After the Fall

but he was still fun.”
    Ryan chuckled. “My grandma had a horse like that. I swore that thing wanted to bite my head off every time I got near him, but he sure was a blast out on the trails.”
    I laughed. “Best kind of horse. I mean, I like to compete, but you’ll never keep me off the trails.”
    Ryan responded with a not-completely-comfortable laugh. “Not permanently, anyway.”
    “Right.” I glanced down at my cast. “Something like that.”
    He cleared his throat. “Well, hopefully it’s only for a few months.”
    “Hopefully.”
    We exchanged glances.
    Ryan kept driving.

It was probably the fact that the novelty hadn’t worn off yet, but so far, every time I’d seen Tsarina, I’d gotten that giddy, kid-on-Christmas feeling in my gut. Though I wouldn’t be riding her anytime soon, I still had that feeling as Ryan and I watched Cody bring her in from the paddock.
    She was gorgeous. Her previous owner had been horrible with a camera, and the photos had presented Tsarina as a disproportionate nag with zero personality. It was only her breeding that had convinced me to check her out, and my jaw had literally dropped when I saw her. She was nearly seventeen hands, and she was still young enough—about four and a half—that she might yet grow a little more. Her seal brown coat—mostly black and dark brown with some lighter brown areas—was gleaming and dappled, and she was in tip-top shape. She’d be spectacular in the dressage ring, and maybe someday if I had the money and the space, I could have her bred.
    She eyed me as I hobbled toward her. Her ears pricked forward, and she lowered her head to snuffle at my cast. When she tugged at my crutch with her lip, I laughed and nudged her away. “You’re going to scare yourself, baby.”
    Cody laughed. “This one’s good at that.” He glanced at Ryan. “You gonna say hello?”
    I half expected Ryan to hang back or approach slowly and uncertainly. For as nervous as he could be around people, though—or at least around me—he wasn’t the least bit timid as he walked up to Tsarina. He held out his hand, palm up, and approached slowly, but he didn’t withdraw his hand when she stretched out her neck to sniff it. As she searched it with her upper lip, he reached up with his other hand and stroked her neck.
    “You don’t remember me, do you?” he said softly as he petted her. “That’s probably a good thing. We didn’t really get off on the right foot.”
    If she did remember him, she obviously didn’t care that he’d been the one to scare her half to death. As far as she was concerned, people were sources of attention and treats, and Ryan was no exception.
    When she nibbled at his pocket, he gently pushed her nose away. “There’s nothing in there for you. Sorry.”
    “Not yet,” I said. “If you’re anything like me, you’ll be keeping treats in there before long.”
    “We’ll see.” He tousled her short forelock, and she rubbed her head against his hand. “But yeah, probably.”
    Still holding the lead, Cody turned to me. “Want me to put her on the cross ties here?” He gestured at the ropes hanging on either side of the aisle.
    I nodded. “Please.”
    He clipped one tie to each side of her halter, and she stood patiently in the middle of the aisle. “You boys good on your own? I need to bring in turnouts before feeding.”
    “Yeah, we’re fine,” I said.
    Cody left, and Ryan stood back, checking out Tsarina like he’d never seen her before. Which in a way I supposed he hadn’t. The other day, there hadn’t been a lot of time for admiring anything.
    Horses or men, I thought, giving him an appreciative down-up that I hoped to God he didn’t notice. Every time I looked at him, I saw less of the guy who’d scared my horse and more of the guy who would’ve made me do a double take if I’d seen him on the street. And nothing made a man sexier in my eyes than having a way with animals. A man who treated an animal like she had a personality, like she was something more than farm equipment with a pulse, was enough to reduce me to a quivering mess.
    For that matter, Tsarina seemed to like him, which was a plus.
    Why did I care? Besides, she liked everyone. And why was I checking out his ass again?
    Apparently oblivious, Ryan said, “She really is gorgeous. What breed?”
    “Trakehner.” I rested my weight on my crutch and reached up to pet her neck. “Honestly, it’s a miracle I was able to afford her.”
    “Is