Read Online Skin Deep by Pamela Clare - Free Book Online

walked up close behind her. “You have nothing to worry about. He’s just a big teddy bear. See how calm he is?”
    He took her left hand in his, stroked the gelding’s flank with her palm, sparks of awareness darting through him the moment his skin touched hers.
    Buckwheat gave a soft whicker, looked back at them, and nuzzled Nate’s side.
    Some of the tension seemed to leave Megan’s body. “He likes you.”
    “He’s looking for treats, aren’t you, old boy?” Nate didn’t have anything in his pocket this time. He released Megan’s hand, checked the girth to make sure it hadn’t come loose since he’d fastened it, then took a firm hold of the reins. “Grab the saddle, lift your left foot into the stirrup, then use the strength of your leg to lift yourself up and astride the horse. When you’re seated, tuck your right foot in the other stirrup.”
    “Okay.” She reached up and grasped the saddle, lifted her left foot until her toe caught the stirrup, then bounced on her right foot, struggling to mount.
    “Let me help.” Nate handed Buckwheat’s reins to his dad and caught Megan around the waist, unable to keep from noticing the way her entire body tensed at the contact. “I’m just going to boost you. Give a little hop.”
    On her next bounce, he used her upward momentum to lift her into the saddle.
    “Just settle in while I adjust the stirrups.” He worked quickly, raising the left stirrup a few notches then doing the same to the right. “How do you feel?”
    “Like I’m sitting miles off the ground on a very big animal that could kill me.” She sat stiffly, as if she feared the gelding might buck if she moved.
    “Buckwheat wouldn’t hurt a flea.” Nate took the reins back from his dad. “We’ll just go for a walk so you can get used to this before we put Emily in the saddle. How does that sound?”
    Megan gasped when the horse took its first steps.
    “Easy, Megan. You’re okay.” Nate walked the perimeter of the riding barn, Buckwheat following meekly behind, all one thousand one hundred pounds of him.
    They hadn’t gone far when Nate heard Megan laugh. He looked behind him to see her smiling, her cheeks flushed with excitement. She seemed to have forgotten her fear—both her fear of the horse and the fear that had driven her here.
    “See? No worries.”
    He stopped when he reached their starting point.
    “Are you ready, little Miss Emily?” His dad walked over and lifted Emily into the saddle in front of Megan. “Megan, wrap one arm around Emily and use your free hand to hold onto the horn.”
    Emily bounced in the saddle. “Giddy-up, Buckwheat! Go!”
    As obedient as Buckwheat was, he was above taking orders from a preschooler and remained defiantly still.
    Fighting a chuckle, Nate let Megan get settled. “Ready?”
    She nodded.
    Nate started off again, sharing a smile with his dad at Emily’s delighted squeal. The old man might have had reservations about the idea of Megan’s coming here, but he’d sure gotten into the spirit of the thing—lured, no doubt, by an adorable four-year-old with big blue eyes. He watched while Nate led the gelding around the barn once, twice, clearly as gratified by Emily’s happy chatter and the smile on Megan’s face as Nate was.
    “How old were you when you started riding?” Megan asked as they neared the end of their third lap.
    “I don’t remember not riding, so I must have been one or two.” He glanced up to find Megan watching him.
    “How long have you lived here?”
    “My great-grandfather bought this spread, passed it down to my grandfather. Now it belongs to my dad. I’ve always lived here. My parents rebuilt the main house when I was in high school. I spent most of the past decade going wherever Uncle Sam sent me, but this is home.”
    “It must be wonderful to have such deep roots.” There was a hint of longing in Megan’s voice.
    Nate halted Buckwheat.
    His dad stepped forward. “Come on down, Miss Emily. Was that