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“Help yourself,” Beth said.
“Thanks.” Dylan munched on his crackers and scrutinized the cabin and deck. “This is a cute place.”
Beth pulled several grapes from the plate. “Right? I like being surrounded by nature. I’m sure it’s much smaller than the ones Seth’s building.”
“Yeah, your cabin is about the size of the kitchen,” Grayson said.
“Where’s it at?” Vivien asked. “We love the place you guys built for Boone.”
Dylan finished chewing. “It’s about two miles farther out.”
“Nice.”
Grayson’s phone buzzed and he tugged it from his pocket. “Speaking of homes—it’s my real estate agent. I need to grab this.”
“Sure,” Beth said.
Dylan gave him a nod, and Grayson answered his phone and wandered around the side of the cabin.
Yep. She resisted the urge to lean over and catch any of the conversation.
Grayson would clear out of town and head back to Oregon.
Which had been his plan all along—just like Dad said.
She just wished it didn’t bother her so much.
ten
Grayson rubbed his hands together.Their last day of camp for the week and he’d found himself leaning into the work, the kids. They’d made it through one whole week.
He slid the grooming bucket back onto the tack room shelf.
If only today’s schedule didn’t include a water crossing.
Sure, it wasn’t a raging river or a lake. Just a creek. Barely over the horses’ knees. He just needed to get it over with and put it behind them.
He tried to swallow, but his mouth had gone pasty and his throat dry.
“All the horses are saddled and ready to go.” Beth stood in the doorway of the tack room. “Is everything okay?”
Tally’s head popped over her stall door at the sound of Beth’s voice. That horse’s heart was being won over by Beth at a rapid pace. He’d caught Beth sitting with her on more than one occasion, her computer, her journal, or her files in her lap. She’d started with a chair and hay bale set outside the stall, but after several days of that, her chair had migrated inside the stall despite his reservations and warnings.
She’d sit in there and work. Carry on conversations with Tally. He’d come to expect the sound of her voice in the barn.
Just like he’d come to expect her easy smile across the arena when they got the kids ready for each ride.
And he’d rely on that easy smile to get him through the day.
“We’re on the shoreline loop today. It’s the only trail they haven’t been on yet that’s been checked for winter damage.”
“That’s right—the other trails need to be checked.” Beth closed the tack room door and snagged her water bottle from the table. “Will you be able to knock that out before next week?”
“I’ll add that to my to-do list.” He followed her out the back barn slider and slipped through the arena gate behind her. If only he’d known to check the trails sooner.
Still, for the first time since he didn’t even know when, he’d found himself bouncing out of bed, looking forward to the day ahead. Even with his long to-do list. Even though he was supposed to have gone into town over the past two days to meet up with Nathan and sign updated paperwork.
I promised him I’d never leave him.
