Read Online Robin Lee Hatcher by When Love Blooms - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: When Love Blooms
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laundry. Emily with the children. Emily speaking with Dru. She had been in his thoughts when he rose in the morning and in them when he bedded down for the night.
As he watched, she checked the cinch of the saddle on the stocky mare the girls always rode. That’s when Sabrina and Petula stepped into view from the opposite side of the horse. Emily said something to them, and Sabrina laughed before slipping her foot into the stirrup and swinging onto the saddle. Then Emily lifted Petula onto the mare behind her sister. More laughter carried to him across the distance. The sound had been all too scarce in recent months. For all the reasons he had — good reasons too — for not wanting the young woman here, he had to admit she’d brought laughter back to Dru and the girls. For that he was grateful.
Emily moved aside the train of her riding habit with a tiny kick as she turned toward Dru’s palomino. It was an easy, graceful movement, much like everything she did. She mounted the horse with practiced ease, hooking her right knee over the pommel and ignoring the extra stirrup.
Fool woman. This wasn’t some fancy park like the ones gentlewomen rode in back east, and that wasn’t a sidesaddle on her horse either.
He nudged his gelding forward. Dru came outside as he rode into the yard.
“Gavin.” She moved toward him. “We didn’t expect you back until tomorrow or the next day.” She laid her hand on his knee. “You’re just in time to go with Miss Harris and the girls up to the ridge. They’re taking a picnic lunch with them.”
His gaze flicked to Emily, then back to Dru. “You coming too?”
“No.”
“I’d better stay here.”
“Please come, Pa,” Sabrina said.
“Yes, please,” Petula chimed in.
“Perhaps your father is too tired,” Emily offered. “He can join us another time.”
It was true. He was tired. But he didn’t like her being the one to say so.
“Go with them.” There was a pleading tone in Dru’s words. “It’ll be good for the girls to have some time with you.”
His chest tightened as he was reminded again of what was ahead. “All right. I’ll go, but we won’t be long.”
“Take all the time you want.” Dru smiled at each one of them in turn. “Enjoy yourselves.”
Gavin glanced at Emily in her fancy riding attire, the kind of clothes Dru would never wear, the kind that he could never provide for her daughters either. It irritated him, just to look at her. “We won’t enjoy it much if Miss Harris falls off her horse and breaks her neck.”
She sat a little straighter. “I won’t fall off.”
“That saddle’s meant to be used astride.” He pointed at the palomino. “And that mare’s not used to being ridden sidesaddle.”
“I assure you, Mr. Blake, that I can handle both this horse and this saddle.” With that, she clucked her tongue and touched her heel to the mare’s side. “Come along, Brina.”
Before Gavin could follow, Dru touched his leg a second time. “Give her a chance. Whatever’s stuck in your craw, it isn’t Emily’s fault. There’s a lot about that young woman to like, and you will see it if you only try.”
He nodded but didn’t reply as he tightened his heels against the gelding’s ribs and started after the other three.
Emily felt Gavin’s gaze on her back, as tangible as a touch of his fingers would be. Knowing he watched made her nervous, made it hard to concentrate on anything the children said. If only he had returned half an hour later . . .
“Look, Miss Harris.” Sabrina pointed toward the tree line, where green forest stopped and the jutting crags of the Sawtooth peaks began. “The sheep. Up there. See it?”
“Sheep?” Emily squinted as her gaze swept the mountainside.
The heavy-bodied animal didn’t look like any sheep she had seen before. It reminded her of a short, squat deer with its brown coat and white rump. It could have been a deer except for its head. Even from this distance, she saw the pair
As he watched, she checked the cinch of the saddle on the stocky mare the girls always rode. That’s when Sabrina and Petula stepped into view from the opposite side of the horse. Emily said something to them, and Sabrina laughed before slipping her foot into the stirrup and swinging onto the saddle. Then Emily lifted Petula onto the mare behind her sister. More laughter carried to him across the distance. The sound had been all too scarce in recent months. For all the reasons he had — good reasons too — for not wanting the young woman here, he had to admit she’d brought laughter back to Dru and the girls. For that he was grateful.
Emily moved aside the train of her riding habit with a tiny kick as she turned toward Dru’s palomino. It was an easy, graceful movement, much like everything she did. She mounted the horse with practiced ease, hooking her right knee over the pommel and ignoring the extra stirrup.
Fool woman. This wasn’t some fancy park like the ones gentlewomen rode in back east, and that wasn’t a sidesaddle on her horse either.
He nudged his gelding forward. Dru came outside as he rode into the yard.
“Gavin.” She moved toward him. “We didn’t expect you back until tomorrow or the next day.” She laid her hand on his knee. “You’re just in time to go with Miss Harris and the girls up to the ridge. They’re taking a picnic lunch with them.”
His gaze flicked to Emily, then back to Dru. “You coming too?”
“No.”
“I’d better stay here.”
“Please come, Pa,” Sabrina said.
“Yes, please,” Petula chimed in.
“Perhaps your father is too tired,” Emily offered. “He can join us another time.”
It was true. He was tired. But he didn’t like her being the one to say so.
“Go with them.” There was a pleading tone in Dru’s words. “It’ll be good for the girls to have some time with you.”
His chest tightened as he was reminded again of what was ahead. “All right. I’ll go, but we won’t be long.”
“Take all the time you want.” Dru smiled at each one of them in turn. “Enjoy yourselves.”
Gavin glanced at Emily in her fancy riding attire, the kind of clothes Dru would never wear, the kind that he could never provide for her daughters either. It irritated him, just to look at her. “We won’t enjoy it much if Miss Harris falls off her horse and breaks her neck.”
She sat a little straighter. “I won’t fall off.”
“That saddle’s meant to be used astride.” He pointed at the palomino. “And that mare’s not used to being ridden sidesaddle.”
“I assure you, Mr. Blake, that I can handle both this horse and this saddle.” With that, she clucked her tongue and touched her heel to the mare’s side. “Come along, Brina.”
Before Gavin could follow, Dru touched his leg a second time. “Give her a chance. Whatever’s stuck in your craw, it isn’t Emily’s fault. There’s a lot about that young woman to like, and you will see it if you only try.”
He nodded but didn’t reply as he tightened his heels against the gelding’s ribs and started after the other three.
Emily felt Gavin’s gaze on her back, as tangible as a touch of his fingers would be. Knowing he watched made her nervous, made it hard to concentrate on anything the children said. If only he had returned half an hour later . . .
“Look, Miss Harris.” Sabrina pointed toward the tree line, where green forest stopped and the jutting crags of the Sawtooth peaks began. “The sheep. Up there. See it?”
“Sheep?” Emily squinted as her gaze swept the mountainside.
The heavy-bodied animal didn’t look like any sheep she had seen before. It reminded her of a short, squat deer with its brown coat and white rump. It could have been a deer except for its head. Even from this distance, she saw the pair