A McKaslin Homecoming (The McKaslin Clan) by Jillian Hart Read Free Book Online Page B

compensation. How responsible he was. How good.
    There was good in everyone, she reminded herself. But lessons learned had taught her there was bad, too, and that’s what hurt a person. She had to keep up her guard.
    Still, it was hard to keep up her guard when the man in question had just come to her rescue. A few of the horses backed off and there was Caleb, weaving his fingers together to offer her a step up.
    “You ready?” Not only was there a lightchallenge in the crook of his grin but also a steady burning reassurance that made it seem as if everything would turn out perfect.
    “As ready as I’ll ever be.” She eyed Tasha’s back, which looked much wider and higher than she’d ever imagined a horse’s back to be. “Are you sure I don’t need a saddle?”
    “I’m sure, city girl. Put your foot in my hand—no, the other one. That’s right. Grab hold of her mane. And you’re gonna swing your leg over. Take care not to give her a kick in the backside. Lift your foot all the way over.”
    Tasha seemed to be worried about that, too, as she swung her head around to keep an eye on the goings-on. She really did seem like a nice horse, Lauren thought. Just the kind of horse she’d always wanted as a little girl.
    “Don’t worry,” she told the mare. “I won’t kick you for the world.”
    Caleb lifted her and up she went. Just like that she was on Tasha’s back. She was careful not to bump her shoe against Tasha’s side, either, as she tried to adjust to the rather strange sensation.
    “This isn’t like sitting on a chair.” For one thing, the mare felt so alive . Lauren felt the ripple of muscle and strength, and she had to adjust her balance when the horse shifted a little and tossed her head. Definitely a weird sensation. Probably something similar to standing on the top pole of a sailboat in mid ocean. Plus, the ground seemed a mile away down there. And the grass, which was soft when she’d been earthbound, looked as hard as brick.
    Falling off would definitely be a very bad idea. She gripped Tasha’s mane with both hands and wished she’d talked Caleb into saddling the horse. Tasha’s coat was like expensive velvet and it wouldn’t take much to go sliding right off.
    But Caleb had a steadying hold on her ankle. “It’s a whole different perspective from up there, isn’t it?”
    “Yes.” She let out a breath and realized once the initial panic was over, being horseback was very pleasant. Like touching a little dream.
    Caleb released his grip on her ankle and she was really doing it, really on the back of a beautiful mare. With the wide meadowfenced in and the morning wind bathing her face, it felt like anything was possible.
    Caleb had hopped up onto Leo’s back and came to gather up Tasha’s reins. With quiet competence, he handed them to Lauren, and she noticed, this close, that his eyes weren’t as dark as she’d first thought. His brown irises were threaded with bronze and green. She could also see the freshly shaven angle of his jaw.
    Not that she should be noticing those things. It wasn’t as if she could possibly be interested, right?
    But as he showed her how to hold the reins in one hand, she noticed more about him than what he was saying about riding. His nose was very straight and not too big, just right for his strongly angled face. And while he was a big man, he was athletic and moved easily. He laid his gloved hand over hers, showing her how to hold on to Tasha’s coarse mane. He seemed so self-assured, Lauren didn’t want to point out that she didn’t know how a handful of horse hair was going to keep her from toppling right off.
    “That’s it, now gentle pressure against her sides with your heel,” he instructed.“Not like they show in the movies with a kick. You do that and she’ll either take off at a dead gallop or turn around and bite your ankle.”
    “You said she didn’t bite.”
    “Mostly she doesn’t.” He winked.
    Yeah, he thought he was so