When All My Dreams Come True Read Free

“I can break him.”
    He rubbed at his day-old beard while eyeing her. “All right. Go ahead. Give it a try. I just hope you don’t get yourself hurt.” He nodded to his men. “Get him ready, boys.”
    Bobbie eyed the ebony beauty again. The thrill of working with such a splendid horse overrode her anxiety that she might fail to follow through on her claim.
    She climbed into the corral and circled the stallion while the men busied themselves checking the bridle and tightening the cinches. The matted hair around the saddle and rope marks on the forelegs from being hobbled told her all she needed to know about the hours already spent gentling this horse. And the fact that the men were able to touch the steed without him fighting back meant he couldn’t be far from being broken. Yet distrust shone from his eyes, and he held himself tense.
    The stallion’s shiny black coat gleamed over his rippling muscles. She caressed his cheeks and then ran her hands down to his nose. He snorted and bobbed his magnificent head. With quiet murmurs, she continued stroking his nose. She inhaled the scent of sweaty horseflesh and smiled.
    After patting the horse’s head and whispering to him one more time, she walked to his side, sliding her hand along his neck and shoulder. His flesh twitched beneath her palm. She pulled her hat down, fitting it snug around her ears. One of the men held his hands like a stirrup to help her mount, but she declined his offer with a shake of her head.
    Moving slowly, Bobbie slipped her foot into the stirrup, carefully lifted her leg over the cantle, and slid onto the saddle. Once she’d settled in, the horse began to rear. He left no doubt about his strength,giving her a bone-jarring ride. She struggled to hold her neck stiff enough to keep her head from snapping around.
    Bobbie watched the stallion’s head for signs of his next move. He bucked in a rhythm—a short skip between each high kick. She settled into the pattern, certain she could break him. The burning muscles in her arms screamed for relief. The stallion dug in his front hooves and came to a jolting stop before bucking straight up, throwing her from the saddle.
    Dust billowed around her as she lay in the dirt. Her lungs fought for air for the second time that day. Several faces appeared above her.
    “You all right?” Jace reached to give her a hand up.
    She jumped to her feet. “Let me try again. I know I can break him.”
    “I think that’s enough for one day.” Jace eyed her and smiled, so briefly she couldn’t be sure he’d smiled at all. “You proved you could ride. You stayed on longer than I thought you would. Longer than I did. You sure you’re all right?”
    She nodded, still panting from the exertion. Her quivering arms made the simple task of climbing out of the corral an effort.
    Jace followed her. “You’ll eat supper with my sister’s family and me tonight so we can discuss the terms of your employment. We eat at seven. That gives you about an hour to settle your horse in the barn and clean up.” He motioned for one of the men to join them. “This is my foreman, Dew Wellman. He’ll show you where to keep your horse.” With a tip of his hat, he headed toward the big house.
    Startled at the sudden acceptance, Bobbie barely managed a reply. “Mr. Kincaid?”
    He stopped and spun around. “The men call me Jace.”
    She nodded. “All right, Jace. May I ask you something?”
    “I suppose.”
    “The stolen cattle you mentioned. You still don’t think I had anything to do with—”
    “No.” He exchanged a glance with Dew then cleared his throat.“Look, I apologize for that, but we’re not taking any chances. We’ll do the same to anyone else we find on the property without permission. At least until we catch the culprit.”
    “I understand.”
    “Is there anything else?”
    Bobbie shook her head.
    Her new boss strode away, and she bit back a smile. It couldn’t have been more obvious he thought she had done