Read Online August (Prairie Grooms, #1) by Kit Morgan - Free Book Online Page B

wide before they narrowed on him. “Mr. Bennett, it is highly improper for a lady to ride astride. It just isn’t done.”
    “Well ... how else would you do it?” he asked, ignoring the snickers escaping Jefferson.
    “Side-saddle, of course,” she explained with a sniff.
    Jefferson laughed and looked at August. “She’s right, you know. No self-respecting English maiden would be caught dead riding astride.”
    August gaped at him. “Well, no self-respecting horse cares either way.”
    Jefferson laughed again. “Lucky for you, I just happen to have a side-saddle.”
    “You do?” Miss Red asked, eyes wide.
    “Of course. It belonged to my late wife, Honoria. That would be Duncan, Colin and Harrison’s mother. If you pay attention, you’ll find little pieces of England all over this house, and even a few out in the barn.”
    “Harrison and Sadie named their baby after our late aunt?” Constance asked.
    “Yes – they did me proud when they did that,” Jefferson told her.
    “How quaint,” Miss Red whispered.
    August looked at her, his mouth shut. He decided he’d better keep it that way. He couldn’t figure out what she was thinking, whether she was glad or mad to discover she could ride in the way she was accustomed.
    “I’ll fetch it after I finish my coffee,” said Jefferson. “You can ride to town while your sisters go in the wagon.”
    Miss Red’s face paled. “Oh, ah ... well ... I could just as easily ...”
    “Penelope’s afraid of horses,” Constance announced, cutting her off.
    “Constance!” Eloise scolded. “You didn’t have to tell everyone!”
    “They might as well know, otherwise pride would dictate she mount the beast, which in turn would sense her fear and then buck her off all the way to ...”
    “Enough! Kindly keep your explanations of my riding ability to yourself, Constance.”
    “I wasn’t talking about your riding ability, I was talking about your fear of horses.”
    Miss Red closed her eyes in resignation and shook her head. It was all August could do to keep from laughing. But embarrassing her was not on his to-do list that morning, so he opted for saving her dignity. “Are you afraid of horses?” he asked Constance.
    “No,” she stated.
    “Good. Then why don’t you ride with me, and your sisters can ride in the wagon?”
    Miss Red’s eyes flicked over him, and he could see she was angry. “Constance will do no such thing,” she said. “I will ride with you. My sisters will ride in the wagon,” she announced stiffly.
    “Are you sure about that?” he asked.
    “Of course I’m sure. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have suggested it, now would I?”
    He looked her up and down. Her face had gone pale with her little speech, and he knew she had to be shaking like a leaf inside at the thought of getting on a horse. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, ma’am.”
    “It seems you want proof of my ability to handle a horse. I shall give it to you, sir.”
    “I didn’t say I needed proof you could ride, you told me you could. I’ll take your word for it, Miss Red.”
    “Her eyes narrowed. “What did you call me?”
    Oops. He sighed. “Nothing.” He stood. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go help Logan with the wagon. I’ll see you ladies in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”
    “What?” Eloise asked, confused.
    Edith chuckled. “It means he’ll be seeing you soon. Eat up, girls. We’re going to town!”
    * * *
    P ride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall ... Penelope remembered hearing her father speak that proverb now and then, usually before her brother made a journey to London. She recalled the last time she’d heard her father say it. She and her brother had gone to a ball, her first, during the height of the season, but she’d become ill and had to leave early. There was a fight, and Charles had somehow wound up in the middle of it. The evening ended in tragedy, and he never came home.
    The curse of the