I reach for the purple and pink one.
“I figured you’d pick that,” he mutters.
“Oh really?” I grin. “Know me so well already, Scrooge?”
“Will you quit callin’ me that?”
“Will you quit callin’ me city girl?”
“No.”
“Then it’s a no from me too.” I stick my tongue out.
He chuckles, and my heart does a stupid little flip.
I did that. I made him chuckle, not a laugh, not yet but a chuckle. That’s progress.
“Now grab your saddle,” he says. “Don’t slam it—set it down gently.”
He steps in, adjusting it slightly. “Drop your cinch like this. Right side.”
“Okay!” I say way too loudly.
“Now tighten it. Not too snug.”
I start tightening and Shadow puffs out his belly, stomping. And it frightens me.
“What did I do wrong?” I panic.
Cole moves fast, hands on Shadow’s neck. “Nothing. They get moody.”
He rubs Shadow gently. “It’s alright, buddy. She’s gotta learn somehow. Be nice to the pretty lady.”
I blush.
Oh, pretty lady? Where'd that come from? I pet him too, calming myself as much as the horse.
Cole checks my work, tightens the cinch again, then looks at me. “Horses sense your emotions. Just stay calm, okay?”
“Okay,” I say, smiling.
It’s hot. Sweat trickles down my back.
“Do you guys have a pool?” I ask. “Because wow this heat is something else.”
He snorts. “We don’t have a pool.”
I breathe in the smell of leather and dust.
“Do you gotta get back to your writing,” he asks, “or can I show you something?”
My heart jumps. “You can show me something.”
Whatever you want to show me cowboy, I am down for the ride.
“Then hop on your horse.”
I grin and swing up onto Shadow. “Where are you taking me?”
