Read Online Dancing in the Moonlight by RaeAnne Thayne - Free Book Online
Authors: RaeAnne Thayne
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every impulse to race ahead of her and smooth her path.
She wouldn’t appreciate it, he knew, but he couldn’t stand watching her struggle, especially when he could see she wasn’t telling the complete truth about her pain level.
She was hurting worse than she let on. Whether that was phantom pain or continuing adjustment irritation from the prosthesis, he didn’t know. It didn’t matter, anyway. She wouldn’t want his help, even if he had the magic potion to fix either problem.
She had to make her own way. While the doctor in him might want to do his best to take away her pain, he knew she was trying her best to play the wild card she’d been dealt the way she saw fit, and he had to respect her determination.
Of course, there was a fine line between determination and outright stubbornness.
He was leading his own horse out of the trailer when she rode around the corner of the barn on the same mare she’d ridden the day before. She led another horse loaded with coiled wire.
She looked beautiful on horseback, natural and relaxed and graceful. No one watching her ride with such confidence would ever guess what she’d been through the last five months.
Her glossy dark braid swung behind her, and she lifted her face to the sun as if she couldn’t soak in enough.
Jake’s stomach tightened, and he could feel blood rush to his groin. He cursed himself for the inappropriate reaction and slammed the horse trailer closed with a little more force than strictly necessary.
“Come on, Doc,” she called. “I don’t have all day to wait for you.”
“Aw, hold your horses.”
She rolled her eyes at his lame attempt at a joke. “I hope you don’t slow me down like this all day.”
“I’ll do my best to keep up,” he promised.
Keeping up with her wasn’t the problem, he discovered by lunchtime. Coming up with subtle, creative ways to slow her down and keep her from overdoing things was another story.
“You need to stop again? ” Halfway around the perimeter of the ranch, she stared at him, her eyes dark with suspicion. “That’s three times in four hours. You are a pansy, Dalton.”
“I’m hungry, okay? I’m not used to all this physical labor. It works up a heck of an appetite. I packed two sandwiches and a couple colas. You want lunch?”
Since fixing fence was a two-person job, he knew she couldn’t insist on going ahead by herself. Just as he intended, after a moment she shrugged and made her way to the small grassy hill where he’d settled. Thoughshe tried to act tough as nails, he could see the lines of pain around her mouth and the cautious steps she took across the uneven ground.
Stubborn woman. He wanted to toss her over the back of her little mare and haul her back to the house where she could spend the afternoon with her leg up. The next best thing was manufacturing these little excuses to stop as often as he could so she could rest.
“Ham and cheese or PB and J?” he asked when she settled against a tree, her leg extended in front of her.
“Whichever.”
He handed over the ham and one of the colas he’d had the foresight to stick in the icy river when they stopped at this section of fence a half hour before.
She popped the top and took a healthy swallow, her eyes closed with obvious appreciation, and he had to focus on his lunch to keep from jumping her right there.
“Oh, that’s good. Spring runoff gives the water just the perfect temperature for maximum chill. That water’s running fast. How’d you keep the cans from floating downstream?”
“Old cowboy trick one of the ranch hands taught me when I was a kid. Tie fishing line around the plastic rings and lash that to a tree on the bank. I always keep some in my saddle bag for emergencies.”
“Just in case you’re ever stranded in the middle of nowhere on horseback with a warm soda. I can see where that would come in handy.”
“What can I say? I appreciate the finer things in life.”
She made a snort that might
She wouldn’t appreciate it, he knew, but he couldn’t stand watching her struggle, especially when he could see she wasn’t telling the complete truth about her pain level.
She was hurting worse than she let on. Whether that was phantom pain or continuing adjustment irritation from the prosthesis, he didn’t know. It didn’t matter, anyway. She wouldn’t want his help, even if he had the magic potion to fix either problem.
She had to make her own way. While the doctor in him might want to do his best to take away her pain, he knew she was trying her best to play the wild card she’d been dealt the way she saw fit, and he had to respect her determination.
Of course, there was a fine line between determination and outright stubbornness.
He was leading his own horse out of the trailer when she rode around the corner of the barn on the same mare she’d ridden the day before. She led another horse loaded with coiled wire.
She looked beautiful on horseback, natural and relaxed and graceful. No one watching her ride with such confidence would ever guess what she’d been through the last five months.
Her glossy dark braid swung behind her, and she lifted her face to the sun as if she couldn’t soak in enough.
Jake’s stomach tightened, and he could feel blood rush to his groin. He cursed himself for the inappropriate reaction and slammed the horse trailer closed with a little more force than strictly necessary.
“Come on, Doc,” she called. “I don’t have all day to wait for you.”
“Aw, hold your horses.”
She rolled her eyes at his lame attempt at a joke. “I hope you don’t slow me down like this all day.”
“I’ll do my best to keep up,” he promised.
Keeping up with her wasn’t the problem, he discovered by lunchtime. Coming up with subtle, creative ways to slow her down and keep her from overdoing things was another story.
“You need to stop again? ” Halfway around the perimeter of the ranch, she stared at him, her eyes dark with suspicion. “That’s three times in four hours. You are a pansy, Dalton.”
“I’m hungry, okay? I’m not used to all this physical labor. It works up a heck of an appetite. I packed two sandwiches and a couple colas. You want lunch?”
Since fixing fence was a two-person job, he knew she couldn’t insist on going ahead by herself. Just as he intended, after a moment she shrugged and made her way to the small grassy hill where he’d settled. Thoughshe tried to act tough as nails, he could see the lines of pain around her mouth and the cautious steps she took across the uneven ground.
Stubborn woman. He wanted to toss her over the back of her little mare and haul her back to the house where she could spend the afternoon with her leg up. The next best thing was manufacturing these little excuses to stop as often as he could so she could rest.
“Ham and cheese or PB and J?” he asked when she settled against a tree, her leg extended in front of her.
“Whichever.”
He handed over the ham and one of the colas he’d had the foresight to stick in the icy river when they stopped at this section of fence a half hour before.
She popped the top and took a healthy swallow, her eyes closed with obvious appreciation, and he had to focus on his lunch to keep from jumping her right there.
“Oh, that’s good. Spring runoff gives the water just the perfect temperature for maximum chill. That water’s running fast. How’d you keep the cans from floating downstream?”
“Old cowboy trick one of the ranch hands taught me when I was a kid. Tie fishing line around the plastic rings and lash that to a tree on the bank. I always keep some in my saddle bag for emergencies.”
“Just in case you’re ever stranded in the middle of nowhere on horseback with a warm soda. I can see where that would come in handy.”
“What can I say? I appreciate the finer things in life.”
She made a snort that might
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