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A lump formed in her throat, and she gave a quick shake of her head. She was in trouble. Maybe she shouldn’t have gone along with the whole shadowing bit.
Ian jerked his head toward Brown Sugar. “You want to go for a ride?”
Jessica’s eyes widened. “Oh, I don’t think—”
He leaned his shoulder against the stall door and tilted his head slightly. “Have you ever ridden a horse?”
Her focus shifted to the horse, who lazily lifted her head, lips curling around the hay in her mouth. “Like on a saddle and everything?”
The corners of his lips twitched. “Yeah. Like that.”
She shook her head. “Then no.”
He chuckled and moved closer to her until he was inches away. She lifted her chin and kept her feet planted. “Maybe we should change that.”
Was it her imagination, or had his voice grown a few degrees huskier? She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Don’t you have more important things to do than to take me on a ride?”
He lifted a shoulder. “I have some spare time today. Besides, if you’re going to stick around for a little while, you might as well get the lay of the land.”
“Makes sense.”
She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. He was just staring at her. What did he want? The thought that he might kiss her crossed her mind. She licked her lips and his focus shifted to the movement.
Ian’s smile widened. “You should probably move.”
“Move?” Did he want her to lean in and kiss him first? That was ridiculous. She didn’t even know if she wanted to kiss him. Her brows furrowed in confusion.
He motioned to the stall. “You’re blocking the latch.”
Jessica jumped. Heat burst into her face. In fact, her whole body felt like it was on fire. She quickly shuffled backward, putting distance between Ian and herself. Her heel caught in a coiled rope that rested at her feet. Arms flailing, Jessica made an attempt to grab at the stall to her side but was already too far below it to use it for leverage. She shut her eyes and braced for impact.
A strong hand wrapped around her forearm, preventing her from landing on the ground. Another hand held onto her other arm. Jessica opened her eyes to find Ian’s face inches from hers. Her heart thundered and not just from the near fall she’d experienced. Yet again, Ian had been there to make sure no harm came to her.
“You okay?” His quiet voice went right to her core, disrupting any marginal amount of control she’d managed to hold on to.
She blinked three times. Ian straightened, then scowled at the rope on the floor. He muttered something before releasing her. Ian dropped to his knee and carefully disentangled her ankle from the rope. Standing, he hooked the rope on the wall beside them.
“Sorry, that shouldn’t have been there.” He shook his head and muttered some more before offering her a half-smile. “I’ll let you ride Brown Sugar, and I’ll get one of the other horses ready.” Ian reached around her and grabbed something from the hook beside the rope. The smell of his cologne surrounded her. She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes. It was official. She was crazy. That small part of her that couldn’t comprehend Ian paying her any attention had already shifted into hoping that he might.
Watching Ian saddle the two horses didn’t help matters at all. The muscles in his arms flexed as he picked up the saddle and placed it on Brown Sugar’s back. He tightened the belt under her belly and pointed to the wall beside her. “Will you hand me that bridle?”
She shifted her focus. Rope and metal connected together hung on a hook. “Aren’t these called reins?” Jessica held them out to Ian. He grasped them, his fingers brushing hers in the exchange. A surge of warmth ran through her and she stepped back.
Ian didn’t seem to notice the movement. He took another step toward her and his soft voice pulled her in. “The reins are part of it, but the bridle is made up of a lot more components.” He pointed at different parts and labeled them. “Crownpiece, browband, noseband—”
With a laugh, Jessica placed her hand over his to stop the explanation. Anything she could do to make the moment less intimate and to stop him from using that husky voice. “Okay, I get it. There’s a lot to this kind of thing I know nothing about.”
Ian looked up from where her hand was placed over the bridle. A dimple appeared in his chin as he smiled, sending a fresh wave of flutters through her midsection. “You’ll get there,” he murmured.
For goodness’ sake. That didn’t work.
Jessica pulled her hands away from the bridle and shoved them in her pockets. She cleared her throat and leaned against a post behind her. “Why do you have so much faith in me?”
“Why don’tyou?” He returned to the horse’s side and set to work with the bridle. He shot her one look over his shoulder. “You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for, Jessica.”
“I don’t know about that. Street smarts, maybe.” She let out another chuckle. “Then again, it would appear you surpass me in even that category.”
He cinched the reins and crossed the small distance between them. Hooking his finger under her chin, he tilted it up so she was looking at him. “I know I won’t be able to convince you of something if you don’t want to believe it. But I would like to make a request. While you’re here, no putting yourself down.”
Her mouth went dry, making it hard to swallow. She couldn’t move back any farther due to the wooden post. Ian’s touch was sending all kinds of sensations whirling through her body. His eyes narrowed slightly, drilling into her. “Okay,” she rasped.
A slow smile appeared on his lips. He dropped his hand and moved on to the other horse. It was almost the exact opposite of the horse she’d be riding. His name was Charcoal, and he belonged to Brock.
Jessica sucked in a deep breath, suddenly realizing she’d been holding it from the moment he’d lifted her chin. Letting it out slowly, she inched away from the pole and away from Ian. That had been too close.
