Read Online Vampires and Vixens (Psy-Vamp) by Cassandra Lawson - Free Book Online

neither
did she. “I can't believe that you tack your own horses.”
    He raised one brow. “Do I look too weak
for manual labor?”
    That was laughable. “Weak is not a word
I associate with you. For some reason, I just assumed that you would hire
someone to do this sort of thing. I guess that was a silly assumption.”
    “I prefer to take care of my own
horses.” He put his hand on the Arabian. “I took the liberty of selecting a
horse for you.”
    “She's beautiful. What's her name?”
Hannah asked as she stroked the mare’s neck.
    “Minnie Mouse,” he said sounding a
little embarrassed.
    She giggled. “You named your horse
Minnie Mouse.”
    “No,” he replied a little awkwardly. “I
let one of my much younger cousins name her. He had just come back from Disney
World.”
    “Well, Minnie Mouse,” she spoke gently
to the mare, as she continued to stroke her neck, “you are a beautiful baby.”
Hannah had always had a way with animals. Minnie Mouse nickered softy, and
leaned into her. The bay danced to get closer to her. “I’m sorry, you sweet
boy, I didn’t mean to ignore you,” she said as she walked over to the gelding.
    “That’s Beast,” Nathaniel said. “Be
careful with him, he doesn’t like most people.”
    Hannah reached out a tentative hand, and
Beast whinnied in excitement as he pushed his nose into her hand. She laughed.
“You’re just a big old softy, aren’t you, Beast?”
    “Amazing,” Nathaniel murmured. “You have
a way with horses.”
    “I’ve always felt like I could almost
understand what the animals around me were saying, and they just sort of like
me. Lydia teases me about it all of the time because I have animals that follow
me home every day. Usually it’s just cats and the occasional escaped hamster.”
Hannah looked away, hoping that he wouldn’t make a Dr. Doolittle joke.
    Nathaniel obviously sensed her
discomfort and changed the subject. “Are your classes going well?”
    She hesitated. “I guess so. I’m having a
little trouble with Statistics.”
    “Noah can tutor you,” he offered.
    “I’m sure Noah has much better things to
do with his time.”
    Nathaniel waved a dismissive hand. “I’m
sure he’ll want to do it.’ He obviously considered the discussion over. “I
wasn’t sure if you preferred a Western or English saddle,” he said, pointing to
the western saddles on the horses.
    “Actually, I only ride in an Australian
saddle,” she said with a playful grin.
    The joke seemed to go over his head. He
looked worried. “I didn’t even consider that possibility,” he muttered to
himself. “I think I have two, but I’m not sure either would be a good fit for
Minnie. I’ll get another horse ready.”
    She laughed, and he seemed to relax. “You’re
teasing me?” he asked.
    She nodded. “Western saddles are fine.”
    She was still smiling when he leaned in
to kiss her. To her disappointment, it was another quick peck on the cheek.
    “I’ll help you mount,” he said as he
reached for her.
    She pushed his hands away. “I’ve been
riding as long as I can remember. Trust me; I can handle this on my own.”
    He looked impressed as she quickly swung
onto the back of the white mare. He slipped his dark glasses on, mounted his
horse, and they were off.
    They started off slow, but quickly
picked up the pace. They rode in silence. It had been months since she’d been
on a horse and she had missed it. She was glad that he was letting her simply
enjoy the ride.
    Hannah was a little disappointed when
they got back. She decided to let Nathaniel help her down. Not because she
needed help, but because she liked the way his hands felt on her waist. The
adrenaline from the ride made her feel bold. When he set her on the ground, she
placed her hands on the sides of his head and pulled him toward her. He leaned
in and kissed her. This was not a chaste peck on the cheek, his mouth pressed against
hers. His hands remained on her waist, pulling her closer to