Betsy Amant: Rodeo Sweetheart

No kidding. Sam worked to keep her smile natural as she boosted the woman into the saddle, glad Vickie was at least wearing jeans and riding boots, even if they did look so new she’d surely have a blister by the end of the ride. Angie made a point of stating on the ranch’s Web site to bring comfortable, worn-in clothing for riding, but ninety percent of their guests ignored the suggestion and were usually miserable by the end of the week. Sam had never understood the fashion-over-function mindset.

Beside her, Cole shook back his dark hair in frustration as if he’d noticed the same thing. “Greenhorns,” he mumbled as he handed the reins to another tourist.

“Can I get a leg up, too?”

Sam ignored Ethan’s taunting call from two horses away, focusing on adjusting the stirrup length for Vickie instead. He was apparently determined to get to her again today, and Sam was just as determined not to let him.

“You know, since I’m not a real cowboy.” His teasing continued.

Sam moved to work on the second stirrup, keeping her eyes averted from Ethan’s position beside Miss Priss. Ignore him, ignore him. Cole could help him mount. Not that Ethan actually needed help mounting, he just wanted to rub in Sam’s face her verbal mistake from last night.

“Please, Samantha?”

Sam dropped the stirrup abruptly, jostling Vickie’s leg, and glared across the fence at Ethan. “You know, I thought they said mules were stubborn. Not—”

Angie bumped into Sam as she appeared next to her, effectively cutting off Sam’s sentence. “Lovely day, isn’t it, Mrs. Ames? Hot, but beautiful. That’s Texas for you.” Angie finished adjusting the stirrup and shot Sam a warning look. “Go help him,” she whispered. She smiled back up at Mrs. Ames. “I love that blouse.”

Sam rubbed her face with both hands before slowly walking to Ethan’s side, leaving her mother and Vickie chatting about clothing labels in her wake. She hated that her mother had arrived to hear her comment. God, I’m losing it. Please cool my temper. I don’t know why this guy gets to me so badly. Sam sucked in a fresh breath of air and forced a smile at Ethan. “Need a leg up, you said?”

“Nah, I got it now.” He swung into the saddle and reached down to adjust his heel in the stirrup.

Sam fought to keep the shock off her face and nodded stiffly. “Fine.” She knew he’d been faking asking for assistance. Sam felt Ethan’s eyes on her back as she quickly moved to finish saddling Diego, and stifled a groan. This was going to be the world’s longest trail ride.

Would this trail ride never end? Ethan shifted in the saddle and his thigh muscles screamed in discomfort. How did Sam do it? She rode like she’d been born in a saddle, leading their small group through the shaded woods, pausing occasionally to gesture to a particular grouping of trees or a historical marker. Her back stayed straight, her hips relaxed, moving like she and that red horse were one being.

He and Miss Priss, however, were getting along more like a bull and a rodeo clown. He nudged her forward, she stopped. He pulled on the reins, she picked up her pace. He said “whoa,” she tossed her head and insisted on moving forward.

Apparently real horses were nothing like that carousel his mother made him ride as a boy in Central Park—a fact Vickie must be realizing herself right about now. Ethan twisted around to catch a glimpse of his mom aboard Piper, one hand clutching the reins, the other in a white-knuckled grip on the saddle horn as the paint horse ambled along. At least Jeffrey had stayed at the cabin, determining that “appearances” could only be taken so far. No telling what Daniel had found to occupy his time. For all Ethan knew, the two could be plotting together a new scheme for making money. Jeffrey had always preferred Daniel’s input on such concepts to Ethan’s.

“We’ll stop at the clearing ahead for a snack and to stretch our legs.” Sam’s voice rang from the front of the line, and Ethan could barely contain his relief.

As soon as the horses came to a stop in a flowered field, he slipped from the saddle, hoping Sam didn’t notice the way his knees almost buckled when his shoes hit the grass. After the way he’d teased her earlier, he more than deserved any return insults.

There was also something intriguing about the fact that she hadn’t shown any interest in Daniel. Usually women sensed him and his cousin’s money a mile away. A cash radar, Daniel joked. He never seemed to mind, but Ethan wanted more. Was it possible he’d finally found someone oblivious to their financial charms?

Ethan pressed his hands into his lower back and stretched as the other riders were doing, then bent down and tried to touch his toes. Pain shot through his hamstrings, and he quickly straightened.

“Having trouble?” Sam appeared beside him, cheeks flushed with the summer heat, a water bottle dripping with condensation in one hand. She offered it to him.

He took the water with a tight smile and twisted off the cap. “Not at all.” His right thigh suddenly cramped as if insisting otherwise. But he couldn’t let Sam see his weakness, not after all the grief he’d given her. Apparently running on the treadmill required different muscles than horseback riding. He shifted uncomfortably.

“Good for you. So you’ll have no trouble making it back? A lot of first time riders get pretty sore their first day on the trail.” She took off her cowboy hat and shook her hair off her forehead. The feminine motion almost made Ethan forget her question.

He downed a quick sip of water to clear his head. “It’ll be a piece of cake.” More like a piece of prickly cactus.

Sam opened her mouth, probably to question his statement, but was interrupted by Vickie’s yelp. Ethan turned to see his mother hanging half off Piper’s saddle, one foot stretched toward the ground, the other stuck in the stirrup. Her dangling leg was at least a foot from the ground. “Help! He won’t let me off!”

Her panicked cry flattened Piper’s ears and the horse snorted in distress. Sam rushed to Vickie’s side seconds ahead of Ethan, and grabbed Piper’s reins. “Easy, boy.” Her low tone perked Piper’s ears, and he stopped the anxious shuffling of his legs.

Ethan helped support his mom’s weight while Sam worked Vickie’s boot free of the stirrup. Once her feet were on solid ground, she released a relieved sigh. “He started moving while I was getting down. I tried to get back on, but couldn’t get enough momentum. He’s so big!”

Sam’s mouth twitched. Even Ethan could see Piper was several inches shorter than most of the other horses in the group. He patted his mother’s arm. “You’re safe now, don’t worry.”

“Do you want me to call the ranch to have someone pick you up?” Sam held Piper’s reins, and the horse blew on her shoulder. She didn’t even flinch as his flabby lips worked against her hair. How did she know those giant horse teeth wouldn’t sink into her neck?

Vickie brushed the front of her stiff jeans. “I’ll be fine. Walking around a little will help.”

“It’s good to keep moving,” Sam agreed. “There are water bottles and packages of crackers in my saddle bag. Please help yourself.”

Vickie thanked her and headed in that direction, while Sam briefly closed her eyes and exhaled.

Ethan quirked an eyebrow. “Something wrong?”

“I warned her not to make any sudden or loud noises.” Sam patted Piper’s hairy cheek. “He’s skittish about that. She really could have gotten hurt.”

Ethan remembered all the times growing up where his mother’s voice had startled him, as well, and he reached out to rub Piper’s ear. “Hey, I can relate.” He smiled at Sam.

The edges of her mouth started to curl in response, but just as suddenly, she gathered Piper’s reins. “Let’s get you grazing with the other horses.” She clucked twice to the paint before leading him away—without a second glance at Ethan.