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Determination crosses his expression as he buckles down and grips the reins harder, hitting Jasper again. “Go, go, go.” After he passes me, he calls out over his shoulder, “Is that better?”
I’m still cracking up when I respond, “Anything is better than yeehaw.”
We ride like that for a few more seconds until he gives in and pulls on the reins to slow Jasper down to a walk again.
“See, I can do this, too, just fine. Ye of little faith,” he states proudly as he sits up straight, looking way more comfortable on Jasper now.
“What is up with the wordyewith you?”
“Yee, yee,” he says with a cocky grin, copying the words of Granger Smith. His smile fades, and he gets more serious. “What is wrong with yeehaw? That’s what cowboys always say.”
“In 1820 maybe. No one says that now.”
“Then, we should bring it back. Tell everyone all the cool cowboys are saying it.”
I laugh for a completely different reason than just a few minutes ago. I went from laughing at him to him making me laugh. It’s a weird feeling, but I decide not to focus on it and just play along. “Cool cowboys? How many cool cowboys do you know?”
He holds his hands out to his sides. “One. Me.”
“You ride a horse for all of five minutes, and you’re suddenly a cowboy?”
“Yep. All of our teachers have always said we can be anything we want to be, and right now, I want to be a cowboy.”
The way he’s being so playful is making me smile even though that’s never something I want to do when I’m forced to be with him. It’s obvious he’s kidding, but the way it comes off him so freely is kind of refreshing.
I shake my head. “You’re ridiculous.”
“So what? Life is too serious sometimes. It’s nice to be out here without a care in the world.” He looks me in the eye. “I can tell why you like this so much.”
His stare catches me off guard, and I lean down to adjust something on Brandy for no other reason but to break our eye contact.
“Okay, let’s head back before it gets too dark,” I suggest.
Dalton raises his hand back to where we came from. “Lead the way, cowgirl.”
“No. Don’t ever call me that again.”
“Okay then, little lady. I’ll just mosey along behind you as you lead us back to the prairie,” he says in a slow, old-fashioned Southern accent.
“Oh God, please no,” I plead, but I can’t stop the laughter caused by his actions. “That’s way worse.”
His lips tilt to the side in a grin that makes him suddenly way too attractive to look at, so I take the reins and turn Brandy, feeling the need to get us back to his property line as soon as possible. Our riding lesson needs to be over—now.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Dalton
I arrive at school a few minutes early, so I go sit on one of the couches and chill before the first bell rings.
“Hey, Dalt.” Maya sits right next to me and places her hand on my knee like she always does. “You ready for the big game tomorrow night?”
“You know it.”
I open my hand and rub on the rope burn I got the other night, hoping it heals a little more by then. I felt it a few times at practice, and it wasn’t the best of sensations.
She grabs my hand and turns it toward her. “What happened to your palm?”
“It’s nothing. I got rope burn.”
