Read Online The Reluctant Bride (Montana Born Brides) by Katherine Garbera - Free Book Online
Authors: Katherine Garbera
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eyes on the road. He drove through the quiet streets and out toward the valley, where a smattering of ranches dotted the landscape. Copper Mountain towered in the background, majestic as it was slowly revealed from underneath the clouds.
Monty turned off the main road onto a gravel drive that led to a huge red barn that had been converted into a house. His home.
He braked to a stop and then turned off the engine, putting one hand on the wheel as he turned to face her. “Do you ride?”
“ Not very well, but I have done it before,” she said, figuring she probably shouldn’t elaborate and tell him it had only been on a beach at an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean about five years ago.
“ Don’t worry, I’ve got just the horse for you.”
She followed him out of the cab over to the pasture where the horses were. Up close she didn ’t know if she could ride one. They were beautiful as they roamed the paddock, but as Monty saddled two of them, quietly working, she wasn’t sure she could do it.
“ You look like a natural,” she said.
“ I should. I grew up on a ranch in the Temecula Valley.”
He did? Her Marine was a real cowboy? “Where’s that?”
“ Southern California. Inland.”
“ Why are you in Marietta then? She asked.
“ It’s where you are.”
God, he wasn ’t going to give her any room to breathe. Or allow her to keep him at arms’ length. She had to figure herself out. Now. The hope in his eyes made her determined to do it.
Monty took his first deep breath once he was on the back of Butch Cassidy, the horse that Lane ’s older brother, Alec, had sold him. The mare, Sunshine, was a good trail horse, following Monty’s horse’s lead as he took the path toward the pasture. There, he felt he was a different kind of man. Someone who could build a different life, maybe get some cattle and start ranching the way his father had when he’d been younger.
California ranching was different from Montana ’s, that was sure. But there was a sameness to being in the saddle out on land he owned and in a place where no one had him in a rifle sight. He heard a squeaky yelp and glanced over his shoulder at Risa.
She had the reins clutched tight in one hand and with the other held on the pommel like it was her only hope. He had guessed she wasn’t much of a rider and hadn’t been around horses a lot, but being Risa, she’d been game for the ride.
“ You okay?”
“ Yeah. I’m fine. Just getting used to being back in the saddle.”
He doubted they had enough time this morning for that to happen. She held her body stiff and gave him a forced smile as he continued to watch her. “You sure you know how to ride?”
“ Oh, definitely. I mean I look like a pro, don’t I? And I’ve got these boots.”
“ I like those boots,” he said.
“ Thank you.”
Sunshine stopped to chew on some grass and Risa yanked weakly on the reins but didn ’t get a response. Monty turned his horse around and reached over to pull on Sunshine’s reins until the horse lifted her head. He handed them back to Risa. “Choke up some, so she won’t be tempted to put her head back down. Just a little further.”
She nodded, and he kicked his horse gently to get him moving up the path to the tree he ’d found a few days ago. At some point it must have fallen over, but the roots had been covered and it had continued to grow. It was bare and dormant now, its heavy trunk parallel to the ground before it swooped back up. He brought his horse to a stop next to it and got off, looping the reins over the horse’s neck. Butch was trained to stay.
He walked over to help Risa down.
“Thanks, I got this.”
But when she swung her leg over the saddle, it got caught, and she tumbled off the horse. Monty took a huge step and caught her before she hit the ground, but the impact knocked him off balance and he fell backward onto the icy ground. His breath was knocked out of him but he held her loosely above him.
She
Monty turned off the main road onto a gravel drive that led to a huge red barn that had been converted into a house. His home.
He braked to a stop and then turned off the engine, putting one hand on the wheel as he turned to face her. “Do you ride?”
“ Not very well, but I have done it before,” she said, figuring she probably shouldn’t elaborate and tell him it had only been on a beach at an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean about five years ago.
“ Don’t worry, I’ve got just the horse for you.”
She followed him out of the cab over to the pasture where the horses were. Up close she didn ’t know if she could ride one. They were beautiful as they roamed the paddock, but as Monty saddled two of them, quietly working, she wasn’t sure she could do it.
“ You look like a natural,” she said.
“ I should. I grew up on a ranch in the Temecula Valley.”
He did? Her Marine was a real cowboy? “Where’s that?”
“ Southern California. Inland.”
“ Why are you in Marietta then? She asked.
“ It’s where you are.”
God, he wasn ’t going to give her any room to breathe. Or allow her to keep him at arms’ length. She had to figure herself out. Now. The hope in his eyes made her determined to do it.
Monty took his first deep breath once he was on the back of Butch Cassidy, the horse that Lane ’s older brother, Alec, had sold him. The mare, Sunshine, was a good trail horse, following Monty’s horse’s lead as he took the path toward the pasture. There, he felt he was a different kind of man. Someone who could build a different life, maybe get some cattle and start ranching the way his father had when he’d been younger.
California ranching was different from Montana ’s, that was sure. But there was a sameness to being in the saddle out on land he owned and in a place where no one had him in a rifle sight. He heard a squeaky yelp and glanced over his shoulder at Risa.
She had the reins clutched tight in one hand and with the other held on the pommel like it was her only hope. He had guessed she wasn’t much of a rider and hadn’t been around horses a lot, but being Risa, she’d been game for the ride.
“ You okay?”
“ Yeah. I’m fine. Just getting used to being back in the saddle.”
He doubted they had enough time this morning for that to happen. She held her body stiff and gave him a forced smile as he continued to watch her. “You sure you know how to ride?”
“ Oh, definitely. I mean I look like a pro, don’t I? And I’ve got these boots.”
“ I like those boots,” he said.
“ Thank you.”
Sunshine stopped to chew on some grass and Risa yanked weakly on the reins but didn ’t get a response. Monty turned his horse around and reached over to pull on Sunshine’s reins until the horse lifted her head. He handed them back to Risa. “Choke up some, so she won’t be tempted to put her head back down. Just a little further.”
She nodded, and he kicked his horse gently to get him moving up the path to the tree he ’d found a few days ago. At some point it must have fallen over, but the roots had been covered and it had continued to grow. It was bare and dormant now, its heavy trunk parallel to the ground before it swooped back up. He brought his horse to a stop next to it and got off, looping the reins over the horse’s neck. Butch was trained to stay.
He walked over to help Risa down.
“Thanks, I got this.”
But when she swung her leg over the saddle, it got caught, and she tumbled off the horse. Monty took a huge step and caught her before she hit the ground, but the impact knocked him off balance and he fell backward onto the icy ground. His breath was knocked out of him but he held her loosely above him.
She
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