purpose.
“Cull, could you saddle a horse for Ms. Carroll, please?” Seth called.
Cull glanced up. “Sure thing.” He turned toward a gentle mare nickering in her stall.
Ryan crossed her arms. “I am not getting on a horse.”
“Yes, you are,” Seth replied, voice low. “If you don’t ride, you can’t reach the pasture. And if you can’t get there, you’ll have to call your boss and explain to him why you can’t take photos.”
She lifted a brow. “Her. My boss is a woman. That probably rubs you the wrong way, like I do. Cull showed me the field in the UTV. Why do I have to get on a horse?”
“The men drove the corn planter up to the field to have it ready. They took the UTVs because they’ll go to work from there.
There isn’t one available,” Seth said, stepping forward, hands on hips, the straw on the floor crunching beneath him.
“This is a working farm and ranch. You ride, or you call your boss. I haven’t got time to argue. ”
Ryan closed the distance until they were only inches apart, her boots pressing into the straw on the floor. “I’ve never been on a horse in my life.”
Seth turned toward the stalls. “I’ll put you on the gentlest one we’ve got.”
She clenched her jaw. “I’m afraid of them.”
With a curt nod, Seth entered a paddock and led out his own mount, Zephyr, a calm, chocolate palomino gelding.
He looped the lead rope around a sturdy rail and disappeared into the tack room.
A moment later, he emerged with a saddle blanket, saddle, bridle and reins.
He laid the blanket across Zephyr’s broad back, cinched the saddle, and clipped on the bridle.
Every snap and buckle sounded loud in the still air.
Cull was halfway through saddling the mare, his nimble fingers brushing dust from the cinch. Ryan watched, pale-knuckled, her gaze fixed on the trembling of the mare’s flank. Seth shook his head. Too bad. Ride or leave.
He led Zephyr to where she stood. If looks could kill, he would have dropped to the floor.
“Left foot in the stirrup,” Cull instructed, voice soft over the horse’s gentle nickers. “Grab the saddle horn, pull yourself up, then swing your right leg over the cantle.”
“The what?”
“Cantle,” he said as he touched the back of the saddle.
Ryan bounced on her toes, fingers gripping the saddle horn, but she didn’t have enough momentum to get her leg over the saddle.
Seth sighed, passed the reins to Cull, then moved behind her.
On her next bounce, he slipped a hand against her ass and gave a firm shove.
She landed atop the saddle with a startled yelp and shot him a glare that could have sparked a fire.
“There was no need for that, Mr. Harrison.”
He tightened the cinch strap near her boots. “If we waited for you to haul yourself up, we’d still be here at noon. Now hold still while I set your stirrups.”
“Such kindness,” she murmured, heavy with sarcasm.
He adjusted the stirrups until her feet rested just so.
“Don’t press your feet into them. It’ll tire your legs and hurt the horse’s back.
Relax. She’ll follow behind me. Use your knees to guide her; squeeze gently on both sides to go straight.
Nudge with your knee while gently pulling the rein on the side you want to turn. Got it?”
Ryan’s shoulders stiffened. “Not really, but I’ll try.”
“Here,” he said as he handed her leather work gloves.
“I don’t need those.”
“Yes, you do. They’re for shielding hands from rope burns and prevent cuts from handling equipment.
They’ll also protect against cold, wind, sun, and rain, which can make hands slippery or uncomfortable.
The gloves can provide a better grip on the reins, allowing for more precise control of a horse.
They prevent the formation of blisters and calluses that can occur from repeated friction with reins or ropes.
” He stared at her. “You will wear them.”
“Yes, sir,” Ryan snapped as she saluted him.
Seth shook his head and swung up into his own saddle. “You’ll need a hat, too. Cull, could you grab her one of the felt ones?”
Cull ducked back into the tack room and returned with a black Stetson hat. He handed it to Ryan, who perched it on her head just so, eyes still dark with challenge.
“Let’s go.” Seth nudged his horse and looked behind him to see her following him.
He knew he was being an ass, but if he didn’t keep it up, he’d do his best to get her into his bed and that would only lead to trouble.
For the simple reason, she lived in California, and he lived in Montana.
He’d never had a long-distance relationship, and he wasn’t about to start now.
Whoa! This shouldn’t even be on his mind.
She didn’t like him too much and he’d never done anything to make her feel different.
Right before they reached the gate, he reined to a stop and turned in the saddle to see how she was doing and almost burst out laughing. She looked a little green around the gills.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said.
“We only have a little way to go. We’ll rest when we get there.”
She didn’t say anything, just nodded. Seth nudged the horse. After another ten minutes, they reached one of the fields he planted in for Ash. He stopped the horse, dismounted, then walked to her.
“Do you need help getting down?”
“Yes, please.”
“Okay. Take your right foot out of the stirrup, swing it over the back of the horse, keeping your left foot in the stirrup to steady you, then step down. I’m right here.”
“Thank you.” She did as he said, and he placed his hands on her waist to help her. When her feet touched the ground, she plopped down on her butt.
“Would you like some water?”
“I would.”
Seth walked to his horse, opened a saddlebag, took out a bottled water, twisted the cap off, then handed it to her. She put it to her lips and drank. When she moved to get up, Seth put his hand out to her. After a slight hesitation, she put her hand in his and he pulled her to her feet.
“I don’t want to get on that horse again.”
Seth grinned. “You have to get back to the barn.”
“I’d rather walk,” she snapped as she placed her hands on her hips.
Seth looked away, then back to her, trying not to grin.
“You can do that, but you rode for almost twenty minutes, so you’d have a little over a mile to walk back.”
“I walk more than that a day doing my job.”