Debbi Rawlins

From This Moment On


Скачать книгу

with Matt or if Jamie calls.”

      “Ah. I won’t take it personally then.”

      She didn’t have to look to know he was grinning. She much preferred keeping her eye on the stalls as they walked by. A horse at the back made an angry sound. “Gee, don’t tell me…that’s Diablo.”

      “He’s still getting used to being penned in.”

      “Maybe we should turn around.”

      “You’ve trusted me this far. Give me five minutes. You can stand as far back as you want.”

      “The next county?” She sighed. “Five minutes.” Neither of them wore a watch. So what? She’d know when it was time to make a run for it.

      They got to the last stall, and Trace took his arm from around her shoulders. She moved back as he stood at the stall and stroked the horse’s neck.

      “Mustangs have a reputation for being harder to tame and train than other breeds. They’re innately suspicious of humans.”

      “So he was wild when Matt bought him?”

      “Someone else had him for a short while, but they couldn’t handle him.”

      It had taken Trace about three hours. She’d watched him from her window, awed by his patience, never speaking above a whisper. The horse had responded fairly quickly all things considered.

      “See this black hair rimming his ear? We call them black points.” Trace stayed focused on the stallion, murmuring things she couldn’t hear. She was beginning to think he’d forgotten about her when he said, “I have a proposition for you, Nikki.”

      “What’s that?” she asked, suspicious when his gaze remained on the horse.

      “Let me teach you to ride.”

      “Diablo?”

      “No.” The corners of his mouth quirked, but he kept the smile in check. “I have a Sundance mare in mind.”

      She didn’t care if it was a pony. “Why? What’s the point?”

      “You live on a ranch. It’ll be easier when you see you have nothing to fear.”

      “I’ve been doing just fine by staying in my own corner.”

      “You’re also missing out. Horses are terrific animals.” Trace met her eyes. “Come on, Nikki, give me a shot.”

      Breathing in deeply, she turned her gaze to the stallion, and watched Trace stroke its velvety neck. “Okay,” she said, the word nearly sticking in her throat. She hated feeling afraid…of anything.

       5

      THE NEXT DAY Trace waited for Nikki at the agreed upon spot, a grassy field between the Lone Wolf and the Sundance. It was the perfect place because she could easily access it by truck, and yet they’d have privacy.

      He’d brought Gypsy, a sweet bay mare that was a guest favorite because of her gentle disposition. She rarely spooked and she was also on the small side, a good size for Nikki to control. Not that he expected her to climb in the saddle right away. She had to get to know Gypsy first and let confidence squeeze out some of the fear.

      Damn, he hoped she hadn’t changed her mind. He glanced at his watch. She was only five minutes late. Nothing to sweat over. He thought he’d given her good directions but he might’ve taken a turn or two for granted. There weren’t many landmarks out here.

      He checked his phone to make sure she hadn’t called him to cancel, relieved to see he didn’t have a voice mail. It wouldn’t have shocked him if she’d had second thoughts, but she wouldn’t leave him dangling. A moment later he heard the truck, and through the aspens and spruces, saw flashes of chrome reflecting the sunlight.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEASABIAAD/4RcfRXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgABwESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUA AAABAAAAYgEbAAUAAAABAAAAagEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAUAAAAcgEyAAIAAAAUAAAAhodp AAQAAAABAAAAnAAAAMgAAABIAAAAAQAAAEgAAAABQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIDcuMAAyMDEzOjA1 OjI1IDIxOjMzOjE1AAAAAAOgAQADAAAAAf//AACgAgAEAAAAAQAABXigAwAEAAAAAQAACK8AAAAA AAAABgEDAAMAAAABAAYAAAEaAAUAAAABAAABFgEbAAUAAAABAAABHgEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAIBAAQA AAABAAABJgICAAQAAAABAAAV8QAAAAAAAABIAAAAAQAAAEgAAAAB/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEASABI AAD/7QAMQWRvYmVfQ00AAv/uAA5BZG9iZQBkgAAAAAH/2wCEAAwICAgJCAwJCQwRCwoLERUPDAwP FRgTExUTExgRDAwMDAwMEQwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwBDQsLDQ4NEA4OEBQO Dg4UFA4ODg4UEQwMDAwMEREMDAwMDAwRDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDP/AABEI AIAAUQMBIgACEQEDEQH/3QAEAAb/xAE/AAABBQEBAQEBAQAAAAAAAAADAAECBAUGBwgJCgsBAAEF AQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAEAAgMEBQYHCAkKCxAAAQQBAwIEAgUHBggFAwwzAQACEQMEIRIxBUFRYRMi cYEyBhSRobFCIyQVUsFiMzRygtFDByWSU/Dh8WNzNRaisoMmRJNUZEXCo3Q2F9JV4mXys4TD03Xj 80YnlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1VmZ2hpamtsbW5vY3R1dnd4eXp7fH1+f3EQACAgECBAQDBAUGBwcG BTUBAAIRAyExEgRBUWFxIhMFMoGRFKGxQiPBUtHwMyRi4XKCkkNTFWNzNPElBhaisoMHJjXC0kST VKMXZEVVNnRl4vKzhMPTdePzRpSkhbSVxNTk9KW1xdXl9VZmdoaWprbG1ub2JzdHV2d3h5ent8f/ 2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AOKy8UVXTRYy9rtWlv0htJ9rqz/0lFmR6WTTlAQ6t7HkDQAtIc6P3XbWq7lV A1EthjmuA00B/J/ZUvq50O/6wdTd05txx6qqzbc8jeQ2Wsa2tkt/SWPt/Ruc7YqkTcdeg18nRmOE 6ddvNp9UvxK/Uqqj3P3Nb7j7Hn1Kne78/wDOs/rq90bpYzMLNzs4wGMazFa92xu93vFrnN9npV0H 9Cz/AAlns+muv6d0b6styQ7LppyCX/ZGZbiyxhsY5+2vI27WYufdv9P0PT/SV1V+9Xup9V6Xhmrp wordj2H0RSQBWGj6LNsbdu76KZkyShGMTExJ1vfiHXhRihGc5SBE+HpsB5vB5X1Xv6ebreqi41Y7 2V44oDS99j3bG/ovz63bW/4RbPS8OrpOO+1wEdQsxq7aXtLgHNNjXHqVlI/QYLMn+coq/p2RT9m/ o6H9cOpMzLK8YWtrLnh73uksaG/nO2+53P0Ge9Usj6xdRuuez6vvfRg49bai6AwP2tI2CrVtNbvf 6dLnf8cgJZJxs9d79MeHp/jSXGEIy4QPKvVLi/8AQYvomKBZRFWdT1C3cWX2ODA91jSWP31VF/pt b/gK/wDB1fv/AE1z/WTjBzmFrPUaNW1v3kQYl7GS785UPq9gdNxscUH0sfJFDX25jLHAvsy3WObT Q23Y5npY9L8Xf/xn9dCyfqbiVMf6Z1rseZPPu2und9L6ahjECZ1lv1HF9iCDw2a/L/ouNnY4sBNI LhBcdvuEDl65vqFDqbYfEwOCDz/VXXnGvx7Was3MBJ9Y/oy1oLnttd+5tH9dc51+ksdW8Uvpr27W bzu1aXb2ettYyz0/oM/4H01oYtmnk3LkJJJKVif/0OeZVY/1MRjA59zPTrawB+10ssrfT+f7X1fm fpF1uPh43ScZ46aHUU3bG5mSCXZBY/8AQ15LrC2v0GU3/pK6f5q6v1fTs9JZeP8AV/reEyjrd2I0 CiX0YTt3r2Pf+gxfUY324/6xbS/32/oq6/VViy3qRxq3Wy/E9FhfbSxtxtqrcG22+m71qMe+9z6s HF3fa9+P/N+j6dqj5SETGRIEvVX2M/N5TxRjE6UmsL3WNyhX6eTfubkVNc1+/wBJxx8rGsbRue6q zIdi5Ta2P9av9Yso9K5Yf1rxnVY2N1QRbjsfNzLjAeXGBsi317rao9DN93qb/wBdZ+gyf0WvlDKx yKRlOJ0pssDzc5lmQft+ebKrG49rfseHT7LKdltfqUrms7qWD1DKqvfYaK2i+9lcu2teGv8AS9Fz 93rftD0avWq2M/Sfo/WU+WMZAAi+3gwYpSiSYmu/YhrdH6bZ1fLbjF80MrdeWNeC9waN/oU/Sd69 m136Nn6T/g1t24pb0qzZj+jVRZ6QqLdhJs9zWsa7a6xzmN9/76wLum5nTKa3ZDfSbZbFbIYbHlrK bWPo2OY59P6apnqss/nP8J6q6XoeX1/rOJmdKyrKspuKGufZk3Q6mzcbGsrc6t1ljaPS/TfaH/oN n8/+k9JZ+XHOfDPEROAI9N1+l65RPyybuLMInhmOEneS7/qmPrBhdPzqHsaGkjMuaYtO0srrstY4 N/m8Wr06fR9n/bty6FlVLaraa/UAYAQ253q2bZd+n9X+du+nsyGP3/ovT9JYGb1Tr/1dw8HC34/o ZO8YfpMc6+z3avsohzv0ltmyl7P55Wen09Sra7qHU8i02WMB9KlgDqdW2M3F/pbLWbf1j/R/o6E2 XGDES2GwP7GT0ShIxom9x/3bmdTa6Y3it9UuL+QGgfTG3d6jNjt/t/waweoX/Z73Y1llb6nNYTWH 76dJDaX7f8E9n81b/P436D+bW/1B11wcb/1fKo/S05VTd1dzHH6f2Yw6p9b9/r1sZs/pNVmMuU65 9mc0PYWCwBrAykPNYA3l535Aa9vuO2ulvqemz/CK1i06tTIx+wdL/wBIf+36f/IpLJSUrC//0dj6 yWvFtddl7vScx+S/Y0vMMab62ei02N/R1V/z+y2