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She dropped her head.
“Thanks for leaving him alive,” Ed continued. “I shot him once, too, but with a bow.”
“Why? What happened?”
Colt explained, “We were playing a game we made up called Buffalo and Brave. His grandfather had an old buffalo hide. One of us would put on the hide and crawl around pretending to be the buffalo. The other would be the brave trying to bring it down with an arrow.”
“And he shot you?” she asked with disbelief.
“He got lucky. Shot me in the thigh. Fortunately, the hide blunted most of the force.”
Ed picked up the tale. “I was dancing and singing in victory. When my grandmother came out to see what all the commotion was about, old buffalo there was on the ground rolling and moaning.”
“What did she do?”
“Snatched my bow away, smacked me on the back of the head, and took the arrow out of his thigh. She didn’t let me touch that bow for a month.”
Regan wasn’t sure whether to laugh or be appalled.
Ed added, “He and I had many adventures growing up, but we’ll save them for another time. Did he keep secret about why you’re here?”
“Yes, and I’m about to burst.”
“I’m surprised. A woman with your beauty would make a man spill everything he knows.”
“Stop flirting with my wife.”
Regan saw humor and warning in the look Colt had trained on his friend.
Ed told Regan, “He tends to be a grouch at times.”
“I’ve noticed that.”
“Stop encouraging him,” Colt told her, smiling. “Let’s get to why we’re here, Prescott. Lead the way.”
Ed led them behind the house where an open meadow stretched for as far as she could see. Corrals and barns were a short distance away, but the rest of the open land held horses; two dozen or more of all sizes, ages, and colors. Fascinated, she scanned the scene. “Are all these yours, Ed?”
“Yes. My family has been selling and trading horses for generations.”
Some were grazing. Two knobby-kneed colts with shiny chestnut coats romped and raced. A big roan drank from a line of troughs.
Ed said, “Colt told me you ride and need a mare.”
“I do,” she said, watching the beautiful animals.
“Take your pick. My wedding present to you.”
She thought he might be pulling her leg. “Please don’t tease me.”
“I’m not.” Although they’d just met, his smile appeared genuine.
She looked to Colt.
“He wouldn’t lie to you, Regan.”
She hadn’t had a horse of her own since leaving Arizona. The prospect of being able to choose from Ed’s herd added to her excitement, but she was humbled by his generous offer. “This is a wonderful surprise. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
