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Lon.” Jake mounted his stallion with a fluid motion. Again Samantha noticed that he wasted no time on superfluous movement. “I intend to keep a close eye on her.”
    Samantha acknowledged Jake’s statement with a wrinkled nose, then, following the direction his hand indicated, set off in a brisk canter.
    As the neat cluster of ranch buildings was left behind, her irritation vanished. The rushing air was exciting, filling her lungs and whipping roses into her cheeks. She had almost forgotten the sense of liberation riding gave her. It was the same sensation that she had experienced many times when flying from top to bottom or springing high in a double twist.
    They rode in silence for a quarter of an hour. Jake allowed her to fill her being with the thrill of movement and the beauty of the countryside. Wild peaks jutted arrogantly into the sky. The rolling plains below were yellow-green with winter. They rode by Herefords, white-faced and sleek, who noted their passing with a lazy turn of the head before resuming their grazing.
    A shape darted across an open field, and Samantha slowed her horse to a walk and pointed. “What’s that?”
    â€œAntelope,” Jake answered, narrowing his eyes against the sun.
    â€œOh!” She halted her mount and watched the animal’s graceful, bounding progress until it streaked over a hill and out of her view. “It must be marvelous to run like that, graceful and free.” She turned her unguarded face to the man beside her and found him regarding her intently. His eyes held an expression she did not understand. A strange tingling raced along her spine, like warm fingers on cold skin. The tingling increased, the sensation spreading to settle somewhere in her stomach. Suddenly, his expression changed. The shadows of his face shifted as his lips moved into a smile.
    â€œSomeday you will be caught, little antelope.”
    She blinked at him, totally disoriented, trying to remember what they had been talking about. His grin increased. He pointed to a large, bare-limbed tree a quarter of a mile away.
    â€œRace you.” There was challenge under the lazy dare.
    Her eyes brightened with excitement. “Fine chance I’d have against a horse like that. What handicap do I get?”
    Jake pushed his hat back as if to view her more completely. “From the look of you, I’d say you’ve got a good fifty-pound advantage. That should balance the odds some.”
    â€œNo head start?”
    â€œNo, ma’am.”
    She pouted for a moment, then grinned. “All right, Jake Tanner, I’ll give you a run for your money.”
    â€œWhenever you say, Sam.” He pulled the brim of his hat low over his forehead.
    â€œNow!”
    She met the gelding’s sides with her heels and spurted forward in a gallop. The quiet morning air vibrated with the thunder of hooves. Samantha, her hair flowing behind her, gave herself over to the thrill of the race. She reached the finish just ahead of her competitor and reined in, filling the morning with dusty, breathless laughter.
    â€œOh, that was wonderful, absolutely wonderful.”
    â€œAny time you want to give up teaching, Sam, you can work for me. I can use a hand who rides like you.”
    â€œI’ll keep that in mind, even though I know you let me beat you.”
    â€œNow what makes you think that?” He leaned his arm on the horn of his saddle and watched her thoughtfully.
    â€œI’m not stupid.” Her grin was good-natured and friendly. “I couldn’t beat that Arabian in a million years. You, maybe,” she added with a touch of arrogance, “but not that horse.”
    â€œPretty sharp, aren’t you?” he returned, answering her grin.
    â€œAs a tack,” she agreed. “And,” she continued, brushing her hair from her shoulders, “I am not a weak female who needs to be placated. With my background, I know how to compete, I know