Cowboys Down

Cowboys Down by Barbara Elsborg Read Free Book Online Page B

Book: Cowboys Down by Barbara Elsborg Read Free Book Online
Authors: Barbara Elsborg
Blue back so the two horses walked side by side, but from his snorting and blowing, Blue was clearly anxious to race off. “You okay?”
    “Yes. I think I’d built this up in my mind to be something akin to taking a parachute jump. The fear of it worse than doing it—once I’d been pushed out of the plane, that is. Though now I’ve seen you’ve brought a rifle, I’m wondering if there’s something else for me to worry about.”
    “Nope, it’s just in case we meet a bear. When we’ve had one reported in the area, we don’t take chances.”
    Jasper smiled. “Nothing to worry about at all then.”
    “Not for me. Blue’s way faster than Zander.”
    Calum grinned and Jasper wished he’d worn looser pants.
    They travelled for quite awhile in comfortable silence before Calum spoke.
    “What do you do for a living?”
    “Stockbroker.”
    Calum chuckled. “Me too. Part of my job’s breaking stock. Any good at it?”
    “You don’t survive in the business for long if you’re not. Same for you I’d imagine. Have you always worked on the ranch?”
    “I went away to college, though not far. Wyoming’s in my blood, I guess.”
    Jasper looked around. Powder-blue skies stretched as far as he could see, punctuated by craggy peaks, some of them capped with snow. “You’re very fortunate to have this on your doorstep. A sky blue enough to swim in, snow-capped mountain peaks, rolling plains. It’s hard to think of anything more beautiful.” Don’t think about Calum naked.
    “Yeah, it’s great until you want to go to the movies or need your laptop repaired or you want to dance where no one’s going to laugh at you.”
    Jasper raised his eyebrows. “You like to dance?”
    “No, because I get laughed at. What about you?”
    “I don’t get laughed at because I don’t dance.” But I might with the right person.
    Calum smiled. “Want to encourage Zander to pick up the pace?”
    “I thought you said we wouldn’t be going above a walk.”
    “I lied. Going to show me you can persuade him without spurs?” He tugged his hat farther down on his head, kicked Blue and cantered away.
    Jasper dug his heels into Zander’s flanks, clicked his teeth, flicked the reins and the horse set off after Blue. At a slow trot.
    “That won’t do,” Jasper muttered. “Come on, boy. Don’t show me up.”
    He kicked harder at Zander’s flanks and urged the horse into a canter. As the ground began to run away beneath him, Jasper wanted to whoop.
    Oh Christ. He’d forgotten the fun, the exhilaration of being carried at speed on a horse’s back, the sound of hooves pounding, the sensation of all that muscular power between his legs. Calum glanced over his shoulder to check he was following and then yelled something that was carried away on the wind. Blue was much faster, but Zander tried to catch up. After a few minutes, Jasper reined him back. The last thing he needed was a horse to collapse under him because he’d pushed too hard.
    By the time he reached Calum, the cowboy was grinning ear to ear.
    He wheeled Blue alongside. “Like riding a bike.”
    “I thought you said Zander was old and slow.”
    “Maybe he needed someone with the right touch to bring him to life.”
    Jasper was glad his sunglasses hid his eyes. It would be easy to read too much into that.
    “Blue and Zander are pals. Zander will follow him anywhere. Even when he shouldn’t.”
    What was he supposed to read into that ?
    Nothing, idiot.
    They walked the horses for a while and spectacular views kept opening up of sagebrush plains, grassy meadows and rocky gorges—all framed by snow-capped mountains. Compared to London, this was another planet. No traffic, no police sirens polluting the air, just the sounds of a rushing river and snuffling horses. Large birds circled overhead, wings spread as they soared on warm currents.
    “Wow, eagles,” Jasper said.
    Calum looked up and laughed. “Buzzards. Probably looking for something that’s died.”
    Jasper

Similar Books

I Love You Again

Kate Sweeney

Fire & Desire (Hero Series)

Yvette Hines, Monique Lamont

Shafted

Mandasue Heller

Having It All

Kati Wilde

Tangled Dreams

Jennifer Anderson

Cold Springs

Rick Riordan

Fallen

Laury Falter

Now You See Him

Anne Stuart