Free A Change of Pace by JM Cartwright Page B

and more. Ridge learned that Drew had been riding for over fifteen years and had owned horses for the last ten years or so. It was one of his few passions, it seemed.
    “Tell me again what kind of horse she is? Why is she so big?”
    “She’s an American Warmblood; that’s a cross between a draft -- in this case, a Percheron -- and a thoroughbred. You know, like the racehorses. The drafts are the big breeds -- and since I’m a big guy, I wanted a big horse, and I wanted a good temperament.” Drew ran his hand up under her mane, rubbing her arched, muscled neck. “She’s a sweetheart.”
    Drew looked at Ridge, who was staring at him, smiling as he waxed enthusiastic about his horse. “Now that she’s here, I can ride both of you.”
    “Drew!” Flushing hotly, Ridge quickly looked around to see if anyone was standing near them. With relief, he saw that they were well away from any other humans at that moment. “Jesus!” Taking a deep, shuddering breath, he stared at the ground, unsure of himself. Drew’s boldness both thrilled and unsettled him.
    “What?” It was a stretch for such a tough-looking guy to sound innocent.
    Releasing a huffed breath, Ridge looked around again, a quick darting glance. “Somebody might hear you.”
    “Hey. I kept my voice down.”
    “This is North Carolina, you know. Even though this part of the state is fairly gay-friendly, um, you might want to watch it. This isn’t Chicago.”
    Frowning, Drew gave him a look. “I know that.”
    “Yeah? Well, you better stick to hugging your horse.”
    “Fine. Harsh my mellow, why don’t you?” Drew jerked his head to the side. “Come on. I want to put her in the turnout.”
    Ridge followed, keeping off to the side, away from Bella’s hind feet. “Look. It’s just that, um, well, don’t they have macho stable guys around here?” He watched as Drew led the big mare to a shady paddock.
    Snorting, Drew unlatched the gate. “Yeah, maybe. But I’ve met my share of riders who are in the club. Danny -- now there was a real prince.” Inside the gate, Drew removed Bella’s halter, then gently rubbed her muzzle. “Go on, girl. Relax.”
    “Who’s Danny?”
    Shrugging irritably, Drew closed the gate and started walking to the barn. “Just some asshole who thought he could get away with screwing around on me.” He waved toward the stately building. “I’m going to check my tack. C’mon.”
    It took Ridge’s eyes a few seconds to adjust to the darkened interior of the wooden building. Sniffing, he glanced around. There was most definitely an animal smell, but it was clean and earthy, layered with the scents of wood shavings and hay. The aisles had concrete floors and the stalls were built with what his experienced eye noted was tongue-in-groove cypress, with metal bars topping the wood and a half-gate at each entrance. Huh. As high-end inside as outside.
    Turning his head, he spotted Drew disappearing into a room halfway down the aisle. He walked in behind his cranky lover. There were saddles and other horsey stuff everywhere.
    “Wow. I haven’t seen this much leather since the time I was at The Exit.” At Drew’s suspicious look, he grinned crookedly. “It’s a leather bar up in town.”
    “You’ve been to a leather bar.” Drew’s skepticism was obvious.
    How to answer? “Um. Well, Shelby -- that’s my friend -- and I were goofing around one night and, um, we kind of dared each other to, well, go inside.” He lifted his shoulders in an awkward shrug.
    “Uh-huh.” Drew bent down and grabbed a large moving box, setting it on top of a big wooden trunk. “And how’d that go?”
    “Uh.” Ridge rolled his eyes, grimacing. “Okay, we were stupid, all right?”
    “You were fresh meat, you mean.” Drew ripped open the tape along the top of the box, then began pulling out packing material, tossing it on the floor. When he pulled out a big, black saddle, Ridge reached over to help him work it clear of the