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“No. I’m fine. See?” She held up her arm and waved it around as she forced a smile. “Good as new.”
She hadn’t even realized she’d been clenching her hand. The scorpion sting was almost healed. She made a conscious effort to hold her arm at her side with her hand still. It must have been the memory of her accident that had sent phantom pains shooting through her arm. The compound fracture had been a painful experience, but she also realized that she was one of the lucky ones. Her injuries could have been so much worse.
Cord looked her over. “Are you still up for a ride?”
“Sure. I can’t wait.” She resisted the urge to worry her bottom lip as she glanced over at the intimidating size of Midnight Star. She’d really gotten herself into a fix this time.
Her stomach was a bundle of jittery nerves. How in the world had this sounded like such a good idea an hour ago? She climbed up over the fence surrounding the corral ready to tell Cord that she’d changed her mind about riding Midnight Star when he handed her the reins to the horse he’d just led from the barn. She sent him a puzzled look.
“This is Blaze. You’ll be riding her today.”
Not about to argue, she said, “Okay. If you think it’s best.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “Would you mind if I ride around a little in here while you get your horse saddled?”
If she was going to fall again, it might as well be here rather than out on the trail. Way to go, Alexis. You’re not even on the horse yet and you’re planning to eat dirt.
Cord gave her a hesitant look. “You know it’s not too late to change your mind.”
“I know. But I want to do this. I…I just need a moment.”
Cord held Blaze in place while she climbed into the saddle. Her stomach shivered and her hands were clammy as they clutched the reins, but she was most definitely back in the saddle. See? That wasn’t so hard.
She started to smile, but then Cord went to release his hold on Blaze. “Don’t let go!”
He arched a brow. “You really are afraid, aren’t you?”
“Do you have to rub it in? You have no idea how traumatic the accident was for a teenage girl, especially one with an overprotective father.”
“Okay. Okay. I’m sorry.” Lines bracketed his eyes and mouth. “How about I walk both of you around the corral so that you can get your bearings again?”
“You promise you won’t let go?”
“Do I look like the type of guy who goes back on his word?”
She didn’t know that honest men had a certain look, but she did know that Cord took his word very seriously. And good to his word, he led Blaze around the corral. Though her stomach was still uneasy by the time they returned to the starting point, she was feeling a bit more confident.
Cord moved to stand next to her. “Maybe we should skip the ride. We can do it another time.”
“No. I want to do this.” She was more determined than ever to regain this part of her life. Horses were something she’d been very passionate about, and she didn’t want to walk away now. “I can do this.”
“You’re sure? Because if you aren’t, it’s okay. I swear I won’t think any less of you.”
The fact that he was that generous of spirit meant a lot to her. They’d gotten this ride off to a bad start, but she intended to remedy that from here forward.
“I really appreciate you doing this for me.” She meant every word. “I was beginning to think that I’d never get on a horse again, and I’m so glad I was wrong. Thank you for helping me get over my nerves.”
“I didn’t do a thing.” He said it as though he didn’t deserve any of the credit. And that simply wasn’t the truth. He was thoughtful and patient.
“Do you mind if I circle the corral again while you get your horse?”
He shrugged. “It’s fine by me. Will you be all right by yourself?”
It was a good question, but if she didn’t squelch the last of her fears now, she’d never know the utter bliss of riding horses again. And that simply couldn’t happen.
“I’ll be fine.” She set off at walk. By the second round, she was smiling as Blaze trotted around the large oval.
In no time, they took off on their adventure. She tensed up again as they hit the t
rail, but Blaze responded to her commands almost before Alexis made them. It was as though the horse was psychic. For a while, they rode without saying a word. The silence didn’t bother Alexis, as she was distracted by the beautiful landscape—surrounded by an enormous field of desert grass that swayed to and fro with the breeze. And now that her uneasiness about being astride a horse again had for the most part passed, she was having the time of her life. Of course, it didn’t hurt that she had the world’s sexiest cowboy next to her.
