Read Online Kentucky Groom by Jan Scarbrough - Free Book Online

Jesse shouted and waved her hand as if she were swinging a lasso.
    “Cowgirl,” Jay corrected, not hiding his grin.
    Jesse stuck her tongue out at him. She could be as spunky as her mom, and Jay felt a surge of love for both of them. Surely, the thousands of dollars Jay had spent for Tate Mercer’s business was worth it.
    Carrie rode up and stopped in front of him after the lesson. “Good ride.” Jay’s words of praise settled between them.
    “Thanks.”
    Their looks connected. She was slightly winded, but flushed with the excitement and effort of the ride. Jay perceived her excitement as if it transmitted to him along some mysterious connector. He shook off the tight feeling in his belly, stepping forward to play horse show judge.
    “When you’re in the line-up, you must remember to press your knees into the saddle.” He touched her right knee to show her what to do. “And lower your heels.”
    His mind and body revved with the contact. Carrie’s whole leg trembled at his touch. He deliberately ran both his hands down her calf to her ankle. Then he let his fingers linger on the heel of her boot. He gazed up at her, telling himself that seducing her wasn’t safe, not here and now.
    She was staring at him with a transfixed look. “Are my hands okay?” Her voice was husky.
    Her question came to him as if far away. He felt a strange tingle as if he were floating through another dimension. “No, they should be higher.” He touched her gloved hands in an intimate way. “Now look between the horse’s ears.”
    Carrie complied, and he stepped back as much to relieve his tension as to play the horse show game. He made himself circle behind the horse, noticing Carrie’s erect posture and the heavy blond braid hanging down her back.
    “And the winner is....Carrie Mercer, riding Dr. Doolittle,” he said coming to the left side of the horse.
    “Class is rigged. Judge was bribed,” Jesse teased.
    Taking a ragged breath, Jay glanced quickly at the child, but was drawn back to her mother. Carrie watched him. She also seemed to be having trouble breathing. He hoped he was having an effect on her, just as she was having on him.
    “Let me help you down.” He took the horse’s reins in his left hand and stood to the side.
    Carrie swung her leg over the saddle, balanced for a second, and then dropped to the sawdust. When she turned, she turned right into his arms. Jay battled the urge to kiss her, to run his fingers along the soft angle of her jaw, to sweep her off her feet and carry her to some secluded hideaway like an Arab sheik.
    “Hey, don’t you two get goofy on me,” Jesse whined.
    Carrie blushed and laughed, breaking apart. With Jay leading the pony, together they turned to walk out of the arena. “Goofy” was a good word to describe how he felt. Goofy and reckless. And a whole lot lucky.
    * * * *
    Carrie felt the thrill of the final night of the Lexington Junior League Horse Show. This prestigious show brought glamour and excitement and bright lights to the Bluegrass. It brought out the equine stars and the human ones. It attracted the rich and the not-so rich, even drawing an eighth grade school teacher and her date, a lowly stable groom.
    The thought made Carrie smile to herself and grow warm with a glow of love. For some reason, the disparity in their background didn’t mean as much to her as it once did. Perhaps she was getting to know him too well for that kind of thing to matter.
    They made a handsome couple, Carrie decided as she glanced sideways at Jay. With his shock of copper-colored hair and her honey blond braid, they had already caught the attention of several passers-by. But maybe it was more than that. Maybe it was his navy blazer, khaki trousers, pale blue Oxford cloth shirt and maroon patterned tie. Or maybe it was just the looks of love he showered on her as freely as a happy dog wags his tail. Carrie felt surrounded by Jay’s love, protected and warm, as if enveloped in a cushioned