"You're looking awfully well lately," he declared.
Glancing up, she met his gaze and held it for an instant. "It's the open air and the exercise. I enjoy these rides with you more than I can say." Something in her look gave him a little thrill of embarrassment.
"I think I'll give Marquis and Gyp their dessert," he said, and, turning aside, began to gather a handful of the greenest leaves. The instant his eyes were off her, she took the horses by their bridles, swung them about, and with a sharp blow of her riding-crop sent them snorting and clattering down the trail. Kirk wheeled barely in time to see them disappearing.
"Here!" he cried, sharply. "What are you doing?"
"They bolted."
"They'll hike straight for town. Now I'll have to chase—" He glanced at her sharply. "Say, why did you do that?"
"Because I wanted to. Isn't that reason enough?" Her eyes were reckless and her lips white.
"You shouldn't do a thing like that!" he cried, gruffly. "It's foolish.
Now I'll have to run them down."
"Oh, you can't catch them."
"Well, I'll have a try at it, anyhow." He tossed away his handful of leaves.