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It wasn’t long before Coop caught up to Vivi. The smell of the salt air. The warmth of the afternoon sun. The occasional splash of horse hooves in water. Some people dreamed of moments like this.
Riding side-by-side, Vivi and Coop exchanged a smile. Coop was more convinced than ever that Vivi was his everything.
Far ahead, Dotty pulled I Dunno to a stop with a spray of sand. She turned the horse around and trotted back to them, bouncing all the way. Not that it seemed to matter to her. She grinned from ear-to-ear. “I won!”
“There was never any doubt,” Vivi told her. And then she looked at Coop. “Thank you for this. It was on her bucket list. She’s so proud of that list and all her accomplishments.”
“There are plenty of ways you can thank me later,” he teased.
As expected, Vivi blushed and rolled her eyes. “Can we ride further down the beach? It’s such a beautiful day.”
He refrained from making any jokes about Shakespeare waiting for her back at the house.
“I say yes. Let’s keep riding.” Dotty reached them and turned the dun around, bringing the gelding next to Coop. She sat the walking horse as if she’d been in the saddle since birth, a contrary image to her bouncy seat at a gallop. “Who’s up for another race?”
“No!” both Coop and Vivi said.
Dotty sniffed. “I would have won anyway.”
Coop and Vivi let her think that by keeping silent.
“What are you going to do with your life, Chuck?” Dotty asked, seemingly out of the blue. “Are you one of those drifters whose only dream is to be internet famous and lazily wealthy?”
“Grandma.”
Dotty leaned forward to catch Vivi’s eye. “If he’s serious about you, I’m allowed to ask. Driving cars and exercising horses should be a means to something else.”
“Grandma.”
“No. It’s okay.” Coop certainly understood where the old gal was coming from. She wanted the best for Vivi. “I want to help people.” That thought had been forming for the last few days. “I want to make a difference in the lives of people.” Rafi’s chipper face came to mind. “And help make their dreams come true.”
“And how will you do that?” Dotty looked puzzled. “Work at an amusement park? Build fancy swimming pools? Or…”
Coop shook his head at her examples. “If I knew the how, I wouldn’t be wasting my time driving and riding, would I?”
“True that.” Dotty nodded approvingly. “I’ve often said it takes men longer to mature than women. How old are you? Thirty? That’s a good time to get your life on track.”
“I’m thirty-five.”
Dotty sat back, giving Coop a dramatic once-over. “Geez, you’re behind. Do you have an excuse? Did you serve in the military? Battle a severe illness?”
“No. None of that.” Coop wished he could tell the Summer women the truth, but what would that serve? He’d still look like a slacker.
“You could work for a charity,” Vivi suggested.
“Chuck!” Rafi stood on the bank of Beeswax Farm, looking none too happy. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
Uh-oh.
“Hey, Rafi.” Coop turned Tally toward the bank.
The two Summer women followed suit.
“I told you not to take the horses out to the beach.” The normally even-keeled Rafi sounded hot under the collar. He tipped his cowboy hat back. “Mrs. Finnegan noticed some horses were missing and called me back from the feed store. What were you thinking?”
“That he’d help check off an old woman’s bucket list,” Dotty said unhelpfully. “My dream, that is.”
Rafi’s expression darkened.
