Read Online Southern Seduction by Brenda Jernigan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Brenda Jernigan
Ads: Link
halt.
The telltale sound of another horse approaching told him he wasn’t going to be alone for long. And he’d be damned if he’d give her the satisfaction of knowing that she’d chased him away. Travis forced himself to sit still and wait for her to catch up with him.
“What a beautiful horse,” Brooke said as she rode up beside him. “Does she have a name?” She reached up and patted the mare on the neck.
The gray swung her head to the side trying to reach Brooke’s hand. The traitor! Was everyone on the plantation falling under her spell?
Travis glanced over at the dapple gray mare. He’d always liked that horse because she was so unique, calm yet spirited, far different from the rest of his stable. Much like the woman who now rode her. “Gray Mist.”
“I like the name. I’ve never had a horse of my own. In England, I always had to ride someone else’s horse.”
Travis couldn’t pry his eyes off Brooke. Something in her voice touched him in all the places he didn’t want to be touched. “Do you like her?”
Brooke nodded. “Very much.”
“Then she’s yours.”
Brooke felt as if a thousand butterflies had been released in her stomach. Why was the man finally being kind to her? She knew she could point out that half of everything on the plantation belonged to her already, but she didn’t want to break the fragile truce between them. It felt much too good to spoil the mood with facts. “Thank you.”
Gazing down on the fields below them she saw what she presumed to be sugarcane. Although it looked like very tall grass, perhaps four to twelve feet high, it appeared to be planted in rows four feet apart. Green leaves sprouted at the top of each stalk which swayed in the gentle breeze.
She saw several men in the fields. The workers close to them swung long, curved blades and the stalks tumbled to the ground in piles.
“I take it,” she nodded toward the field, “that is sugarcane?”
“Good observation,” Travis said in condescending tone. “How much do you know about such crops? Or farming for that matter. I take it you grew up in the city?”
Brooke glanced at Travis who was looking straight ahead, taking in everything that was happening in the field. She chose to ignore his suddenly ill manner. “You are correct. I’ve never been on a plantation before. Nevertheless, it doesn’t make me ignorant of the operation. I did manage to read every book I could find about cotton as I thought that is what would be grown on Moss Grove.”
“You expect to learn from a book?” Travis chuckled. “What a novice you are. However, I do applaud you,” he said with a nod. “Not many women would bother themselves with such things. They would be more interested on the money coming in.”
Brooke made a quick involuntary appraisal of Travis’s features to make sure that he wasn’t making fun of her, yet again. “I’m not like most women.”
“So I’m finding out.”
Brooke’s heart hammered foolishly at the thought that such a commanding individual was actually paying attention to her. She knew it unwise to be attracted to him, but the fact remained that she found Travis more than a little disturbing. Every time he moved, she could see the tight muscles flex under his shirt. For now, she wanted to learn – no, had to learn -- about the plantation, so she steered the conversation back toward business. “Why sugarcane?”
He shrugged impatiently. “It’s the future.”
Travis kept switching from warm to cold, Brooke thought, but she had begun to detect a softening in him. Or so she hoped. She’d made up her mind to be persistent, even if she had to drag every word out of him. “Is that all you grow?”
“We do have a couple of fields planted in cotton, but the rest is cane. There is a great deal of money to be made with a good crop. But it’s also riskier.”
“Why more so than cotton?”
“Tariffs. And the weather. Sugar coming from other countries carries high tariffs. We
The telltale sound of another horse approaching told him he wasn’t going to be alone for long. And he’d be damned if he’d give her the satisfaction of knowing that she’d chased him away. Travis forced himself to sit still and wait for her to catch up with him.
“What a beautiful horse,” Brooke said as she rode up beside him. “Does she have a name?” She reached up and patted the mare on the neck.
The gray swung her head to the side trying to reach Brooke’s hand. The traitor! Was everyone on the plantation falling under her spell?
Travis glanced over at the dapple gray mare. He’d always liked that horse because she was so unique, calm yet spirited, far different from the rest of his stable. Much like the woman who now rode her. “Gray Mist.”
“I like the name. I’ve never had a horse of my own. In England, I always had to ride someone else’s horse.”
Travis couldn’t pry his eyes off Brooke. Something in her voice touched him in all the places he didn’t want to be touched. “Do you like her?”
Brooke nodded. “Very much.”
“Then she’s yours.”
Brooke felt as if a thousand butterflies had been released in her stomach. Why was the man finally being kind to her? She knew she could point out that half of everything on the plantation belonged to her already, but she didn’t want to break the fragile truce between them. It felt much too good to spoil the mood with facts. “Thank you.”
Gazing down on the fields below them she saw what she presumed to be sugarcane. Although it looked like very tall grass, perhaps four to twelve feet high, it appeared to be planted in rows four feet apart. Green leaves sprouted at the top of each stalk which swayed in the gentle breeze.
She saw several men in the fields. The workers close to them swung long, curved blades and the stalks tumbled to the ground in piles.
“I take it,” she nodded toward the field, “that is sugarcane?”
“Good observation,” Travis said in condescending tone. “How much do you know about such crops? Or farming for that matter. I take it you grew up in the city?”
Brooke glanced at Travis who was looking straight ahead, taking in everything that was happening in the field. She chose to ignore his suddenly ill manner. “You are correct. I’ve never been on a plantation before. Nevertheless, it doesn’t make me ignorant of the operation. I did manage to read every book I could find about cotton as I thought that is what would be grown on Moss Grove.”
“You expect to learn from a book?” Travis chuckled. “What a novice you are. However, I do applaud you,” he said with a nod. “Not many women would bother themselves with such things. They would be more interested on the money coming in.”
Brooke made a quick involuntary appraisal of Travis’s features to make sure that he wasn’t making fun of her, yet again. “I’m not like most women.”
“So I’m finding out.”
Brooke’s heart hammered foolishly at the thought that such a commanding individual was actually paying attention to her. She knew it unwise to be attracted to him, but the fact remained that she found Travis more than a little disturbing. Every time he moved, she could see the tight muscles flex under his shirt. For now, she wanted to learn – no, had to learn -- about the plantation, so she steered the conversation back toward business. “Why sugarcane?”
He shrugged impatiently. “It’s the future.”
Travis kept switching from warm to cold, Brooke thought, but she had begun to detect a softening in him. Or so she hoped. She’d made up her mind to be persistent, even if she had to drag every word out of him. “Is that all you grow?”
“We do have a couple of fields planted in cotton, but the rest is cane. There is a great deal of money to be made with a good crop. But it’s also riskier.”
“Why more so than cotton?”
“Tariffs. And the weather. Sugar coming from other countries carries high tariffs. We
Similar Books
