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"Happiness and horses," he said

His eyes sain at their color, which seee color" His lips tilted up "They do My momma used to say she could read me by their color" Lenobia couldn&039;t look away froh her

Thankfully, Bonnie chose then to nuzzle her Lenobia rubbed the mare&039;s forehead while she tried to still the cacophony of feelings this human&039;s presence stirred No I will not allow this nonsense

With a reinstated coolness, Lenobia looked from the mare to the cowboy "Mr Foster, why are you out here and not within assuring s?"

His eyes instantly darkened, returning to safe, ordinary brown His tone went from warm to professional "Well, ma&039;am, I had a talk with Darius and Stark I do believe your horses are safe for the rest of this hour &039;cause there&039;s two very pissed-off va focus on showing them how to knock each other off their feet" He tilted his hat up "Seems those boys don&039;t like it any better than you do that their fledglings are being bothersohty busy froood news," she said

"Yep, that&039;s how I see it, too So I thought I&039;d co truly pleasurable" Was thewith her? Lenobia squelched the nervous thril she felt and instead leveled a cool, steady gaze on him "I cannot think of any possible way for you to offer me pleasure"

She was sure his eyes started to lighten, but his gaze remained as steady as hers "Well, ma&039;am, I assumed that would be obvious to you I&039;m offerin&039; you a ride" He paused and then added "On Bonnie"

"Bonnie?"

"Bonnie My horse The big gray girl standing right there nuzzlin&039; you The one who likes cookies"

"I knoho she is," Lenobia snapped

"Thought you ht like to ride her That&039;s why I came out here with her all saddled up for ya" When Lenobia didn&039;t speak, he tilted his hat and looked vaguely uncomfortable "When I need to relax-to reall op her Hard She can irl, but it&039;s a little like ridin&039; a ht do the same for you" He hesitated and added, "But if you don&039;t want to, I&039;ll take her back inside"

Bonnie nudged her shoulder, as if offering the ride herself

And that decided Lenobia She&039;d never turned down a horse before, and no hu to cause her to start

"I believe you could be right, Mr Foster" She stood, took the reins from him, and flipped them over Bonnie&039;s widely arched neck

She could tell she&039;d surprised him by the way he moved He was on his feet in an instant

"Here, I&039;ll give you a leg up"

"No need," she said Lenobia turned her back to hi her to walk forward along the back side of the bench

Moving with a lithe grace that caround to the seat of the bench, and then the iron backrest, easily finding the stirrup and swinging up, up, and into Bonnie&039;s saddle She noticed immediately that he&039;d shortened the stirrups of his wide Western saddle to accoh the seat was too big, it felt comfortable rather than aard She looked down at Travis and had to smile because he seerin answered hers "I know"

"It&039;s different froirl out She&039;ll remind you to breathe and smile Oh, and Lenobia, I&039;d &039;preciate it if you&039;d stop call in&039; me Mr Foster" He tipped his hat to her, added a s, slow, "If you please, ave Bonnie a squeeze with her knees and

The mare responded with no hesitation They moved off smoothly The wind had continued to pick up and with the war She sirl Maybe spring is co, and Lenobia patted her wide neck She pointed thethe stone wall past the broken tree that had been the site of so much pain, past the stables and arena They rode, alternatively walking and trotting, all the way to the place where east joined north, in the corner of the rectangle that encorounds By the time they&039;d reached the corner, Lenobia felt she had Bonnie&039;s rhythm and her trust She turned the mare so that she was pointed back in the direction froht, irl, let&039;s see what you&039;re made of" Lenobia leaned forward, squeezed her knees, kicked with her heels, and made a loud kiss noise while she flipped the ends of the reins on the big ht she was a quarter horse out of the roping shoots

"Ha!" Lenobia shouted "That&039;s it! Let&039;s go!"

Bonnie&039;s huge hooves drove into the ground Lenobia could feel the ht air whipped her hair back and the Horse Mistress leaned even farther forward, encouraging Bonnie to let loose-to give her everything

The mare responded with a burst of speed that shouldn&039;t have been possible for a creature eighed two thousand pounds

As the histled around the silver hair in tiickal dance that ht of the ancient Persian saying: The breath of heaven is found between a horse&039;s ears

"That&039;s right! That&039;s exactly right!" Lenobia yelled, and clung to the speeding mare&039;s back

Joyously, freely, wonderfully, Lenobia moved as one with Bonnie She didn&039;t realize she&039;d been laughing aloud until she pulled theand sweating, beside Travis and their bench

"She&039;sBonnie&039;s damp neck

"Yeah, I told ya it&039;d be better after that," Travis called to her, catching Bonnie&039;s bridle and echoing Lenobia&039;s laughter

"What couldn&039;t be? That&039;s soaa beautiful, sain "You knohat? You really do deserve all those cookies," she told the hed

Lenobia kicked her leg over the saddle to slide off Bonnie, but the ground was ered and would have fall en had Travis not caught her elbow in his strong grip

"Steady theresteady girl," heto a spooked filly "Ground&039;s a long ways down Take &039;er easy or you&039;ll have a nasty fall"

still feeling the sweet adrenaline rush frohed "I don&039;t care! The ride would be worth the fall The ride would be worth anything!"

"Soirls are," Travis said

Lenobia looked up at the tall cowboy His eyes had lightened so that they weren&039;t just hazel anyreen that was distinctive and light and unmistakably familiar

Lenobia didn&039;t think Instinct drove her She stepped into his e, too, because he&039;d dropped Bonnie&039;s reins and pulled Lenobia into his arms Their lips met with a kind of desperation that was part passion, part question

She could have stopped herself, but she didn&039;t She allowed it No, more than that Lenobia met Travis&039;s passion with her own, and answered his question with desire and need

The kiss went on long enough for Lenobia to recognize the taste and feel of him, and for her to admit to herself that she&039;d missed hian thinking again

She only had to pull just a little and he let her slip from the warm circle of his ar back and forth and her heart racing

"No," she said, trying to get her breathing under control "This can&039;t be I can&039;t do this" His beautiful, olive-flecked eyes looked dazed "Lenobia, girl Let&039;s talk this out There&039;s sonore It&039;s like we-"

"No!" Lenobia called the steely control that she&039;d co her desire and need and fear in anger and coldness

"Do not presume Humans are attracted to our kind What you felt hat any ned to kiss hih, this time the sound was utterly devoid of joy "Which is why I do not ain" Without looking at Travis or Bonnie, Lenobia strode away Her back was to theainst herShe opened the side door to the stables so hard that it sla She didn&039;t pause She went straight to her room that rested over her horses, closed and locked the door behind her

Then, and only then, Lenobia allowed herself to weep