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“Whatever it is you’re thinking about, stop. It’s bringing you down.”
Keena jerked on her reins, and Annabel came to a rough stop. Ryan cursed, then reached over to force her to ease up on the poor horse’s mouth.
“Oh, crap. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt her.” She would have touched Annabel’s mouth, but Ryan kept her from it.
“Rub and pat her neck. Speak gently to her. She’s fine.” He showed her how, his hand guiding hers. If there had been any doubt about her physical reaction to him, this was proof. Tingles of delight rippled over her skin, and the single reason she didn’t jerk away from his touch was so she wouldn’t startle the horse a second time.
She leaned toward Annabel’s head, casting her voice low. “I’m sorry, Annabel. I’m an idiot. If I didn’t think it would kill me, I’d let you kick me for that stunt.”
Ryan smirked, and she grinned.
“That reminds me that I never asked what your horse’s name is,” she said.
He straightened in his saddle and patted his own horse’s neck, a fleeting look of affection in his eyes. “Demon.”
Keena shivered. “Of course.”
His eyes fastened on hers as if he tried to learn whether she knew his secrets, and this guy had plenty, she decided. Didn’t they all? Whatever, she wouldn’t be here long enough to care. He could keep them to himself, just like she wouldn’t share with anyone about her humiliation. She remembered what he said.
“Why do you say things like that?”
He turned away, a nonchalant look coming into his expression. She wasn’t buying it.
“You know what I mean. That first day, in my cabin, you told me I’m hurting, like you knew. Are you a . . .”
His eyes narrowed on her for the second time. “A what?”
The word she was looking for came to her. “An empath.”
He blinked like he was searching his memory for the definition of the word, and then his face cleared. He allowed himself a half-smile, if she could call it that.
“No, I’m not. I am observant. Most people are too busy talking to take notice of what’s around them, of others. I like to watch more, in silence.”
Her shoulders slumped. “Oh.”
“You sound disappointed.”
“Whatever.” She took up the reins, being careful not to spook Annabel, and squeezed the horse’s sides with her thighs. She gave a soft click of her tongue, and Annabel moved into a slow gait forward. “We’ve lost sight of the others. We should probably catch up.”
For a while, they said nothing as they rode. Keena didn’t know why it pissed her off that he denied being an empath. Not that she wanted it to be some paranormal thing like that. And she knew there were people in the world who were so in tune to everything around them that they could pick up on emotions or attitudes others didn’t. The problem was she felt like he was keeping something of himself back. One minute he appeared to be attracted to her, and the next he couldn’t get away fast enough. His two-facedness shouldn’t be a big deal. After all, she wasn’t looking to get involved with him, but damn, she had been at the ranch all of two minutes, and this man, whoever he was, already had too much of her attention. Then again, maybe she should thank him for making her forget Steven for the times she did forget him.
When they came around a curve in the trail, Ryan kicked Demon into a faster trot to get ahead of Keena. A tree branch hung dangerously low over the path, and he pulled it out of her way. “This should have been found and cut back after that last storm,” he said with irritation in his expression and tone.
Keena dipped her head in thanks with one eyebrow raised. “Isn’t that what you do? Falling down on the job, I see.”
Surprise registered on his face, and then he shrugged. Keena waited for a snappy comeback to put her in her place, but none came. She rode on and then gasped when she came upon a clearing. The trail led off to the right, but in front of her was a lake with sparkling, bubbling water. The others had stopped alongside it, and one of the men stood skipping stones while the others stood around talking.
Having learned her lesson that first day, Keena waited for Ryan to help her to dismount, but then she moved away from him. She led Annabel to the water’s edge and let her reins go as she found the others had done. Apparently, the horses were trained not to wander off and leave their riders behind. Keena was glad to know that because walking back the long way to the ranch would not be fun.
She approached the lead guide. “Will we stop here long? I wouldn’t mind exploring.”
He nodded. “Another twenty minutes or so to let everyone stretch their legs. Don’t wander too far. While they don’t often come near areas where humans are, there are bears in the Rockies.”
Keena shivered. The thought of being eaten alive did not sit well with her, and she changed her mind about exploring. Ryan appeared in front of her, and she had to tilt her head far back to take him all in. Her five-foot-four height had never seemed so diminutive.
“I’ll walk with you,” he offered.
The glint in his eyes
