‘Look at me.’
She raised those fathomless eyes to his.
Maverick felt the pull of them immediately and took a deep inhalation to steady his own pulse. ‘I’m not going to let anything happen to you.’ When she only nodded uncertainly, he added, ‘This is the horse I teach my five-year-old to ride on. She’s what we call “bomb-proof”. That’s not to say she doesn’t get scared – she’s still an animal. But at her most terrified, she might spook a tiny bit. It’ll feel like a little lurch beneath you, and I’ll be right at your side to steady you in the unlikely event that she gets a fright. All right?’
She exhaled her first audible breath. ‘All right.’
Maverick waved her over, and when she approached to stand beside him, he asked, ‘May I touch you?’
Nina jerked to attention.
Her head snapped back.
Those enormous eyes, full of questions and fear, searched his face.
Mav only raised one hand to the saddle. ‘You’re a little short to reach the stirrups and we don’t have a mounting block,’ he explained. ‘I’ll need to help you up.’
She flushed, opened her mouth to speak, to apologize, but Mav beat her to it. ‘Don’t,’ he said before she could talk. ‘Don’t apologize. Not for that. Never for that. If you don’t want to be touched, you tell me. We’ll find another way to get on.’ He looked around, saw the porch railing and figured he could make it work.
But Nina only stepped closer. In what he knew was a deliberate act of trust, she placed her hand lightly on his arm. Only for a second. But Mav felt that faint pressure like a hot iron. ‘I don’t mind,’ she said. ‘And I appreciate the fact that you asked.’ She shook her head quickly. ‘Most people don’t understand …’
‘I don’t either,’ he said quietly. ‘How could I? But that’s why you’re going to have to be vocal about what you’re comfortable with. And what you’re not.’
Without another word, he interlocked his fingers, forming a little step, and bent down. ‘You’re going to face the saddle, hold on to it with both hands, and then put your left foot here.’ He indicated the little platform he’d made with his hands. ‘You pull upwards. I’ll boost you slowly until you can swing your right leg over the saddle and take a seat.’
‘Do you think I’m strong enough?’ she asked sceptically.
‘Absolutely.’
She nodded, looked down at his interlocked fingers one last time before following his instructions.
He boosted her into the saddle easily, stepped back, and then immediately reached out to grip her calf, steadying her in her seat when he saw her face, leached of all colour.
‘What’s wrong?’
She released a wheezing laugh. ‘Cracked ribs. Just give me a moment.’
Mav tried to ignore that same whip of anger he felt when he’d first seen her bruises. Though he wasn’t aware of doing it, his hand on her calf gentled, then began to soothe in long, calming strokes.
In the saddle, Nina took a deep breath and opened her eyes to look down at him. For a moment when their gazes met, he knew she saw all the things he wanted to say but didn’t know how to communicate. Things like,I’m sorry,That should never have happened to you, andI wish I could make it go away.
‘Do you need me to help you down?’ he asked instead.
‘No. I knew it would hurt.’ She unconsciously raised a hand to her ribs. ‘But I’m not going to put my life on hold anymore. Andthis—’ she reached the same hand forward to pat Zephyr’s neck ‘—this is something I refuse to let him take from me.’
She shifted her leg slightly, making him aware of his hand, which had come to rest around the back of her calf.
Mav calmly moved it away.
Nina didn’t seem to notice. She grinned and reverently whispered, ‘Holy cow, I’m on a horse.’
‘Easy-peasy?’
‘So far.’
He stepped back. ‘Let your legs dangle for a minute. I want to take a look at your stirrups.’
As soon as she complied, Mav double-checked the length, making sure that the bottom of the stirrup fell just below her ankle. He held it at an angle and waited for her to put her foot in, then did the same to the other side. Everything looked good, but he still asked, ‘How do you feel?’
