“And you’re a cowboy. Like a – “
“As much as I would like to sit here and listen to you process through all this and give me the rundown of things that I already know, I have a lot of work that I have to get done.”
I was stunned by his response and fell silent.
“I’m sorry,” I said with a slight edge of sarcasm in my voice. “I’d like to point out that you are the one who started the listing of already-known facts. Yes, I am Snow.”
He gave a single nod.
“I’m Shane,” he said. “Do you ride?”
“Do I what?”
He patted the side of the horse beneath him.
“Do you ride?”
“Not since the fair when I was ten.”
“Perfect.” He jumped down from his horse and looked me over. “You look adorable, by the way. Useless as all fucking hell, but adorable.”
What was with this guy? He’s supposed to be my fantasy date and he’s acting like I’m getting in his way.
“You know what? I think I’ll just head back to the retreat now. I appreciate it.”
I turned to start back down the path, but I felt his hand wrap around my wrist.
“Wait,” he said. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have talked to you like that. It’s just that I got started late this morning and I haven’t gotten as much done today as I wanted to.”
“But it’s still early,” I said.
“Early for me is still dark for you.”
Damn.
“If it’s alright with you, I can help you with your work.”
“I had a date planned.”
“I’m sure you did. So, what are you doing?”
“I have to feed the herd.”
“Sounds great. How do we do that?”
He gestured toward a pile of hay bales against a fence and I walked over to it, grasping the twine around the bale and giving it a hard tug. It didn’t even move an inch and I lost my grip, falling back and landing directly on my ass. Shane walked up to me slowly.
“Please don’t try to do that again,” he said.
“Those things are not light,” I said.
“No,” he said. “They aren’t. They also aren’t what we feed the herd.”
“Then why did you point to them?”
“I pointed at the horse behind them. You need to ride if you’re going to help me.”
Well, damn-shit-hell.
There is a reason that the old adage is about riding a bicycle and not about riding a horse and I learned that reason very quickly. Sitting in the saddle felt awkward and I felt like I had to grasp the reins for dear life just to keep me in place. Fortunately, I had only had to attempt to ride for a few minutes before a large truck came into view. It eased to a stop beside Shane and the window rolled down. A weathered face looked out at us.
“Hey, son, I called in some extra hands for the day if you want to go ahead and take off.”
“Are you sure?” Shane asked.
“Yep. I know you were looking forward to your date.” The old man’s eyes came to me and he grinned. “Hi, there.”
There was something queasy in his voice and I was relieved when Shane leaned to block his view of me with his body.
“That’s enough of that. I really appreciate it, Greg. I’ll make it up to you.”
The window rolled up and the truck drove away slowly.
“Now that we’re off for the day, do you want to take a ride through the ranch?” He looked at my position on the horse. “Do you want to take a walk through the ranch?”
“I would love that.”
He jumped down off of his horse and came to the side of mine, reaching up for me. I let him grab onto my waist and help me down. My body glided down his as he lowered me to my feet and I felt a flutter in my belly. We brought the horses to the stable and he showed me how to brush them and tuck them into their stalls with fresh water. He reached into his pocket and drew out a palm full of sugar cubes. He offered a few to me and then held the others flat on his palm under the mouth of the horse he had ridden. I followed his lead and smiled as the horse I had ridden quickly ate the treat from my palm.
Shane gave a hint of an approving smile and then led me out of the stable. We walked along slowly and I enjoyed the scenery in the silence before Shane spoke again.
“So, I’m guessing that this is your first visit to a ranch.”
“Are you allowed to ask me that?” I asked, tilting my head at him.
“Grey area,” he answered.
“Then I’ll be risky and say yes, this is the first time that I have been to a ranch.” I looked back ahead and then back at him. “Wait. Does a pumpkin patch that advertises itself as a real working farm count?”
“No, it does not.”
“Then, yes, this is the first time that I have been to a ranch.”
“Do you have any other plans for the day?” he asked.
I was slightly startled by the question and shook my head.
“No,” I said. “I had it set aside for you.”
“Would you mind if I planned a different date for us?”
He spoke slowly with very little inflection, but I could still sense the slight shift in emotion in the question.
“What did you have in mind?”
“I’ll get it set up. Come back before supper. Wear the dress.”
Without even the most subtle of shows of affection, Shane walked away from me. Feeling confused, I reached into my pocket and withdrew my phone so that I could call for the limo to come back for me. There were still hours to kill before I was to be back at the ranch and I spent the drive back to the retreat thinking about how to spend the time. I was thinking about curling up with a book when I saw Noah standing in the front room of the cottage.
“Hey,” he said. “Back so soon? What was wrong with him?”
I laughed.
“There was a little change of plans, but I’m going back to the ranch tonight.”
“The ranch?” he asked.
“Oh, yes,” I said. “I tried my hand at cowboying today.”
“Wouldn’t that be cowgirling?”
“I guess you’re right.” I glanced over my shoulder at the steps leading to my room and then back at him. “Do you have time for a snack?”
“How do you know that there’s one there?”
“You’ve become a bit predictable.”
Noah gave a mock gasp but then followed me. After sharing the cup of tea the day after my date with Sam, Noah had come by my room a couple of other times for a snack and chat, and I was really beginning to look at him as a good friend. In all of the questions and unpredictability of what was happening around me, it was nice to feel like there was a friendly face I could rely on when I got back to the cottage.
We had been laughing and eating our way through the plate of chopped vegetables and cheese in my room for almost an hour when I heard Fawn’s voice calling from the main room.
“I should go,” Noah said. “I hope you have fun tonight.”
“Thanks.”
I watched him leave, the bright green of his eyes seeming to still sparkle in mine even when he was gone.
This time when I arrived at the ranch, Shane was waiting for me. He held what looked like a pile of blankets in one arm and a truck was parked to the side of the trail. Instead of the driver helping me out of the car, Shane offered his hand and I climbed out. He led me to the truck and opened the door for me. I contemplated the vehicle for a moment, trying to come up with the most appropriate way to climb up into it wearing a skirt. I finally pressed my skirt down to my legs and hopped in sideways, gliding across the leather seat. Shane closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side.
“Ready?” he asked.
I nodded and the trucked roared to life.