Free Most Eligible Cowboy (Peach Valley Romance Book 1) by Carly Morgan Page B

later so her outfit was similar to his. She’d worn the yellow boots he’d given her, a pair of newish dark jeans, and a loose fitting plaid shirt.
    “Hi,” she said as she walked by.
    Jackson had one of the horses out of its stall and was brushing it. He looked up when she spoke and smiled. “Maya.” He noticed everything she carried.
    “I’m going to put this stuff away and I’ll be back.”
    He nodded once and went back to brushing the horse. It sounded like he talked to the horse as well.
    After she dropped off her equipment, she ran a brush through her hair and put on some lip-gloss, thinking fresh lips never hurt anyone. She put her camera around her neck and headed back outside. By the time she returned to the barn, he’d put away the brush and was inspecting the horse’s foot. “What are you doing?” Maya asked, coming up beside him.
    Jackson dropped the foot and stood. “Have you ever been riding?” His face was stern.
    “No.” She suddenly felt worried. The movies made it look like so much fun.
    He grunted and she thought perhaps he was mad. “If you’d rather go alone, I can stay here and take photos, then walk out to the pond. I don’t want to cause you any stress.”
    “It’s not that, but I think for today, you and I can ride one horse together.” He smiled. “After I give you a quick lesson in horse etiquette.”
    Maya felt her eyebrows raise in question.
    “First, you need to let the horse get to know you. So come here.” He held out his hand.
    Maya paused as nervous anxiety ran through her.
    “Come on. The horse shouldn’t bite.”
    “Not encouraging,” she said.
    Jackson chuckled, taking her hand. When their fingers and palms touched, tingles ran up her arm, like wild fire in an open field. He had her stand in front of him. “Horses prefer you touch them on certain parts of their body to say hello. It’s good to hold out your hand first and it never hurts if you have a sugar cube.” He produced one from his front pocket and placed it on her outstretched hand. “This is Shadow.” When Jackson spoke, the horse’s ears twitched and he clopped forward. He’s an appaloosa and is seven years old.” While he spoke, he came up behind her so that their bodies nearly touched, his hand cupped hers, holding her hand completely flat. Shadow sniffed before taking the sugar with his lips. The soft skin around his mouth touched her palm. It was soft, softer than she thought it would be and the horse’s whiskers tickled. “Do you know why when you feed a horse you should keep your hand flat?” His voice came right against her ear and she shivered.
    “No.”
    “It’s so that the horse doesn’t accidentally bite your skin. He wouldn’t mean to, but if it’s near the food you’re trying to feed him, he might mistake your hand for the sugar and you could get bit. So it’s a safety precaution. Okay?”
    “Got it.”
    Jackson stepped away and she took a step back, feeling off balance without his presence near.
    “Second, never be at the back of a horse. You’ll scare it and end up getting kicked. That is not something you want to experience.”
    She nodded, swallowing.
    “If you need to pass around the back side of a horse, place your hand here and walk around.” He demonstrated. “This way the horse knows where you are at all times.”
    Maya crossed her arms, hugging herself.
    “Now let me show you how to saddle a horse.”
    She watched with increasing horror as he checked each of the horses hooves, explaining that he wanted to make sure they were clean before riding so that they wouldn’t get thrown. Then he put on the reins, followed by the saddle blanket and the saddle. It had to be buckled tight so that it wouldn’t slide off, but not so tight as to make the animal uncomfortable. When he finished, he showed her how to climb on, while he held the reins. Jackson actually let her sit in the saddle, which felt weirder than anything she’d ever sat in while he sat behind