Jo nodded.“Okay.I guess we’ll move on to my next point.Quinn’s riding Hyper.”
“I noticed that, too.”
“Why is he riding Hyper, Fred?”
“That was the horse he wanted.”
“Of course he did!”Jo heard herself getting loud and lowered her voice.“That’s the horse everybody wants, because he’s beautiful.I’ll bet you didn’t tell him that horse is a spoiled brat, did you?”
“‘Scuse me a minute, Jo.”Fred made a megaphone of his hands.“Your hat’s over yonder!”he called to Quinn.“Grip harder with your thighs next time.”
“I don’t want there to be a next time,” Jo said.
Fred turned to her at last, a challenge in his gray eyes.“Wanna take over?”
“No, I want you to take it easy on him!At this rate he’ll end up in the hospital, which is not fair considering he’s only doing this as a favor to me.”
“I don’t think he’ll end up in the hospital.”
“No?I’ve already seen him take one tumble.The next one could be?—”
“He’s hit the mud four times already.”Fred sounded proud of the fact.
“Four?”
“Whoops.Make that five.”
Jo whipped around to take stock of the newest disaster.What she saw made her go cold.Quinn lay facedown in the muck.“God, Fred, you’ve killed him.”Jo ducked through the rails of the corral and ran toward Quinn.“Are you okay?Please be okay!”She crouched beside him.At least he seemed to be breathing.“Quinn!Speak to me!”
Slowly he rolled to his back and glanced at her, his face grimy with mud.He grinned.“Well, damn.I thought I’d have this riding thing figured out before breakfast.It may take a little longer than that.”
“Don’t move.”Jo wiped a glob of mud from his chin with a trembling hand.If he was really hurt she’d never forgive herself.“You may have a concussion.A broken back.Broken neck.Broken ribs.”
“Nah.Besides, I can’t just lie here.The way the rain’s coming down, I’ll drown.”
Jo leaned closer, her conscience kicking her six ways to Sunday.“You don’t have to do this,” she said in an undertone.“I’ll tell Fred I’ve changed my mind about having you impersonate Hastings.Go get cleaned up, have Emmy Lou’s famous ranch breakfast and drive out of here.”
His blue gaze, usually so easygoing, slowly took on the look of tempered steel.“Nope.Can’t do it.”
“Why not?Surely you’re not trying to prove something to Fred.I could have throttled you last night with that stupid posturing about the whiskey.”
Quinn smiled and eased to a sitting position.“It did taste a lot like the muck in this corral.”He turned his face away and spit.
“Go back to New York, Quinn.Please.”
He looked at her.“You don’t want me around anymore?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Then I’m staying.”He jerked a thumb at Hyper.“Is it true that horse slept in your bed?”
So Fred had explained that she was the one who had spoiled Hyper.“He was tiny.Premature, and an orphan.So cute and lonesome.Fred told me I’d be sorry.”
Quinn gave her a sly grin.“You said I was cute, and I’m feeling kinda lonesome.”
She tried to ignore the leap in her pulse rate.“I don’t make those mistakes anymore.You see how Hyper turned out.”She stood.“Come on, I’ll help you up, and we’ll go inside.”
He ignored her outstretched hand and got to his feet by himself.“I told you I’d do this, and I’ll do it.”
