Page 42 of Puck and Prejudice

I coax Apollo down the hill slowly. I won’t risk an injury. I call her name again, but all I hear is the downpour.

“Over here!” she replies finally, and a moment later, I see her silhouette.

I dismount and run toward her, knowing Apollo will stand and wait. “Are you hurt?” I scan her body for signs of injury. She’s drenched, but other than that, I don’t see anything amiss.

“No.” Her face crumbles. “I lost Raven Ray. I’m so sorry.”

The fact she’s concerned about my horse when she’s the one left behind in the rain does something to me I can’t quite explain. “You didn’t lose her. She ran back to the stables. Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

“Yes. I’m fine. I didn’t fall off Raven, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Relief washes over me. “Thank God. I was worried when she showed up without you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

She shrugs, then hugs herself. “Didn’t mean to make you worry. I got lost when the rain started, but I’m in one piece, as you can see.”

“And cold.” The urge to pull her into my arms and warm her up is immense, but I don’t dare. “Let’s get back to the house.”

She looks over my shoulder. “We’re sharing a horse?”

It didn’t occur to me she might not want to be that close to me. “It’d be faster if we do.”

“Okay.” She looks into my eyes again. “I’ve never ridden double before.”

“Not even when you were little?”

She shakes her head. “No. I guess there’s a first time for everything.”

“Right.” We approach Apollo together, and I say, “He’s friendly.”

“And steady. I can’t believe he’s not bothered by the storm.”

“He has nerves of steel. Do you need help getting up?”

“I think I can manage.” She grabs the reins, then places her left foot in the stirrup and holds the cantle to help swing her right leg over Apollo’s back. Once she’s settled in the saddle, she looks at me. “Are you coming?”

“I need the stirrup.”

“Of course. My bad.”

She removes her foot from the stirrup and slides forward on the saddle.

“You don’t need to move. We can’t both fit in the saddle. I’ll ride behind it.”

“Oh, okay.”

I do need to reach for the cantle and lean into her to mount, and that forces me to be all over her personal space. She doesn’t tense, and I take that as a sign that she doesn’t truly have a problem with being this close to me. The realization pleases me. Once I’m behind her, I take the reins from her. She shivers, and I don’t know if it’s from the cold or the proximity to me. My heart hammers in my chest.

I can’t remember the last time I reacted to a woman this way. Izzie Bennet is reeling me in, and she doesn’t even know it.

“You can use me for warmth,” I say.

“I don’t want to abuse your chivalry.”

I chuckle. “Abuse away.”

---