A Canyon Springs Courtship. Glynna Kaye

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      Chapter Four

      Nostrils flaring, the chestnut Taco suddenly lifted his head and emitted a powerfully shrill whinny that startled Macy into silence.

      Having detected the preemptive strike intention in Macy’s tone, Jake laughed and gave his equine friend a grateful pat. Perfect timing. He had something he wanted to say and the challenge he sensed in her words would have put him on the defensive. “I think you’d better get over here, Mace, and give these guys some attention. I don’t remember you being afraid of horses.”

      “I’m not.”

      He sensed her indecision, though. Should she allow herself to be distracted or pick up where she’d left off? She again approached, probably more uneasy around him at the moment than she was the tethered horses.

      Beamer stretched his neck toward her and she patted the top of his nose. He pushed forward to sniff her and she quickly stepped back to prevent him from getting anything on that pretty dress.

      “Here. I snagged these off a veggie tray.” Jake fished in his jacket pocket and handed her a carrot stick. “Place it on the flat of your hand at the base of your fingers. Keep your fingers together and thumb tucked to the side. Then arch your hand downward and let him lip it off.”

      “He won’t bite me?”

      “Naw.” He pulled out another carrot stick and demonstrated with Taco. Beamer pushed in, looking for his fair share, and Jake nodded to Macy. “Go ahead. He’s ready for his.”

      Gingerly, she held out her hand as Jake had instructed and immediately Beamer’s lips grazed her palm, searching for the treat. Finding it, he slipped it into his mouth and stepped back to crunch it. Loudly.

      Macy laughed. “He didn’t waste any time.”

      Jake handed her another carrot, but from her cautious glance in his direction she seemed to sense he was biding his time. And he was. After the passage of time, you’d think he’d have had anything he intended to say engraved in his memory, but having her here, right now, his mind drew a blank.

      She toyed with the carrot in her hand. “You know, Jake, this is going to be a long four weeks for both of us if you intend to monitor my comings and goings each and every day.”

      “I always go to church. Ask anybody.”

      “Nevertheless, considering yesterday’s conversation, don’t tell me it hasn’t crossed your mind to keep an eye on me.”

      A corner of his mouth turned up in admission. He patted Taco’s neck, then again scratched behind the big animal’s ear. “I wanted to talk to you about that.”

      “That’s what I thought.” Her voice held a note of resignation.

      He kept his eyes trained on the horse now rummaging for another treat. “I want to apologize for yesterday, Macy.”

      From the intake of her breath, that was the last thing she expected to hear come out of his mouth. Studying her thoughtfully, he gently pushed the horse’s head away. “We had ourselves a little standoff, didn’t we?”

      Her words came softly. “I’m not the enemy, Jake.”

      “I know that.”

      “Well...” She drew another breath. “Yesterday it sure didn’t feel like you did.”

      “I’m sorry.”

      If the sudden crease on her smooth forehead was any indication, she wasn’t convinced of his sincerity. Maybe a contrite Jake wasn’t something she’d been accustomed to in the past?

      “People all over the country love my blog.” She motioned to the building next to them. “As you saw, towns love my slant on their communities and welcome me wherever I go.”

      Macy slipped another carrot into Beamer’s mouth. “You said you’ve read my posts and admitted they’re done well. Why can’t you trust me to fairly report СКАЧАТЬ