Roxann Delaney - The Truth About Plain Jane

“Kittens,” she said, holding up a tiny ball of slightly damp fur against one flushed cheek. “Carrie will love these.”

He nodded. “Too bad they won’t be big enough for her to take one home.”

Meg answered with a knowing smile and turned back to return the kitten. She slowly got to her feet and faced him, brushing off clinging bits of straw. “I hope the barn isn’t off-limits.”

Jeans, he thought, running his gaze quickly over the bottom half of her legs. But that’s all he could see. The long top covered everything from just above her knees on up. Below that, he could only guess at what was suggested.

“Is it?” she asked.

“What?” He looked into her emerald eyes and felt like a mule had kicked him in the chest. It took him a moment to regain his equilibrium, and he forced himself to look away before he lost what little control he had left. Stepping back from the stall, he stuffed his hands in his pockets, hoping to look unaffected.

“Is the barn off-limits?” she asked. “I’d like to show Carrie the kittens after our riding lesson.”

“No,” he replied with a shake of his head. “I mean, it’s okay. Just make sure she’s careful around Pedro, there.” He inclined his head towards the horse that had moved away to the far corner. “I’m surprised you’re in the stall with him.”

Sudden realization and fear sparkled in her eyes. “Is he dangerous?”

“He’s fairly gentle. I reckon he didn’t sense any fear in you.”

“I-I wasn’t paying attention. I didn’t even notice him. I heard the kittens mewing and I—” Her cheeks were pale as she pressed against the side of the stall and eased along it, keeping her attention on the horse. “Maybe I’d better— I guess it’s about time for the lesson to start. I’d better get Carrie so we won’t be late.”

He opened the gate and held it for her. Unfortunately, he got a whiff of her as she passed. Soft, sweet, gentle as a summer evening, her scent drew him in. Managing to keep his feet planted, he could only nod in answer.

“I’ll see you around, I guess,” she said, squaring her shoulders and turning to leave.

Trey suddenly remembered that he would be teaching the class, not Ellie. He cleared his throat and found his voice. “I’ll be teaching the riding today.”

She came to a stop halfway to the wide double doors and looked back at him, her features troubled. “I thought you said somebody named Ellie would be teaching it.”

“Yeah, well…” He shrugged. Hoping she’d change her mind about going ahead with the class, he waited.

Indecision danced around her well-covered body. “Well, I can’t let Carrie down,” she said, more to herself than to him. With a shrug of her own, she hurried from the barn.

Damn. Looked like he didn’t have a choice. He’d be teaching her how to ride. She didn’t seem to have any sense about how to act around horses, but he crossed his fingers and hoped she’d get the hang of riding quickly. He wasn’t sure how much time he dared spend around her. And if he was smart, he’d stop encouraging her. The only way he could do that was not to talk to her unless absolutely necessary. Damn his bad luck.

Trey stood near the doors of the stable, his hat pulled low, blocking the morning sun that bathed his tanned face. “Come on in the barn and I’ll show y’all how to dress out a horse.”

Joining the other four guests as they followed Trey into the barn for their riding lesson, Meg bit her lip to keep her nervous giggle at bay. Would the animals be wearing career clothes? After all, this was their job. Or would they be dressed in casual wear?

Inside the barn, Meg stood, fascinated, as she watched Trey instruct them on the fine art of saddling a horse. His expert and graceful movements held her attention as he slowly went through each and every step of readying a horse for riding. His strong hands were long-fingered, tanned and callused, but gentle in their movements. When Meg realized she was wondering what those hands would feel like caressing her body, she put the brakes on her wayward thoughts. Oh, no, she wasn’t going to let herself be taken in. This cowboy was a ranch hand, and although he might be useful to her, there would be nothing more. Besides, he was probably like all the other men she had met. He might look gentle, but more than likely it was pure deception.

“Okay,” Trey said, bringing Meg out of her reverie. “I’ll assign y’all each a horse, and then I want to see you do it. I’ll give you a hand if you need help.”

Meg shuddered, her nerves giving way to pure terror. If Trey hadn’t found her in the stall earlier with the kittens, she wondered how she would’ve gotten out. Growing up in Gary, Indiana, hadn’t lent itself to riding horses. She barely knew the front end from the back end. Now she was going to have to climb on one.

Meg felt a small hand slip into hers, and she looked down to see Carrie.

“I don’t think I can lift the saddle,” the little girl said, her voice wobbling.

Before Meg could think of something to say to reassure her, Trey joined them and bent down to Carrie’s eye level. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. Nobody expects you to. Soon as I help Miss Chastain, I’ll get you all ready to ride.” He straightened and looked directly at Meg.

She hated to admit that the thought of saddling a horse had her scared witless. “Just show me the horse,” she announced, hoping her voice wasn’t as shaky as her knees were.

Sliding her a strange look, Trey shrugged. “Sure you can lift that saddle?”

She flashed him what she hoped was a confident smile. “I’m much stronger than I look. Go ahead and help Carrie. I’ll let you know if I need help.”

With a nod, he pointed to a nearby stall. “See that palomino? He’s yours.”

Her breath caught at the sight of the beautiful horse, and she hoped that she wouldn’t be afraid of such a gorgeous animal. “Does he have a name?”

“Moonlight. And he’s gentle, so don’t let him spook you if he starts moving around.”

With her knees feeling like rubber, she took the few steps and reached the stall. Easing into it, where the palomino stood waiting, she kept her voice low and much calmer than she felt. “Hey, Moonlight, I’m Meg. And aren’t you a beauty?” Her hand trembled as she tentatively reached up to comb her fingers through his mane. Taking a deep breath, she stepped back. “I’m going to saddle you now,” she warned.

She lifted the saddle from the top of the half-wall between stalls, and the weight of it nearly buckled her knees, forcing her to lean against the stall to stay upright. But she was determined to do this herself.

The horse, as beautiful as he was, wouldn’t cooperate. Each time Meg hefted the saddle higher, he sidestepped. She cursed him under her breath, determined that one way or another she was going to get it done. Gripping the leather and taking a fortifying breath, she tried once more. The horse backed away, his ears pressed flat to his head, and he snorted. Meg jumped back at the unusual sound, lost her balance, and the weight of the saddle brought her to the ground with an oomph of air. Tears of frustration burned her eyes.

“Problems?”

She jerked her head around at the sound of Trey’s voice and looked up to find him watching her. She sniffed at the tears and shrugged. “Maybe I’m not as strong as I thought I was.”

He opened the gate and walked in, his attention on the saddle holding her to the straw-covered floor. “You okay?” he asked as he lifted the saddle off her.

She scrambled to her feet, dusting off her backside and picking off bits of clinging straw. “I’m fine,” she answered, stepping back to give him plenty of room in the stall. Except for my dignity.