Page 32 of Her Bachelor Cowboy Billionaire

CHAPTER8

Sunny was a pretty black mare. She came right up to Jessica and nudged her with her nose.

Jessica laughed. “Oh, you want to be petted and scratched, do you?” She petted her neck first and then scratched her ears and forelock. She rubbed her hand over the horse’s nose, amazed at how soft it was. Not as soft as the new baby filly’s was, but still very soft…like velvet. “Roark, I’ll never get her saddled if she won’t let me go.”

“I’ll saddle her. You just keep her still.”

“I don’t think that will be a problem.” She reached up and placed her arms around the horse’s neck as far as she could. “Will it, Sunny? No, that won’t be a problem at all.” She hugged her and kissed her neck, then moved in front of the horse and petted her from the forelock down her muzzle to her nose.

Roark finished saddling her in a few minutes. “Done. Come meet her son. His name is Apollo, the Greek god of the sun.”

They walked across the wide middle aisle toward the back of the barn and the twenty-first stall. Inside stood a magnificent coal-black stallion. His head was high and, as Roark approached, he came to the gate and waited.

Roark had grabbed a cookie from a bag on the post between stalls fifteen and sixteen. He came to the gate and first petted the horse before giving him the cookie. “That’s a good boy. Are you ready to go for a ride?”

The horse shook his head up and down.

Her mouth opened wide and her hands went to her hips before she realized what she was doing. She closed her mouth. “Did he just answer you?”

“You saw it.” He turned to the horse. “Did you just answer me?”

The horse nodded again.

Jessica laughed.

So did Roark. “He can answer yes and no to the questions we’ve taught him, but that’s all. We haven’t taught him to count or anything like that.”

“I bet he could learn. He seems to be very smart.”

Apollo nodded.

Jessica laughed again. The horse was entertaining, even if he didn’t mean to be. “Why don’t you get him saddled and let’s ride?”

“It will only take a few minutes.” When he finished, he took the reins. “Let’s walk them outside.”

She took her reins near Sunny’s mouth and walked her out of the barn. Outside, while Roark closed the doors, she mounted. It felt so good to be in the saddle again. She’d forgotten how much she liked horseback riding.

He mounted Apollo and led her around the barn in the direction of the gate into the pasture, where he dismounted and opened it for her to enter. Then he led Apollo through, closed the gate and remounted. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

Roark started walking Apollo. “I’ve got a special place to show you.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

He grinned and patted his horse. “Okay, Apollo, let’s run.”

The horse lifted his head and then took off like someone fired a shot.

Sunny followed suit.

Jessica got her saddle seat and leaned down over the saddle, making herself as small as possible, so it was easier for Sunny to run faster. She whooped with joy. As she came up to Roark’s side, she laughed. Then she realized she didn’t know where they were going. Jessica sat up and slowed to a walk, letting Sunny rest and catch her breath. She didn’t like to run a horse until they were exhausted.

He slowed, too, and fell back beside her. “Having fun?”

She grinned and gestured, taking in the surrounding pasture. “It’s wonderful. All this open land to ride in. And you’ve got forest, too.”

“The forest is where we’re going. I have a spot there that is perfect for fly-fishing and for camping.”