Riding Hard Read Online Free PDF Page A

I’ll think positive, too.” Three feet, starting to burn.
    “What’s her name?”
    “Dottie.” She sounded breathless, but maybe he’d think she had allergies. She backed up a foot and hoped the move wasn’t too obvious.
    Drake laughed. “Appropriate. Hi, Dottie.” He held out a hand, palm up. She saw he was holding a peeled baby carrot.
    The mare snuffled against his open palm and took the carrot. She crunched it between her strong teeth as Drake ran his hands over her neck, her shoulders and her distended belly.
    God help her, Tracy followed the path of that gentle stroking. After all the promises to herself that she’d ignore his considerable sex appeal, she couldn’t help imagining how those hands would feel caressing a woman. No, not just a woman. Her.
    She wanted to feel the magic of those hands. And they would be magic. Watching him with the horse was evidence of that. She longed to experience that lazy, sensual touch....
    No, she didn’t! What was wrong with her? She was falling under his spell. He probably didn’t even realize he was casting one. Sensuality was instinctive with him, it seemed. He was surrounded by an invisible magnetic field, and just like that, she’d been drawn back into the three-foot zone.
    “A more thorough exam would tell us for sure.” Drake continued to stroke the horse. Typical female, Dottie was eating it up. “But from a preliminary evaluation, I’d say she’s less than a month from delivering.” He glanced over his shoulder at Tracy. “You weren’t far off. She’s almost ready to pop.”
    “Good grief.” She placed a hand over her racing heart, which now had two reasons to be out of control—lust and terror. “I don’t want that happening on my watch.”
    “You probably won’t have to deal with it.” His voice was soothing.
    She wondered if veterinarians cultivated a bedside manner. If so, Drake had a hell of a good one. “But I might have to deal with it, right?”
    “Mothers about to give birth are always unpredictable. But don’t worry. I can drive out here at a moment’s notice. If she goes into labor, you won’t have to handle it alone.”
    “Good.” The rush of gratitude, mixed with the sensual feelings he inspired, became a potent combination. She struggled to remember why she didn’t like this man. Oh, yes. He’d betrayed his best friend. No matter how welcome his presence was at the moment, he’d chosen to trade years of friendship for immediate pleasure.
    “She’ll need some prenatal supplements.”
    Tracy fought to concentrate on what he was saying instead of imagining him naked in her bed. “Supplements. Right.”
    “I’ll order them from a company I have an account with. My professional discount will keep the cost down.”
    “Good. Thank you. I honestly didn’t consider all the ramifications of this. Assuming her foal is okay, and I hope to heck it is, I’ve actually accepted two horses.”
    “True.” He lightly scratched Dottie’s neck, and her eyelids drifted down in obvious ecstasy. Lucky horse. “But I don’t think you have to worry about Regan and Lily. They’ll support what you’ve done.”
    “I hope so.” But she wasn’t terribly worried about Regan and Lily. They were animal lovers and would understand. The foal might even be fun for them.
    But she was extremely worried about the inevitable contact with Drake and her increasingly intense reaction to his proximity. She had strong principles. Surely a sweet-talking Southerner wouldn’t cause her to abandon those principles . Surely not.

3
    D RAKE WAS PROUD of himself. He’d examined the mare and interacted with Tracy as if he had no interest in her whatsoever. Then he’d left after promising to order the supplements online the minute he got back to his cabin and his computer.
    Driving home, he congratulated himself on being a perfect gentleman the whole time. Not once had he given in to the temptation to flirt with her. For him that was a major victory.