Courting Her Rebel: (Taken by Cowboys: Part 2) A Billionaire Western Romance Read Online Free Page B

a baseball cap,” she said.
    “You got that right, girl,” he said, exaggerating his Western twang. She giggled. Nate had a reckless spirit that she found immensely attractive, something slightly wild. Not to mention entertaining.
    “So when do I get to try?” she asked, suddenly eager. Nate had made it look so easy.
    “That’s the spirit!” he said, swinging his right leg over the saddle and briskly dismounting, landing with agile precision. “Alright, let’s have you give it a go.”
    She approached Oreo with a confidence she didn’t quite feel. Wow, was this animal massive. She could see the cords of muscle in her barrel-like side. What if the horse didn’t like her?
    Nate seemed to sense her hesitation. “You’ve got this one. Oreo is very gentle with beginners,” he said. “Grab the reins in your left hand, grab the stirrup with your right, and put your foot in it,” he repeated. She followed his instructions, glad she had opted for jeans instead of the short shorts she had been considering. Nate gripped her waist. “Now I’m going to count to three, and you’re going to push with all your strength.”
    “But it’s so . . . high,” she squeaked, looking up at the saddle. From where she stood, it looked as daunting as scaling a skyscraper.
    “You can do it, Jess,” he said, his voice firm. She felt a surge of confidence. “One—two— three !” On three, she pushed with all her might and felt him lift her up from her waist. The next thing she knew, she had landed on the saddle with a slight bump, her right leg finding its way over to the other side.
    “I did it!” she cried, a little disoriented.
    “You sure did!” said Nate. “How’s the weather up there?”
    She looked down at him. “Wow. You sure are far away.” It felt strange and thrilling to be on the horse’s back. She felt the urge to lean forward so she had something more to grip on, but she remembered Nate saying to keep her posture straight. She could feel the animal’s muscles moving underneath her.
    “I’ll keep hanging on to one of the reins and lead you around a bit,” Nate said. “But I want you to start feeling comfortable leading Oreo. Treat the reins like a joystick.”
    “I was never one for video games,” she said. “Ooph!” The horse had started taking a few choppy steps forward.
    “Hey, I’m doing it!” she said. “I’m riding a horse!”
    Nate laughed heartily. “You sure are. How does it feel?”
    “It feels . . .” She paused. “Actually, it feels pretty damn great!”
    “In that case, I’m going to let go of the reins,” he said. “But don’t worry, Oreo waits for definite signals, so she probably won’t move much at all.”
    “If you say so,” she said nervously. She barely noticed that he’d released his hold on the reins as Oreo continued to walk forward, bouncing her gently up and down on the saddle. The fresh scent of dewy grass rose up from beneath the animal’s hooves. She gripped the reins tightly at first, then relaxed. She even took her eyes off of her bobbing head and took in the stunning view of pine-covered mountain peaks that ringed the periphery, sunlight dramatically lighting up their eastern faces. The horse continued to walk in a slow, measured rhythm. It was almost soothing.
    Hey, this isn’t so hard! Why haven’t I done this before? She must be a natural—she could feel it. Suddenly her head was filled with fantasies of riding off into the sunset on a pure white mare. In the picture that sprang in front of her eyes, though, she was not alone. On one side of her, mounted on a jet-black horse, was Spencer. But who was that on her other side? It was—Nate. She was flanked by both men as they rode off into the distance. What is that about?
    She was so absorbed in this confusing fantasy that had leapt into her mind unbidden that she stopped paying attention to the feeling of the horse underneath her. Suddenly she was aware of it picking up speed. The slow amble