Page 1 of Ethan

Chapter One

Wednesday morning, Ethan entered the barn to find three of his men lined up at the fence rail, arms folded on top, watching a woman run a horse around the barrels.

“Hey, boss.”

“Kurt, how’s it going?”

“She’s damn good.” Kurt nodded toward the woman. “She sure sits a saddle well.”

“Let’s hope she can train as well as she can ride.” Ethan knew she had to be Naomi Austin, the new trainer he’d talked to on the phone. They had never met before, but he was hoping to hire her. He'd checked her references and she was qualified.

Just then the horse clipped a barrel and the woman slid from the saddle, landing on her ass in the sawdust. All four men jumped the fence and ran to her.

By the time they reached her, she was already up and dusting off her jeans.

“Are you alright, ma’am?” Kurt asked, hat in hand. Ethan shot him a look, which Kurt ignored, and Ethan shook his head. He knew what that meant. Soon Kurt would be swearing he was in love.

Looking at her, Ethan could see why. Long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, blue eyes, sun-kissed freckles across the bridge of her nose. She glanced around for her hat and the men scrambled for it. Ethan rolled his eyes.

He got to it first and held it out to her. She snatched it from his hand.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. It’s not the first time I’ve tumbled from a saddle.” She walked to the horse, rubbed its nose, and mounted again, nudging it into a trot before opening it up around the barrels.

Ethan watched her run the pattern, then checked his watch.

“You men need to get to work. It’s getting late and that hay needs turned.”

“Yes, sir,” they muttered, drifting off slowly. Ethan chuckled. He couldn’t blame them. He’d rather watch the blonde on the horse too, but he had work of his own.

He was still watching when the horse clipped another barrel. “You’re coming in too close,” he called out.

“I know how to ride,” she shouted back.

“Do you? The horse needs to be as close as possible to the barrel but not knock it over. You should be rounding the next barrels around four feet.”

He headed toward the door of the building but stopped when she called out to him.

“Hey!”

He faced her with a raised eyebrow. “Yes?”

“Do you happen to know where I can find Ethan Harrison, the owner? I’m supposed to meet with him this morning but haven’t seen him yet. Is he always this late when he has an interview scheduled?”

Ethan tilted his head down, then looked at her. “Why were you riding if you hadn’t talked to the owner yet?”

“I was a little early and wanted to get to know the horse.” She patted the horse’s neck. “This beauty knows what she’s doing.”

“She should. She’s a five-time champion.”

“Then why am I riding her?”

Ethan walked back to where she sat on the horse. “That’s a good question. You shouldn’t be. Who picked her for you?”

“No one. I got her myself–”

“So, you just walk into someone else’s barn, take a horse and decide to ride it?”