Conall's Legacy Read Online Free Page A

blading on the Santa Monica boardwalk .
    He thought of Rick. Thought of the people he helped every day as a cop. Leaving law enforcement wasn’t an option. He slammed his fist against the wheel and decided he’d endure the exile and return to Southern California as soon as possible to insist Rebecca marry him. Then he’d get back to work at the police department. That was the best thing for Rebecca and the kids, and for him. And he’d fulfill his promise to Conall.

    #
    The desert air cooled as Luisa ran her hands over Royal Knight’s legs. She reached up from where she knelt to pat his shoulder.
    “No more loafing for you. The swelling’s gone.”
    The horse understood and danced from one foot to the other like a child ready for recess instead of work.
    “You’re going to be a handful after three days in the stall, aren’t you?”
    Finished saddling, she led him outside, then mounted and rode the large chestnut horse into the arena. Luisa kept Knight at a walk, fighting his energy all the way. She wanted to be sure he was completely recovered before letting him move out too fast. She alternately extended and collected his walk, warming and stretching the muscles in his legs and body.
    The steady rhythm of his gait satisfied her, so she rode over to the observation platform, leaned over, and turned on the tape recorder. Then she rode down the rail again. Soft strains of classical music floated on the still air. With a shift of her seat, she deepened in the saddle. Knight moved smoothly into a canter. She pushed him to a collected gallop, laughing as the wind kissed her cheeks and loosened tendrils of her braided hair. Her hips moved rhythmically with Knight, molding them together as one creature where two had been. She settled him back into a long trot.
    As she and Knight floated across the arena, the distant sound of rattling metal drifted to her. She cringed at the unwelcome rumble, and then forced her attention back to her horse. Knight flicked his ears, obviously hearing it too. She ran the back of her knuckles down one side of his neck soothing the tightened muscles.
    “Easy, son. Just a BLM truck on the road.”
    She lifted Knight back into a canter and rode down the middle of the arena. At the center, she collected him until he moved in place. His muscles bunched as he shifted his fourteen hundred-pound frame over his hindquarters. She brought him around in a pirouette, his front end cantering a tight circle around his haunches.
    His energy coiled like a heavy-duty spring threatening to explode. When she rode straight out of the pirouette, he kicked back with one foot then lunged forward. Luisa brought him up short with experienced hands and legs.
    “Cut it out!”
    He quickly obeyed, but flattened his ears. His tail flipped up and caught her across the back, the thick braid slapping her shoulder. She heeled him again. “Darn it, Knight, behave yourself.”
    As she worked to control him, the clanging came again, louder this time. She felt the hump in his back as he bunched up, ready to throw a temper tantrum. Squeezing his ribs with her calves, she urged him forward to keep him from bucking.
    The sound of metal banging and vibrating against metal grew closer, more frightening. She stopped to let him see what was coming. Too late.
    Knight dropped his head to his knees and gave two solid bucks. Luisa pulled him up as a truck and trailer drove beneath the ranch sign. Knight’s head nearly caught her in the face when he lifted it and flew sideways, stopping only when he reached the far side of the arena. She fought to stabilize the frantic thumping of her heart.
    “Knock it off. Too much energy is no excuse to act like a fool.” She had to admit, though, the deafening noise was enough to scare rattlesnakes out of the entire county.
    The pickup clattered to a stop in a cloud of dust. The terrible noise stopped. Quiet returned as the surrounding bushes absorbed the metallic echoes. Luisa planted a heel in