BROKEN by Kimberley Reeves Read Free Book Online Page A

but surely she would suspect something wasn’t quite right if Diablo continued to balk every time they went for a ride.   So he waited until she was far enough ahead of him to rein his horse in.   Leaning down, he stroked the stallion’s neck, crooning softly until Diablo stopped pawing at the ground.  
    “We need to come to an understanding, pal, because you have the power to destroy things between Jessie and me.   She’s everything I’ve ever dreamed a woman could be, and I intend to hold onto that dream for all I’m worth.   Now you and I both know I’m not Adam, but if you help keep my little secret , I swear you’ll live out the rest of your life right here on this ranch with nothing but the softest straw to sleep on and the finest grain to fill your belly, maybe even a few pretty fillies in your stall .  W hat do you say?”
    Diablo threw his head up and let out   a low nicker.   Mitch didn’t know much about horses, but he knew enough to recognize the horse’s response was a good sign.   He’d seen how Diablo reacted to Del and some of the other men.   Sometimes he’d snort or let out a long, high pitched neigh and pin his ears back, other times he would blow air out of his nostrils and paw at the ground.   He wasn’t doing any of those things now.   He stood perfectly still, his head held up proudly, and Mitch couldn’t help the reverence he felt for this majestic animal.
    His gaze shifted across the pasture where Jessie waited.   How had she gotten to him so fast and so completely?   He’d only intended to stay a few weeks, give Jessie the good memories she deserved, then move on.   Now he couldn’t even envision a life without her.   And how was he going to explain to his parents, his sister, his friends, why she thought he was Adam?   Mitch pressed his heels into Diablo’s side, giving him full rein.   He couldn’t think about it right now, not with Jessie waiting for him.
    Exhilaration.   That was the only word Mitch could use to describe the feeling that charged through him as they sailed across the pasture.   He didn’t have much experience riding horses but he didn’t have any trouble staying in the saddle.   Diablo’s movements were so graceful, so smooth, Mitch had the sensation of flying and couldn’t say with any degree of certainty that the horse’s hooves were even touching the ground at all.   Within a matter of minutes , they were practically on top of Jessie and her horse.   Pulling back on the reins, he came along side of them, grinning from ear to ear.
    “I guess Diablo decided he was happy to see me after all.”  
    “You were magnificent, both of you,” she beamed.
    Mitch patted the horse’s neck affectionately.   “He sure can ride like the wind, can’t he?”
    “He needed to run off some that high spirit , otherwise he would be chomping at the bit the whole time we’re riding fence.”   She turned Serina around, calling over her shoulder, “If you two are through showing off, we have work to do.”
    “Don’t listen to her, boy,” Mitch said as they trailed after her.   “She’s just jealous because you’re faster than Serina.”   He leaned forward, lowering his voice.   “And thanks for not giving me away.”
    They rode for hours, stopping to repair any barbed wire that had come loose and marking posts that either needed to be reset or replaced altogether.   By the time they arrived back at the ranch, Mitch’s muscles ached from all the time spent straddling Diablo.   Jessie didn’t seem to have any side affects at all, but then she probably did this all the time.  
    He wasn’t happy with the idea that she went out alone while all the ranch hands were off tending to the cattle.   It terrified him to think what could have happened if she’d been thrown from her horse or tangled with a piece of barbed wire.   She could lay there for hours before any of the men returned to discover she was missing.   Well, there wasn’t