Seduction At Sunset by Cristina Grenier Read Free Book Online Page A

of
the violent horse as they plunged around the corral.  “Get down off of that
goddamned fence!” he yelled.
    She did as she was told, but
she was fuming inside at being spoken in that manner.  She was going to give
him a piece of her mind. The violence in the corral ended and she saw the man
dismount and lead the horse to the gate.  He opened it and led the horse
through.  In that first moment when she caught sight of him on the ground, a
thrill raced through her.  He was tall and muscular.  His shoulders were broad
and he tapered to a small waist and hips.  He looked at her briefly, with his
penetrating blue eyes from a ruggedly sculpted face, scanned her from head to
foot, cracked a half-smile and then turned to lead the horse to the barn.
    Her temper flared again.  He
was ignoring her again.  “Mister, you had no call to speak to me that way,” she
called out as she picked her way toward the barn with small, quick steps which
had little chance of catching up to his long, graceful strides.  He didn’t
answer her.  “Did you hear me?  You had no right to speak to me that way.  I
don’t appreciate being cursed like a dog,” she replied.
    “I wouldn’t curse my dog,” he
replied quietly as he began to unsaddle the horse.  He still did not look at
her or acknowledge her presence.  He very coolly began unfastening the buckle
on the back cinch and then the breast collar and front cinch as well.  She
finally caught up to him as he was beginning to remove the saddle from the back
of the horse.  She had stepped directly in his path and as he turned the saddle
struck her and she tumbled to the ground.  The border collie was instantly in
her face.  “Candy”, he spoke sharply and the dog stepped back and lay down.  He
dropped the saddle and reached down to help her up.  “I’m sorry, mam,” he said
as he extended his hand to her.  His voice was deep and rich.  “Are you okay?”
    She looked up into his blue
eyes, felt the genuine care shoot through her and saw the large, rough hand
that he held out to her.  She took it and he pulled her off of the ground as if
she were nothing more than a feather.  She stumbled a little bit with her
stilettos in the soft dirt and fell into his chest.  What a wonderful accident,
she thought as she felt the firm muscles of his body and smelled the musky
scent of him.  She lingered for a moment and then gathered herself together. 
“I’m sorry,” she said, pulling back from him.
    “It’s alright,” he grinned. 
“Those aren’t very good shoes for being out in the barn.”
    “You don’t like my shoes?” she
flirted.  Why the hell was she flirting?  This man was a total stranger, but
she felt a mystique which was so salvage in him.  It touched some place deep
inside of her that she had never known before.
    “I like your shoes just fine,”
he said, turning to pick up the saddle and carry it into the tack room.  “It
just isn’t a good place to be wearing them.”
    He had the unnerving habit of
walking away from her and it both irritated and excited her when he did it.  He
wasn’t like all of the other men who caught sight of her with their lustful
eyes and were in constant pursuit to own her.  Was she not appealing to him? 
Why the hell was she even thinking that?  Her head was a mass of confusion as
she followed him into the tack room. Once again she walked up close behind him
and as he turned he dodged to keep from hitting her and nearly knocked her down
again.  He reached out and caught her in his arms.  Her face was only inches
below his chin and he took a long, lingering look into her eyes and studied her
face.  “You know,” he whispered.  “You have a really bad habit of walking up to
close behind a man.”
    “You have a really bad habit of
walking away and ignoring a lady,” she replied.  He looked at her mouth for a
moment as she spoke and she was certain that he would kiss her, but he steadied
her, released her and