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"We met last night and had a nice visit," he said, flashing his dimples.
"Great." She shot Sarah a look, who blinked back innocently.
"You all ready to go?"
They nodded. "Then let's get you up on your horses."
JT asked his cousin to ready Colleen and Sarah's horses while he got Aidan's horse, a bay gelding. "You do much riding back in California?" he asked as he flipped up a stirrup and tightened the saddle's cinch.
"I've been on pony rides before. But not a real horse. He's really big." Now that it was time to get on, Aidan looked like he was reconsidering this whole horseback riding thing.
"Don't worry. Old Dusty here is a gentle giant."
Colleen watched as he patiently directed Aidan to the horse's left side and got down on one knee so Aidan could use his bent leg as a step stool to get his foot in the stirrup and swing his leg over.
The wrangler called her and Sarah over to where their horses were waiting. Colleen's gray roan was appropriately named Smokey, while Sarah was on a Pinto named Clyde.
Colleen patted Smokey's sleek neck and breathed in his horsey smell before she tucked her foot into the stirrup and swung onto the horse's back.
"When's the last time you rode?" JT asked.
"Too long," she said and patted Smokey's neck again. She and Liam had horses when they were younger, a pair of appaloosas named Speckle and Dot. But as they got older and busier with school and sports, they became too much work and her parents sold them.
Still, sitting in the saddle felt as familiar as riding a bicycle.
"Is there someone who can go with us?" Colleen asked. Though she was familiar enough with the area of the ranch surrounding the main buildings, she didn't know the ranch's extensive network of riding trails.
"Everyone's busy with other guests, so I thought I'd take you out myself, if that's okay?"
"Of course," Sarah said from atop Clyde. "You can give us the VIP tour."
"Are you sure?" Colleen said, taking in the barn yard, buzzing with activity. "I know you're really busy."
"Never too busy for you," he said with a wink.
Colleen hoped the flush creeping up her cheeks could be blamed on the bright morning sun.
She turned and met Sarah's knowing look. "Quite the charmer."
She didn't answer as JT got on his horse and led them out of the barnyard. He took them first to an open field, where he gave Sarah and Aidan a quick tutorial on neck reining the horses. Soon they were on a trail that led up into the foothills, the mountains jutting majestically in front of them.
Sarah and Colleen rode in silence, taking in the scenery as Aidan asked endless questions about the ranch and what it was like to be a real live cowboy.
"Do you use that rope to catch horses?" He pointed at the rope, tied to the side of JT's saddle.
"Yep. And cattle too."
"Can you teach me how?"
"Sure."
"How big is the ranch?"
"Five thousand acres."
"Are those your cows?" he pointed to a herd grazing off in the distance.
"They're the ranch's cows, yeah."
