Read Online Dreams for Stones by Ann Warner - Free Book Online Page A

Alan handed Grace the lead
he’d attached to the pony’s bridle. “You can lead Arriba around the
ring, while I get Ms. Jamison started.”
    Ms. Jamison indeed. Kathy wondered if she
was supposed to call him Mr. Francini, or Professor Francini, or perhaps something more casual like, Your Almighty
Professorial Majesty ? And couldn’t he be a little friendlier
instead of acting like he’d just been told he had an unpleasant
disease?
    As Alan approached the remaining two horses,
the chocolate-colored one leaned into him, lipping his pockets.
Obviously kids and animals loved this man, although Kathy failed to
see the attraction herself.
    “This greedy gut is Sonoro.” He pushed
Sonoro’s head firmly out of the way in order to untie the other
horse, which he led over to Kathy. “And this is Siesta. She’s a
real sweetheart.”
    Right . Kathy gave Siesta a tentative
pat.
    “You’ve ridden before?”
    “Once or twice. With a western saddle.” And got tossed on my tush for my trouble . Darn Amanda. She
was out of the story—if Kathy survived long enough to delete
her.
    Alan’s eyes narrowed. “These are Spanish
saddles. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”
    If he was trying to be reassuring, his tone,
brisk and business-like, ruined the effect.
    “Here’s your get-acquainted carrot. You know
how to hold it?”
    She nodded and held her hand flat trying not
to think about how large Siesta’s teeth were. If a small child
could do this, so could she.
    Siesta blew a warm breath across her palm
before delicately lifting the carrot and crunching down on it, and
Kathy couldn’t help but smile. It did tickle. But when
Siesta butted her, Kathy couldn’t help that reaction either. She
jumped back.
    “She’s just hoping for another carrot.”
Alan’s cool tone clearly indicated his opinion of Kathy’s
instinctive recoil. He patted the filly, which, thankfully,
switched her attentions to him.
    At least Siesta was acceptably skinny. Kathy
winced at the thought of Alan’s reaction if she insisted on a
different horse.
    Alan motioned Kathy to move closer. “Best
way to mount is to face the back. Put your hand up here on her
neck, turn the stirrup, put your foot in, then swing up and
around.”
    Siesta wasn’t a tall horse, but the swing up
was more difficult than it looked, and Kathy was relieved to manage
it with reasonable grace. She didn’t want to appear clumsy when she
was working so hard to look down on this man.
    Alan adjusted her stirrups, took the reins,
tied them in a knot, and handed them to her. “Hold them up a bit,
right at the knot. That will make her arch her neck. Give you a
better ride. Sit up nice and straight with your heels down.” He
smoothed his hand over the filly’s neck. “She has a real soft
mouth. She starts backing up, means you’re pulling.”
    “Heels down, reins up, don’t pull,” Kathy
chanted under her breath as Alan went over to the other horse and
swung gracefully into the saddle. Of course he’d be graceful.
    “Okay. We’ll begin with a slow walk around
the ring. Relax. Siesta knows what she’s doing.” Which you
obviously do not was clearly implied by his tone and the look
on his face.
    As the two horses walked side by side, Alan
showed Kathy how to signal the filly to turn to the right or to the
left. Then he had her walk Siesta through a large figure eight
while he watched.
    “You ready to try something faster?”
    I don’t do faster . Then why was she
nodding?
    Because she couldn’t stand the thought of
seeing another one of his cool, superior looks. A look that wasn’t
going to be any easier to take from a prone position in the dirt,
which was where she was headed if she let Siesta do anything but
walk.
    Alan’s horse moved into a fast gait, and
before Kathy could react, Siesta joined in. Kathy’s heart hammered
against her ribs as she clutched at the edge of the saddle with her
hands and gripped Siesta with her legs. She squeezed her eyes
shut.
    One breath,