“Put your left foot in the stirrup and hold on to the saddle, then pull yourself up. I’ll help you if you want.”
“Yes, I want.”
I lift my sneaker-covered foot and place it in the stirrup. Noah settles his hands on my hips. There might be a layer of denim between his skin and mine, but it doesn’t stop the hum buzzing through my body at his touch.
“You ready?” he asks.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“On the count of three. One. Two. Three.”
I pull myself up with the saddle while Noah lifts me. I swing my right leg over Lady’s back and adjust myself on the seat.
I swallow. “Damn, that’s a long way down.”
But not as far as it would be if I was riding Scoundrel.
“It’s not as high up as you think,” is Noah’s not-so-helpful comment.
“Easy for you to say, you’re on the ground.”
He chuckles.Jerk. A hot, delicious, panty-dropping jerk, but a jerk all the same.
He mounts Scoundrel. “Lady is used to following Scoundrel, so you pretty much just have to keep her from eating the grass while we’re moving.” He explains how to do that, and then we’re off.
Noah leads the way, frequently checking over his shoulder to make sure I’m okay. I give him the thumbs up every time I catch him doing that. Otherwise, I’m preoccupied with appreciating the view. And I don’t mean Noah’s rear end, although that’s mighty fine, too.
I’m talking about the colorful wild flowers growing along the edge of the dirt trail. The leafy trees and the bushes. The pine trees. The birds chattering high in the branches. The blue sky above us. The mountain range.
I close my eyes for a moment, soaking in the warm sunlight on my face and enjoying the fresh pine scent. In my head, Tiffany is lecturing me about the dangers of developing premature wrinkles because I’m not wearing a sunhat.
Pushing away her voice, I open my eyes and duck before a low branch can slap me in the face.
Fortunately, Noah doesn’t witness it.
Note to self: No more closing your eyes while on horseback.
We continue until we arrive at the slow-moving river, and we follow alongside it for a while. The farther we travel, the more confident I grow riding Lady.
Eventually, we stop our horses by a grassy cove.
Noah attempts to help me down—but my foot gets tangled in the stirrup. He places his hands on my waist to steady me. It’s not enough to save me, and I crash into him.
Noah steps back, somehow keeping us upright.
“So much for nailing that landing. But thanks for the great reflexes.” I pat his nice, hard biceps on both arms.
“Happy to oblige ya, ma’am.”
“Ooh, is that your sexy cowboy talk coming out?” I ask on a laugh.
“Possibly. Is it making you horny?”
“Possibly.”
“We might have to do something about that.”
“You might be right.”
