No Place for a Lady Read Online Free PDF Page A

She was swinging a knapsack that held their
lunches. There was something awfully sweet and innocent about
Crystal that was reflected in her countenance. Careful, Luke. Don't
let those wide eyes fool you.

    "What are you staring at?" she asked. She tilted the oversized
hat back to look up into his face.
    "Mornin, ma'am. Don't you think you'd better lace those shoes
a bit tighter?" He struggled to keep his face somber.
    Crystal looked down at the brogans she'd borrowed from Kate
and frowned. "They are a little on the big side, aren't they? Besides,
they have very little style."
    "They're not meant to. Kate uses those for hiking and working
in the garden:" Luke slipped the bridle over the horse's head and
the bit into her mouth. "This is Bess. You'll like her. She's real
gentle and knows her way around these parts by heart. Buck here
is a mite feisty with certain folk, ain't that right, fella?"
    Buck stamped his hoof, tossed his beautiful mane, and snorted.
Luke watched as Crystal let Bess nuzzle her hand, looking for a
treat.
    "Hello there, girl" Her low voice was as smooth as warm honey
as she ran her hand down the horse's cinnamon-brown side.
"You're a real beauty;" she cooed, patting the ripple of muscles
on Bess's side. Gathering the reins in her left hand and placing
her left foot in the stirrup, Crystal reached for the pommel with
her right hand and pulled herself into the saddle before Luke
could offer assistance.

    "You seem to know a little about horses:" Luke raised a dark
brow in surprise.
    Crystal smiled down at him and then explained, "My father did
have some fine riding horses once. He taught me a little. We didn't
just sit on the front porch all day fanning ourselves, you know." She
threw her head back, and rich, silvery laughter bubbled out.
    From where Crystal sat she could see Luke's shiny black hair,
fine and straight across a deep forehead looking naked without
his hat. His shoulders were as broad as a mule's back, and he was
small hipped. Without a doubt, he had the longest legs she had
ever seen, and large hands and feet. Those hands, despite their
size, stroked Buck's withers with affection. She couldn't help but
compare him to Drew, whose slight frame was always impeccably
dressed for whatever occasion-from his clipped, groomed hair
and neat, clean fingernails all the way down to his shiny black
shoes. Two totally different people, Drew and Luke. Now why was
she even comparing? Luke meant nothing to her, and-shed wait
for God's direction on Drew.
    Realizing that she was staring, Crystal nudged Bess out of the
corral with a poke of her heel.
    Plucking his hat from the fence post, Luke mounted Buck and
came abreast. "We'll ride down to the lower pasture and let you get
a look at some prime beef, and then back along the Blue River. If
you get tired, just say so, and we'll take a rest and have that lunch
Carmen packed for us."
    He led the way down the drive and away from the house, following a trail lined with thick aspens, their leaves rustling on the
early morning breeze. Columbines of violet blue were scattered in
their wild fashion, and chipmunks scurried across the rocks. The trail widened, and Luke spurred Buck into a light canter across
the valley floor, glancing over his shoulder at Crystal. She knew
he was surprised at her riding skills by the look on his face.

    The flat trail gave way to a narrow, rocky incline as Luke slowed
Buck to a walk. They were climbing now, and Bess picked her way
among the rocks for sure footing. Crystal figured Bess knew the
trail so well she could have been blindfolded, and she realized she
would be safe on the horse's broad back anywhere.
    Luke stopped in a sheltered thicket of spruce trees, swung off
his mount, and turned to help Crystal down.
    "Come along, I want to show you something." He grabbed
her hand and pulled her partway up to the rocky ledge. "Watch
your step now."
    The rock-strewn pathway eventually led them