Page 27 of One Wild Chance

“Be my guest.” He doesn’t even say thank you. Just swings back onto Scout and starts toward the barn, oblivious to what almost happened.

I want to lecture him about securing farm gates and the importance of double-checking everything. Instead, I bite my tongue and spend the entire ride glaring at the back of his head, hardly paying attention to anything but him.

I don’t even notice when something moves in the brush along the fence row, but that’s all it takes to spook Rebel. She shoots sideways, the lead rope yanking through my fingers and setting off my horse. I’m usually good at staying on Sally, but this happens too fast for me to react. One second she’s under me and the next she’s gone and I’m falling.

I hit the ground, the air leaving my lungs as pain shoots across my elbow. I roll to my back, muttering under my breath. I’ve had worse falls, but I’m going to be wearing this bruise for a week. Worst of all, Jaxon Chance just watched me get thrown from my horse like a beginner rider and it’s all because I wasn’t paying attention.

“Summer?” Jaxon jumps off Scout, tying her off at the fence. He crouches over me, his face blocking the sun, the mask he usually wears suddenly gone. “You hurt?”

I groan. “No.”

Sally takes off toward the barn, but I’m not worried about her, since she knows her way home. I wince in pain as I try to rise.

“Summer.” His hand finds my shoulder, firmer this time. “Stay there.” Then he catches Rebel’s lead rope before she can bolt again.

“How’s your elbow?” he asks as he ties off Rebel.

I push to sit up. My elbow still throbs, but when I move my arm, nothing feels seriously wrong. “I’ll be fine.”

He looks over me, chewing his lip. “Can you ride?”

“My horse is gone, so it doesn’t matter. I’ll have to walk.”

“You’re not doing that.”

“It’s not my leg, Jaxon. It’s my elbow. Pretty sure that doesn’t affect me walking.”

He stands and looks between the two horses.

“We’ll ride back together. Scout can carry us both.”

I frown. “You want me to ride with you?”

“You want to get back or not?”

My arm is already aching, and the barn is a good half mile back. The sooner I can get ice on the joint, the less it will hurt.

“Okay, fine.” I brush past him, then realize it’s going to be hard getting on Scout with only one good arm.

Jaxon comes up behind me. “Can I help you up?”

“I can do it myself.”

“Maybe you can. But if you can’t, you’ll be on the ground again and in worse shape than you are now.”

I’d be stupid not to let him help. I grit my teeth. “Okay. If you could just give me a little lift…”

Before I can even finish, he sets his hands on my waist, and my pulse riots. His palms feel like they were made to fit there. Ignoring my racing heart, I step into the stirrup. The press of his hands on my waist makes my breath catch. When he lifts me into the saddle, I grab the horn and stare straight ahead. I shouldn’t be thinking about the fact that those hands could lift me off a saddle, onto a hay bale, up against a barn wall…

I stop that thought before it becomes a runaway train.

“Thank you,” I murmur. I’m blushing so furiously I probably look like a ripe tomato in August.

He drops his hands like nothing happened. Because for him, nothing did happen. He lifted a woman onto a horse. That’s it.

Meanwhile, I’m having thoughts about Jaxon that I have absolutely no right to have. I’m still working for Lucky Chance. I have a rivalry with him that goes back to high school. Pull yourself together.

But Larissa’s voice is still in my head, reminding me that hate kisses are a thing.