Palomino by Danielle Steel Read Free Book Online

how hard everyone else worked.
    When Sam had called Caroline this time, she had told Sam that at the moment they were short two men and Samantha was welcome to help out. It was going to be a busy vacation for Samantha, of that she was sure. She figured that most likely she would do small jobs in the stables, take care of some of the horses, and maybe help clean out some of the stalls. She knew just how unlikely it was that she would get a chance to do much more. Not that she wasn’t able to. Samantha had long since proven her skill on a horse. A rider at five, in horse shows at seven, Madison Square Garden at twelve, and three blue ribbons and a red, jumping competitions thereafter, and a couple of years when she had dreamed of the Olympics and when she had spent every living moment she hadwith her own horse. But once she’d gone to college there hadn’t been much time for horses, the dream of the Olympics faded, and in the years afterward she almost never had time to ride. It was only when she had visited the ranch with Barbara, or when she met someone with horses once in a great while, that she still got a chance to ride. But she knew that as a “city gal,” she would not likely be trusted by hands to work with them, unless Caroline interfered on her behalf.
    “Been riding much lately?” As though reading her thoughts, Bill leaned toward her with a smile.
    She shook her head. “You know, I don’t think I’ve been on a horse in two years.”
    “You’ll be mighty sore by this time tomorrow.”
    “Probably.” They exchanged a quiet smile as they drove on in the early evening. “But it’ll probably feel good. That’s a nice kind of sore.” Tired knees and aching calves—it wasn’t like the aching spirit she had borne these last months.
    “We’ve got some new palominos, a new pinto, and a whole mess of Morgans, all of which Caroline bought this year. And then”—he almost grunted as he said it—“she’s got this crazy damn horse. Don’t ask me why she bought it, except some damn fool nonsense about he looks like a horse in some movie her husband made.” He looked at Sam disapprovingly. “She bought herself a Thoroughbred. Hell of a fine horse. But we don’t need a horse like that on a ranch. Looks like a damn racehorse … runs like one too. She’s going to kill herself on it. No doubt about it. Told her so myself.”
    He glared at Sam and she smiled. She could justimagine elegant Caroline on her Thoroughbred, racing across the fields as though she were still a young girl. It would be wonderful to see her again, wonderful to be back there, and suddenly Samantha felt a wave of gratitude wash over her. She was so glad she had come after all. She cast a sideways glance at Bill as he drove the last few miles toward the ranch that had been his home for more than two decades, and Samantha found herself wondering again just exactly how far his involvement with Caroline went. At sixty-three, he was still virile and handsome, the broad frame, the long legs, the strong arms, the powerful hands, and the brilliant blue eyes all combined to give him an aura of power and style. On him the Stetson looked marvelous, on him the blue jeans seemed to be molded to his legs. None of it looked trite or silly. He was the best of his breed, the proudest of his kind. The rugged lines of his face only helped to enhance the well-chiseled features, and the deep husky baritone voice was precisely what it had been. He was easily six feet four without the Stetson, and with it, he was literally a towering man.
    As they drove through the front gates of the ranch, Samantha breathed a sigh of relief—of pain—of lots of feelings. The road stretched on for another mile after the sign that said LORD RANCH with a handsomely carved L, which they also used in their brand. Samantha felt like an anxious child as she caught her breath, expecting to see the house suddenly loom toward them, but it was another ten minutes before they rounded