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He urged forward just a little more, and his deep, booming voice seemed to be all it took. “Whoa! Whoa!” The woman continued to pull on the reins, albeit a little too hard—causing the horse to rear upward.
“No!” He shouted, but it was too late. She slipped off the back of the horse and landed in a patch of flowers with a thwump.
5
Emma
Surrounded by a sea of brightly colored flowers, Emma stared up at the blue sky. Nothing was more bruised than her ego. She couldn’t believe she’d let her horse get away from her so easily. Not only that, but the animal didn’t seem to care that she was the rider and it was the beast of burden.
A face materialized over the side of the flowers, staring down at her with concern mingled with irritation. This man’s attitude from the other night must be a regular thing. “Are you okay?” he said gruffly.
Emma groaned and closed her eyes.
The flowers parted, and she sensed more than saw him kneel beside her. “Does it feel like anything’s broken?” he demanded. “Tell me now before I do something stupid like move you.”
“I’m fine,” she whispered.
He stilled beside her. “Are you sure?”
There was nothing to do but laugh at this point. Emma’s laughter startled the horses nearby, but thankfully they didn’t take off running like before. She opened her eyes and turned her head so she could get a good look at the man who had probably saved her life. “Yes, I’m sure.” She groaned again as she rose up on her elbows. “These flowers cushioned my fall well enough. But I can tell you one thing, I’m not ever getting on another horse after that ride.”
He lifted a brow. “I’m sorry to break this to you, but in order to get back, you’re going to have to get back in that saddle. Do you realize how far we are from the barn?”
She sat up fully and shook her head. “I think I’d rather walk. If the horse can do it, so can I.” Emma got to her feet and brushed off her pants. She lifted a hand to her head, then gasped and spun around. “I lost my hat.”
“I’m sure there will be others,” he said, standing beside her.
She shook her head. “No, it actually wasn’t mine. I was borrowing it.” Her face flushed with further embarrassment. Not only had she lost control of her horse, but she’d lost the hat and her sunglasses. This ride had turned into something that nightmares were made of. She dug her hands into her hair and let out another sharp laugh. “I really hope Sophia isn’t going to kill me.”
The mere mention of the woman’s name was all it took for her to burst through the trees she’d likely cut through. “Emily!” she called. “Are you okay?” When she got closer, she barely sent the cowboy a look at all. She slipped down from the saddle and rushed toward Emma before looking her over from head to toe. “Please tell me you’re okay. I would never forgive myself if something?—”
Emma laughed. “I’m fine. This…” Her voice trailed off as she looked up at Mr. Grumpy. “He helped stop the horse.”
Sophia glanced toward him. “What are you doing all the way out here, Caleb? I thought you and Mateo were doing some training or something.”
“He got a call that one of your dogs is in labor.”
Sophia’s eyes widened. “Lucy? She’s having her puppies?” She rushed over to her horse. “I have to help.” Then she paused and glanced at Emma. “Are you going to be okay? Lucy was my puppy when I was a teenager. This might be her last set of puppies. I’m so, so sorry.”
Emma shook her head and waved at Sophia with a dismissive hand. “You go ahead. I’m sure I’ll be fine. Caleb has to head that way, too, right?”
He stiffened visibly and stared at her as if she’d asked him for his hand in marriage.
“See? He’s going back. We’ll be fine. Don’t you worry.”
Sophia shifted her attention to Caleb. “Really? That would be so great.”
Caleb looked as if he’d been cornered. Well, that was exactly what had happened. He’d been trapped into helping Emma get home. His shoulders slumped slightly, and his eyes darkened. “Yeah, whatever.”
Sophia was fully saddled at that point, and she took off like a bullet, leaving Emma alone with Caleb.
Emma sighed. “Do you think we might be able to go back and look for my hat?”
“Your hat—” he practically choked out. “You want to go back for a hat?”
“And my sunglasses.” She dusted off her pants and moved to walk past him, but he held up an arm to stop her.
“Absolutely not.”
