Teaching Her Billionaire Cowboy Rookie - April Murdock Page 0,12
Soon the animals lost interest and trotted off.
That was when he saw her. She was farther away—far enough she wouldn’t notice him immediately. She rode a reddish-brown horse with black legs. The small enclosure she used kept the animal contained, but more than that, she was in complete control. The horse pranced back and forward. It turned in circles, then stood still. It almost looked like it was dancing. Penny’s gaze remained fixed ahead. She didn’t look at the ground or the animal. It didn’t even look like she pulled on the reins at all. Wasn’t that how a rider was supposed to get the animal to do what they wanted it to? The whole thing looked like something out of a fairy tale.
He let out a loud whistle.
Penny jumped and her head whipped around to look at him. The sudden movement must have startled the horse because she reared her front legs into the air. Penny gasped and reached out to hold onto the animal’s neck as it spun around and stomped the ground.
Then his blood chilled as Penny lifted her head and glared at him.
Chapter Six
She shouldn’t be mad. It wasn’t his fault Cocoa got startled. It was hers. Both of them had been in the zone and normally Cocoa could handle new and loud sounds. But when those sounds were combined with her reaction, things could go awry.
At least Penny had ridden her share of bucking horses. She hadn’t fallen off a horse since she was little. The only reason she was mad in that moment was because she’d let her thoughts get away from her.
Ty was watching her. He’d figured out where she lived and for some reason that both thrilled and terrified her. It was the exact kind of thing her father warned her about. She needed to be aware of her surroundings so she didn’t find herself in dangerous situations.
Penny flung her leg over the side of the horse and hopped down. She stormed across the pen, slipped through the rails, and headed straight for him. He didn’t seem dangerous, though. Well, not the kind of dangerous her father lectured her about.
He took one look at her and spun around to leave. Where did he think he was going? She ducked through another set of rails and made it to the gate, slipping through just as he passed.
“Shame on you.”
His brows lifted. “Shame on me?”
“That’s what I said.”
His brows lowered. “Sorry.”
“No, you’re not,” she accused.
“I’m not?”
Her stomach fluttered and her chest tightened. “You should know better than to sneak up on someone.”
“I didn’t exactly sneak.” He took a few more steps in the direction he’d come.
“Oh really. Then what would you call it?”
He stopped, then turned to stare at her, his dark eyes boring into her. “I was going for a walk and then I saw you.”
“And then you scared my horse.”
“Did I?”
The way he continued to avoid the conversation irritated her.
“You whistled.”
“Oh, yeah.” Ty nodded to Cocoa. “That thing you were doing with it, what’s it called?”
She bit down. “Dressage.”
“Do you always get to dress up like you walked out of a history book when you do it?”
Her cheeks flushed. “It’s not dress-up. This is the appropriate attire for dressage.”
“But you don’t have to practice in it, right?”
“Well, no, but—”
“That’s interesting.”
“What? Why?” She gaped at him.
He rubbed his jaw. “Nothing.”
“Tell me.”
“It doesn’t matter. Sorry I bothered you.” He continued on his way, but she ran to stand in front of him.
Lifting her chin and straightening her shoulders, she attempted to make herself look fierce. “Next time, I’d appreciate it if you alerted me, rather than spying like a creep.”
He leaned closer to her. His voice turned husky and she fought the instinct to take a step back as his mouth came closer to her ear. “If I wanted to spy on you, you wouldn’t have noticed. I could watch you for days and the only indication you’d have would be the goosebumps on your arms or the stiff hairs on the back of your neck.”
His breath brushed against her neck, creating the scintillating goosebumps he’d just mentioned.
“Besides,” he continued, “who said there would be a next time?”
Her heart dropped. Right. He planned on leaving. Her cheeks warmed and she narrowed her eyes. “Then I guess I won’t have to worry about it after all.”
“No, you won’t.” He straightened and his arm brushed against her as he walked by. She spun to watch him go. He didn’t turn to give her a last look.