Page 69 of Breaking All The Rules
He chuckled as he looked around. “At what?”
Bea shrugged. “A rattlesnake? I’ve seen that happen.”
“What?” He laughed. “In a movie?”
Well…yes. Bea might not have seen much television in the last fifteen years, but she’d been raised on the old black-and-white Westerns favored by her grandmother. “I know you have them out here. I googled it before I moved.”
Sue her if she liked to be prepared where deadly creatures were involved.
“Uh-huh, we do. But did you see a rattlesnake the six times we’ve been around already?”
“Well…no.”
“Okay then. So do you want to try going around a few times yourself?”
Bea nodded, remembering she’d worn her Thursday panties today, on a Sunday, for just this reason—to bolster her courage. “Fine.”
Austin smiled and stepped a few paces away. “Over to you, then.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Right. She could do this. Bea glanced down at the horse, waiting for her to move. Buffy did not move. She shot a quizzical look at Austin, who had climbed the fence and was watching her perched on the top rail with the faintest trace of smugness on his features. She should be mad, but all she really wanted to do was kiss that expression right off his face. “So…how do I get her to move? Pull on the reins or…?”
“Give her flanks a gentle dig with your heels.”
Bea blinked. Right. Just like that…but Austin was looking at her like he was expecting her to fail, and she sat a little straighter in the saddle. She tapped Buffy’s right flank with the heel of her boot. Buffy didn’t budge. Austin’s eyebrow kicked up when she looked to him for guidance, and Bea narrowed her eyes a little before trying with her other heel.
But Buffy, apparently, was disinterested in moving.
“Try both of them together.”
“That won’t hurt her?”
He shook his head, that damn sexy smile playing with his mouth. “She’s as tough as old boots.”
Bea tried both heels. Still no luck. It was clear Buffy wasn’t just tough, she was freaking immovable. But Bea was not going to be defeated. She made a clicking noise like Austin had done and wriggled in the saddle a little as she said, “Let’s go, girl.” It barely caused an ear twitch. She looked at Austin. “I don’t think she likes me.”
He shrugged. “Nah, she can just be old and crotchety sometimes.”
A rather inelegant snort slipped from Bea’s lips. “I know how she feels.”
Austin laughed, but then he clicked twice under his tongue. “Walk on,” he commanded, and Buffy ambled off again.
Her hands tightened on the reins as Bea glared at him. “Could you not just have done that to start with?”
He grinned. “Learn, you must.”
Rolling her eyes, Bea held on tight and tried to remember to relax again and get into the rhythm. After two rotations, Austin asked, “You okay if she picks up the pace a little?”
Feeling brave and, hell, even a little daring, Bea nodded. “A fraction, sure.” No need to go wild.
He nodded and clicked again. “Hey up, Buff,” he commanded.
And just like that, the horse picked up speed. It wasn’t exactly a trot, more a fast walk, but enough to accelerate Bea’s pulse for a short burst until she realized she could handle it, and it settled again. She was definitely bouncing more now as she tried to relax into the rhythm and keep her center, which was a lot harder than she’d have thought.
Despite her concentration on the horse, she was very much aware of Austin’s gaze. She couldn’t see it because she was keeping her eyes firmly fixed on Buffy, but she could feel it. And it wasn’t one of concern or anxiousness. He was totally checking out her ass as it lifted off the saddle.
And for damn sure he was staring at her bouncing chest.
