Read Online Buchanan's Pride by Pamela Toth - Free Book Online

realized how vulnerable she must feel. Except for Duke, who had taken off after some wild critter, they were alone in the center of the endless prairie. Had he frightened her?
    â€œI’m sorry,” John said quickly, raising a hand and then letting it fall back to his side when she flinched. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” Slowly he backed away, giving her space.
    â€œI—” Was that regret shadowing her eyes? He would have given a great deal to know what she was thinking as she searched his face.
    She nibbled her lip. “It’s okay,” she said finally. More color ran up her cheeks. “I mean, it’s not okay, but it just happened, right? Let’s forget the whole thing.”
    â€œGood idea.” Part of John was grateful she hadn’t fired him on the spot, part of him was still trying to deal with his reaction to her. Damn, but she had a taste as sweet as cotton candy.
    And he had absolutely no right to touch her, not when he didn’t know whether he was committed to someone else. The realization was like a blast of ice water.
    Somehow, he vowed silently, he’d sort through this mess and come out whole on the other side.
    â€œOkay, then.” She grabbed the canteen that had been dangling from her arm and sloshed more water onto the muddy towel, hands shaking. “Let’s get cleaned up the best we can and eat lunch. There’s a nice spot on the other side of those cottonwoods. Then I think we’d better head in and do something about these clothes.” Glancing down at herself, she wrinkled her nose. “Ugh.”
    â€œAt least we both smell the same,” he observed with a forced grin. If she wanted to pretend the kiss had never happened, let her try. He could no more forget it than...he could forget his own name? His smile faded. Perhaps she was right. Silently he mounted Candy, the dried mud flaking off his jeans like dandruff, and followed Leah to the stand of cottonwoods.
    Leah reined in and dismounted. “We’re here. The trees will give us a little protection from the wind. In the summer the shade here is like an oasis from the heat.”
    She watered her horse in the stream and John did the same. When they were through, she busied herself with the saddlebags as Duke came bounding over to join them. As he drank noisily, she handed John half of the lunch he’d packed and a can of soda. Sitting cross-legged on the grass, she peeled off her gloves and dug a bag of dog biscuits from her pocket. She dumped them on the grass as Duke flopped down beside her, muzzle dripping. He devoured the biscuits and Leah took a hearty bite of her sandwich.
    John was too hungry for more than an occasional comment as they ate. Leah’s color was still high and she refused to look at him for more than a second at a time. With each bite, he did his best to put what had happened earlier out of his mind. Funny, he’d been struggling so hard to remember anything at all, and now he was trying to forget one of the few memories he had. Life was just full of little ironies.
    Later as they rode along the fence line, Leah searched for breaks and damaged posts. If John’s remote expression was any indication, he’d all but forgotten she was with him. The only sounds besides those the horses made were the faint sigh of the wind and an occasional harsh cry from a crow overhead.
    Despite the discomfort of her damp, stiff jeans, Leah couldn’t ignore the very real pleasure she was taking in being outdoors instead of cooped up in the library back in Caulder Springs. The sun had come out, gentling the wind. The carpet of grass at their feet was dotted with wildflowers—yellow peas, blue flax, orange wallflowers and purple vetch. Her grandpa had taught her their names. Soon the bluebells would be in bloom. It was days like this that reminded her why and how much she had always loved this land.
    â€œWhat are you grinning