Taking The Reins (The Rosewoods Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

that hot teacher with food.”
    “Didn’t you get any over the summer?” Kaylee asked.
    Chelly shrugged. “A bit here and there. But you know how it is. I can’t wait for the first dance next week.”
    “Aren’t you with Evan Jenkins?” I asked, remembering how I’d seen them together earlier.
    She looked at me blankly. “Jenks?”
    “You seemed to be close this afternoon.”
    “He’s cute,” Celia said.
    “He’s totally cute,” Chelly said but frowned at me. “Did he seem like he was into me?”
    She seemed really unsure, which was a bit odd, since he’d totally looked like he was into her. “Yeah,” I said. “He did. The way he was smiling at you and nudged you before he came to help me with my stuff.”
    Chelly gave a half-smile. “Huh. I guess I didn’t notice.”
    “It was pretty busy with everyone moving in; you had other things on your mind,” Celia said.
    “True enough,” Chelly said. “But now I’m looking forward to the dance even more.”
    “So you’re going to go for him?” I asked. “He seems nice; I think he’d make a good boyfriend.”
    The other girls laughed. I looked around at them, hoping someone would let me in on the joke. “What?” I asked when no one did.
    Chelly leaned in close. “The last thing I’m looking for is a steady boyfriend.” The way she said steady boyfriend was the same way a chef would say, “spoiled meat.”
    “That dance is going to be like a Westwood buffet,” Chelly continued. “And Seychelles is hungry.”
    I laughed with the rest of the girls, but secretly hoped Will wasn’t going to end up as a dish on her menu.
    ~♥~
    S ince Chelly was the orientation coordinator, she had to stay with the groups of freshmen while I got paired up with a sophomore named Andrea, who took me around campus and showed me where all my classes would be. After the busy day and the loud dining hall, it was nice to have a quiet one-on-one tour of the campus.
    “So I guess that’s it,” she said when we had circled around to the front lobby of the main building.
    “What about the stables?” I asked.
    She shrugged. “They’re not on the tour. They’re out back beside the sports complex; it’s kind of obvious where they are.”
    “Can we go see them?”
    She slipped her cell out of her pocket and pressed a button before frowning at me. “Uh, I’m meeting a friend in ten minutes, but if you are okay you can go on your own, if you want. After this, it’s free time.”
    “Okay,” I said. “Thanks so much for the tour.”
    Andrea smiled. “You’re welcome. Well, see you around!” And then she was gone.
    I looked down at my map and found the best door to take to get out to the stables. I ducked out, suddenly glad I’d worn a sweatshirt since it had gotten brisk out as the sun had started to set. Rushing over to the stables, I hoped they weren't locked and I could get inside; although everyone had been really nice so far, I craved the quiet of the stables and couldn’t wait to meet some of the horses.
    The small door on the side was unlocked and I pushed it open, calling out a “Hello?” as I did. A friendly nicker greeted me from one of the stalls, but no human voices. I stepped inside, taking a deep breath, allowing the familiar smells to fill my lungs; I’d always had a love for horses and riding, so just the warm, earthy aromas of the stables were enough to take me to a happy place.
    Turning the corner into the main hall, my heart swelled as I looked down the aisle and was met by the turned heads of several horses. The friendly one nickered again and I stepped quietly to the first stall where a beautiful bay was stretching his neck out toward me. I reached my hand out to pet him.
    “Not that one,” said someone behind me, scaring me half to death.
    I gasped and spun around to see a guy leaning casually against a large push broom as he smiled my way.
    “You startled me,” I said.
    He shrugged one shoulder. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to, but