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She had indeed requested a day to recuperate after the fallout with Preston, and the studio had granted her three before arranging her date with Judd. She’d spent the time soaking in room service and some time at the beach, though admittedly, avoiding the water thanks to her fear of it and inability to swim.
They’d driven more inland to a beautiful vineyard in Spring Valley. Greenery surrounded the hacienda architecture at the ranch, which resembled something more like an oasis. The lush landscape was replete with smaller, squat palm trees and oak trees with expanding branches.
“I’ve never been anywhere so beautiful,” Snow said.
“Me neither,” Judd said. “This isn’t like the kind of ranch I’m used to, that’s for sure.” He gazed with admiration at the scenic surroundings. They’d started with a tour of the vineyard and a wine tasting; Snow had only sipped the delicious, fruity vintage that had seemed to shine through her as it passed along her tongue. The wine had left her with a cozy, relaxed hum that undoubtedly made enjoying the surroundings that much easier.
Then they’d exited the facility to find a pair of horses—three, actually, one to accommodate their videographer—saddled and ready for a ride beneath the shade of exquisite oaks and flowering bushes that added purple hues to the trail.
“People on TV make this look so easy,” she said.
“Nothin’ about ridin’ a horse is easy,” Judd said. Once her horse made it to his, the two creatures took a casual stroll beneath the trees. Hector had dismounted and walked along their slow pace, filming.
“How long have you been riding?” she asked, letting her body flow and lilt along with the horse’s movements.
“Since I was a colt myself,” he said. “My mama’s got pictures of me ridin’ before I could even walk.”
“Is that what got you into the rodeo?”
“My daddy was a pickup rider. Soon as I could, I was out there ropin’ steers with the best of ‘em.”
“Tell me about your buckles,” Snow said. That was what cowboys earned when they won rodeos, wasn’t it?
Judd waved her off. “Nah.”
“No? Why not?” she asked.
He held the reins with one hand and rested the other on his thigh, as comfortable in the saddle as could be. “I just don’t want to dominate this conversation and get to braggin’.”
“You’re not bragging.”
“But once I start talkin’ buckles, I will be. When a person’s won as many as I have, it sound mighty prideful.” He flashed a grin at her from beneath his wide-brimmed hat.
She laughed. “I give you full boasting rights. This is a world I know nothing about. Go ahead and brag.”
He tilted his head, the brim of his hat scooping toward her. Snow was glad she’d gotten a hat of her own for this ride. She could understand the appeal. Though she didn’t need it now under the cover of the branches, they were great for keeping the sun out of her eyes.
“All right, then. I’ve won over two hundred buckles in events, and the money that comes along with it ain’t too shabby.”
Two hundred? Snow cast her gaze at his ropelike arms and sturdy build. Having never been to a rodeo before, she wasn’t sure exactly how it played out, but she’d seen rodeos in movies. She could imagine how good he looked roping a steer or barrel racing or whichever event he excelled in. “Sounds like you need to show me some of your moves.”
“These aren’t rodeo horses. These are trail-ridin’ horses.”
“There’s a difference?”
Judd’s lips quirked. “There sure is. You try steering one of these nags to catch a stray bull, and they just might give out.” He cast an arm to an open spread of grass in the protective umbrella of more trees. “I think this is a great place for our picnic, don’t you?”
Snow admired the well-manicured lawn and flowerbeds. Some of the flowers were foreign to her but no less breathtaking for it. “Looks lovely,” she said. “How do I stop this thing?”
Judd laughed, stopping his horse beside hers. “Pull up on your reins.”
“And say ‘whoa’?”
“If you want. I’m not familiar with these animals. Ain’t too sure how they’ve been trained, but ‘whoa’ usually works.”
“Whoa,” Snow said. The prospect of removing herself from the animal was more daunting than she’d expected, but she managed to do an ungraceful flop back to solid ground. To his credit, Judd didn’t say anything about her clumsy descent but busily began laying out the blanket and distributing sandwiches from his saddle bags.
Their time together passed in pleasant conversation about Judd’s desire to own a ranch of his own one day and Snow’s ambitions of performing on the stage. By the time they cleared up their picnic and made their way to the facility, she felt as though she’d made a good friend.
