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“A pleasure to meet you, Muriella. I’m Rick. We’re so glad you’re here.”
“I’m pleased to meet you also.” She twined her fingers behind her back as he extended his hand to her. Her pleasant smile disarmed him but didn’t fool me. She wouldn’t touch men no matter how casual the contact, and I was damn near bursting from waiting to find out why, certain when I did, I wouldn’t want to know.
“Follow me. Jezebel and Cedar are ready for you.”
“Either we’re going to feed cows or ride horses,” she said. “I don’t think most people name their cows.” And after a second, “Except you.”
I laughed as we walked straight through the barn, a few of the horses in their stalls whinnying.
“We’ll come back and visit these guys,” I said, sensing that she was hesitating as we walked by the stalls. The smell of hay took me back home. It seemed to take her someplace else too. “Muriella?”
She’d stopped walking. “Yes? Sorry. It’s been a while since I’ve been in a stable.”
“You’ve ridden before?”
“It’s been over twenty years. I hope it’s like riding a bike,” she said optimistically.
“It will be,” I assured her. “Ready to give it a try?”
We resumed our trek to where two horses were saddled and waiting for us. Rick stood between them, holding the reins. “This is Jezebel,” he said to Muriella, stroking the nose of the horse on his left.
She walked straight up to the horse. Jezebel blew air out of her nose but didn’t put up any protest when Muriella touched her. Though the creature towered over her, Muriella let Jezebel lean into her small palm without hesitation, their connection immediate. Something tightened in my chest at the sight.
“You mind taking me for a ride, sweet girl?” she asked, and the horse nuzzled her some more.
Before Rick or I could offer assistance, Muriella lifted one foot into the stirrup and mounted like she did it every single day.
“Guess you’re ready to go,” I commented dryly, easily climbing onto Cedar’s back.
“Let’s do this.”
“Looks like you’re familiar with riding,” Rick surmised.
“Appears that way,” she said.
Rick looked at her, clearly impressed. “I’d planned on spending a good half hour showing you the ropes. Now I don’t have an excuse to put off shoveling out the barn. You two enjoy your ride.”
We trotted out of the ring into an open pasture. I set a slow pace to warm up the horses.
“This one’s ready to run. Do you think you can beat us?” Muriella taunted after a bit.
“Yeah, I do, darlin’.”
She loosened the reins, and Jezebel took off at a gallop. Cedar and I easily caught up, but she encouraged her horse to go faster, a little too fast for my liking. I was beside her in a split second and we flew across the open fields. Muriella was breathless and her features relaxed by the time she slowed her horse by a little stream.
“The best laid plans,” I grumbled, sidling Cedar up beside her.
“What about your plans?”
“First off, I can’t beat Charles in a cute competition.”
“And second?”
“Ithoughtyou might be a little more helpless when it came to horses, and I could woo you with my manly skills. Like maybe we’d start out on two horses but come back on one.”
She pressed her lips together and looked away, her body shaking twice before she turned back to me. Was she fighting a laugh?
“I thought this was just lunch,” she said straight-faced, even as her mouth twitched.
