stared at her for a long second, but said nothing. Finally, he turned his attention to Petunia. Then he frowned and stepped closer. âIs she⦠sleeping ?â
Elena glanced at Petunia, who was, indeed, dozing. Her head was drooping low, and one front fetlock was relaxed and resting against the other. âSheâs had a busy day, but trust me, sheâs always up for a new adventure.â
Rafeâs expression was dubious at best, but he didnât comment.
âToday Iâm going to teach you how to halter your horse, lead her from her stall, properly cross tie her, and put on the saddle. If all that goes well, Iâll teach you how to mount up and weâll adjust the stirrups and girth strap so youâll know how to set them properly for your next class.â Most of which wasnât necessary, as the barn help would be more than happy to saddle up any mount she requested, especially for one of the Trinity three. Even if he hadnât been one of the Dalton Downs honchos, she was certain heâd have no problem getting any woman on the property to do pretty much whatever he wanted. But since the man said he wanted to learn to ride, the least he should do is learn to appreciate what he was riding.
âSo, youâre saying I have to saddle her everyââ He stopped when Elena folded her arms. âOkay, okay.â He looked back at Petunia, clearly not thrilled with this whole endeavor, and Elena wondered again why he was really down here.
âSo,â he said, looking from her to the horse. âWhere do we begin?â
âFirst, you talk to her.â
âTalk to her,â Rafe repeated.
âYep.â He hadnât minded her being spunky yesterday. She hoped that held true today. âCrazy as it sounds, most people who want to learn to ride these amazing animals, want to do so because they admire them, like them, or just plain want to be around them. This is usually a fun part of the lesson program.â
âFun.â
She laughed and Petunia twitched her ears, lifted her head, and blinked at them. âYes,â Elena said. âFun. Is it that hard to believe horseback riding is fun? Or is fun a foreign concept to you altogether?â
âNo, of course not.â
Which, from the look on his face, was blatantly untrue.
âOkay. When was the last time you had fun?â she asked.
âI have fun every day.â
âFrom what I can tell, you work every day.â
âExactly. I love my work. It gives me great satisfaction. I enjoy it. Hence, fun.â
âThatâs not the same thing.â
He shrugged. âYou define it your way, I define it mine.â
âSo why are you down here? When you could be having fun working?â She reached out and stroked Petuniaâs blaze and nose. The mare bucked her head up a little, nickering in pleasure as she pushed against Elenaâs hand. Elena noted that Rafe had flinched when Petunia swung her head up, but held his ground. If anything, heâd looked as if he was going to step between her and the horse. Interesting reaction. And it warmed her a little. Unless he was just hard-wired instinctively to protect those he viewed as weaker than himself.
Theyâd see about that.
âCan I ask you something?â she asked.
He shifted his gaze to her. âWhy ask permission now?â
She smiled at that. At least he was learning that demure and retiring wasnât exactly her style. Best he understand that early on. âAre you sure youâre not doing this on some kind of dare from your partners?â It was the only explanation sheâd come up with in the past few days. He didnât seem any more enthusiastic today than he had when heâd askedâdemanded, reallyâthat she give him lessons. âNo offense intended,â she added quickly. âI know how guys can be. Iâve worked around them my whole life.â
âAnd how is
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