Cowboys Down Read Online Free PDF Page B

serious. Oh God. When Jasper felt the push of her leg as well, he locked his knees together.
    “Do you know Prince William and Kate?” Melissa asked.
    “No.”
    “Have you met Queen Elizabeth?” asked Janie.
    “Yes.” She’d given his father an award and Jasper had been with him.
    “Wow,” Melissa said. “I had my life saved by a friend of the Queen of England.”
    Jasper opened his mouth to correct her and then thought—why bother? When she turned to tell the couple next to her, he wished he had. By the time it had spread around the table, he’d probably be a minor royal. He picked up his toast and put it down again. There was no way he could eat anything. Why wasn’t he in Greece looking forward to exploring an ancient amphitheater?
    “Morning, folks,” Erik said as he walked into the room. “A beautiful day for riding. And if by lunchtime, your aching muscles tell you they’ve had enough, we have fishing or a scenic Jeep trip arranged for this afternoon.”
    I can lie in the sun and do nothing all day. I don’t have to ride.
    “It’s up to the wranglers to pick you out a pony. Don’t argue or you’ll find you get the most ornery animal we have and he’ll drive you crazy by the end of the day because he won’t go one damn place you ask him, and he won’t move a fraction faster than he wants to.”
    Sounded like a dream horse to Jasper. His hand slipped over the roll of sugar-free mints in his pocket. The way to any horse’s heart. Though knowing his luck, he’d probably get a mutant horse that hated mints. He slipped the apple into his other pocket.
    “Now I can see some of you are already dressed in suitable clothes.” Erik smiled at the two couples standing near him who were in tatty jeans, long-sleeve shirts and vests. “Don’t forget your hats.”
    Erik wandered down the table to Melissa and Janie, who got up to pose. “You look real pretty, ladies, but you’ll ruin those outfits.”
    “That’s okay. We bought lots with us.” Melissa gave him a broad smile.
    Jasper had been trying to think what the two of them reminded him of and he suddenly got it. The cowgirl in the animated movie about toys he’d watched while babysitting his neighbors’ kids. White shirts trimmed with yellow, jeans with cow-print chaps and red cowboy hats dangling down their backs.
    Erik looked at their boots.
    “Seven pairs of boots too,” Janie said.
    Christ. No wonder they had so much luggage.
    “Something wrong with the food?” Erik snapped.
    That was aimed at him. Jasper flinched. “No, I—”
    “Boss,” Pete called from the door. “Can I have a word?”
    As Erik walked away, Jasper sighed. He was dressed okay, wasn’t he? No tie, a crisp, cream cotton shirt and blue chinos tucked into his old riding boots. And he wasn’t going to care if he got dirty.
    Well, not too much.
    He’d packed a stain remover just in case.
     
     
    One look at the wranglers leaning on the corral fence and the line of horses at their side and a day by the pool seemed even more attractive. I look like an idiot. Jasper hadn’t mastered the art of dressing down. He’d very nearly put on his tie, but it was his boots that looked stupid. Knee high, tight and black, they were show-jumper’s boots. He held the riding helmet behind his back. He’d assumed they’d all need hard hats for insurance purposes and he had one of his own, so why not bring it?
    Because no one else was going to be wearing one.
    He saw a couple of sly nudges and mutters pass between the wranglers when they saw his boots, but actually, in the grand scale of things, he didn’t care. Jasper was far more concerned about not freaking out when it was time to mount the horse. His heart thumped like an overloud bass on a car music system and his mouth had lost all moisture. Good thing Calum wasn’t around to laugh at him too.
    Oh shit, of course he is.
    Calum walked over with his father and Pete. Christ, he was wearing chaps. Well, Pete was too but Jasper