Keeping a safe distance, he chucked a bit of carrot over the fence and into the midst of the horses.
The three smaller horses looked down at the piece of carrot, then back at Eli.
Duke never took his gaze from Eli for a second.
With a sigh, Miss Harper strode forward, and vaulted the log fence. She caressed Duke’s cheek before offering him a large, unbroken carrot.
He nibbled it from the palm of her hand.
“This handsome fellow is the famous Duke.” She gave him an extra carrot, then fed another treat to each of the following horses in turn. “These other dashing bucks are Rudolph, Mr. Edward, and Charley. They’re gentle as lambs. The local children love to ride them.”
Eli took a hesitant step forward.
All four horses took several steps back.
“I’m impressed,” said Miss Harper. “I expected Duke not to like you, but you seem to actively repelallof my horses.”
Eli took another tiny step forward.
Mr. Edward and Charley took off running across the snow-covered field and vanished off behind the stables.
Miss Harper burst out laughing, one gloved hand held up high to cover her face.
Eli flinched.
Her instinct to hide her smile was at least partly his fault. He’d hoped that was in the past. The thought that one deplorable moment had eroded her confidence for the rest of her life twisted his stomach into a hard little knot.
She caught him looking and dropped her hand.
The smile was long gone.
“What are the top five winter footing issues to avoid when tending horse hooves in below freezing weather?” she demanded.
“Top…five?” he echoed faintly. He could think of three, at best.
She rattled off detailed answers and fired new questions faster than he could retrieve long forgotten equine trivia from the recesses of his mind.
The more his answers disappointed, the faster and more obscure the questions became. She had clever, practical solutions for every situation.
If Miss Harper thought her superior knowledge would snuff out his interest in her, she had misread him entirely.
Nothingwas more attractive than a clever mind.
She let out an aggrieved huff. “I see I cannot leave you alone with horses. You’re a danger to them and to yourself. That is, if you manage to get close to one.”
That was... an accurate representation of the facts.
Harsh, but true.
Not for the first time, Eli wished hewerethe equine savant his father had hoped he would be.
How lovely it might be if their situations were reversed! If Miss Harper were the timid young lady seeking Eli’s help on her first ride. He would be forced to place his hands on her midsection, and help her up into the saddle...
She needed no help.
Miss Harper coaxed Duke to the topmost log of the fence, which she used as a stepping-stool to launch herself atop the enormous stallion.
Before Eli’s disbelieving eyes, she pranced Duke about like a prized pony, making intricate patterns in the snow as they danced this way and that.
