A hearty laugh escapes him. “Well, I didn’t realize I was dealing with the rodeo queen. ‘Scuse me, milady. We don’t need a saddle. We’re going bareback.”
My mouth falls open, then closes. “Bareback?”
He leans in and whispers, and his mouth grazes the shell of my ear. “Can you handle it?”
Fuck. Me. He’s trying to drive me absolutely wild.
I nod, wondering how I’m actually going to get on, considering I’m wearing a dress. Realizing my confusion, John grabs a stepladder that I’m sure they use for the kids they give lessons to.
“Hold the blanket, then hop on.” He unhooks the lead rope from Shadow’s bridle, then grabs the reins and hands them to me. Carefully, I stand on my tiptoes and loop my leg over the top of Shadow, scooting the saddle pad back to the middle with my butt, trying not t
