Page 37 of Resisting Isaac
His brow arches, slow and deliberate. “We moving too slow for you, Miss Ortega?”
I push off the fence and sigh. “No. It just…”
Isaac’s head tilts slightly, and something like intrigue flickers in his eyes.
“I’ve been riding since I was a child. I’ve ridden reining patterns in national shows, roped calves faster than most boys on the circuit, and spent the first eighteen years of my life doing barn chores before sunrise. I may not know how to pose pretty in a saddle for the cameras, and I’m willing to work on that, but I don’t need a crash course in rein pressure and hoof picking.”
Isaac doesn’t move. Doesn’t blink.
I spin my index finger in the air. “So, ifit’s all the same to you, Coach Logan, I’d prefer to skip to the parts that are vital to my on screen performance.”
Eli grins. “I, on the other hand, would like to start with standing much farther away from these devils in horsehide if that’s all right with everyone else.”
Isaac regards us both like we’ve annoyed him.
Finally, he moves. Slowly. Measured. Boots crunching on dirt with each step.
He steps close enough that I can see the gold flecks in his eyes and the faint scar on his jaw that I noticed when he was coming inside me.
“You done?” he asks, voice low.
“Seems like we’re just getting started. At the preschool level it would appear.”
His mouth twitches, and I hate how much I notice it. Hate how much I want to kiss the smug right off him.
“You make a fair point,” he says. “And for the record, I did read the E-mail from your agent. I know how experienced you are.” He shrugs. “Doesn’t mean you get a pass. Everyone trains. Even the ringers.”
“Is that what I am?” I toss back. “A ringer?”
“I don’t know,” he says, glancing down at my boots, then slowly back up at me. “But for someone complaining so much, you sure as hell like to ride.”
My eyes go wide. Eli James is close enough to hear us. Heat spreads through my face, neck, and other, less public, regions.
Isaac grins. “I mean, I think I saw you on the mechanical bull in the Wild Coyote the other night, right? If it wasn’t you, you have a twin in town.”
And the way his eyes flare like he’s picturing exactly how I like to ride?
Infuriating.
I clench my teeth. Give a slight shake of my head.
Without another word, he turns and addresses the group again.
“Since you do all seem to be at vastly different experience levels, we’ll make a few adjustments to the schedule. Elena will help me evaluate each of you tomorrow to see where we can split off the beginners from the intermediate riders. Sound good?”
There are a few murmurs of agreement.
But all I hear is the thunder of my pulse in my ears.
And the ache I feel in my chest as I realize this is going to be even harder than I thought.
I should’ve just pretended to be a beginner. Blended into the group and kept my mouth shut. Because if even a fraction of what I feel inside is showing on my face in front of everyone, we’re screwed.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
isaac
There’s a faint mist rising off the river, clinging low to the grass like a secret.
