He grinned. “Thanks.”
She hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but she couldn’t take it back. “Do you still have family in Montana?”
“Do I ever.”
“What does that mean?”
“Really want to know?”
She nodded, her curiosity piqued.
“Okay.” He held up his left hand in a fist. “My brother Vince is the oldest. I’m next.” Up went his index finger, then his middle finger. “We’re followed by Martina, Chelsea, Ridley”—He held up his right hand too—“the twins, Tommy and Tina, then Joshua, Brittany, and finally Heather, the youngest. She’s sixteen.” All fingers and thumbs were now extended.
“Ten of you? Wow.”
“Yeah.” He chuckled softly. “‘Wow’ kind of describes it.”
“Anybody made you an uncle yet?”
“I’ll say. Fourteen nieces and nephews. The oldest of them is ten. And there are two more on the way.”
Skye swallowed a second wow, but she couldn’t swallow the envy she felt. “Your family get-togethers must be something.”
“You have no idea.”
He was right about that. She had no idea what it would be like. Neither of her parents had siblings, and her brother and sister, although both married, seemed in no hurry to give their mother the grandchildren she longed for. There were no large family reunions, and there never had been any because there wasn’t a large extended family. Just a small group of five. No, she had no idea what it would be like to have nine siblings and fourteen nieces and nephews. But she would like to know.
Maybe she could find out with Grant.
A yummy, warm feeling spread all through her, and she was afraid she would blush and give away her thoughts.
But Cynthia returned with their iced teas and stayed to take their dinner orders. It gave Skye enough time to pull herself together. After that, their conversation turned to horses, followed throughout the meal by a variety of other topics.
For Skye, getting to know someone had never felt this special.
On Wednesday afternoon, Skye hitched the horse trailer to her truck and drove out to the Leonard Ranch. Once there, she presented Chet with a cashier’s check that represented every last cent she’d had in savings—and more than a few pennies from her checking account as well. Then she put a halter on River and led the gelding out of the paddock and into the barnyard.
Before she had a chance to open the back of the trailer, the sound of an approaching vehicle drew her attention around. Her heart skipped a beat or two at the sight of the familiar Jeep. Only then did she realize she’d hoped she would see Grant while she was at the ranch.
She waved at him and smiled. Through the dusty windshield she saw him grin in return.
He stopped the Jeep a good distance away and hopped out. “This is the day, huh?” He set a hat on his head.
“Yeah. This is it.”
“He’s a beauty.” Grant strode toward her, but he looked at Chet. “We’re done up there until suppertime, boss. I’ll head back up at four.”
“Sounds good,” Chet answered.
Grant’s gaze swung back to Skye. “Want some help loading him?”
Skye didn’t need help getting this horse or any horse into a trailer. Not even ornery ones. But she said, “Sure. Thanks.”
Grant lowered the gate of the trailer to the ground, then stepped out of the way as Skye led River toward the ramp. The horse eyed the trailer with suspicion. She prepared for a refusal. But at the last moment River walked up the ramp as if he’d been getting in and out of trailers every day of his life.
“I should’ve known that’s how you’d be,” she said softly, patting the horse’s neck.
Grant leaned his shoulder against the back of the trailer and looked inside. “A lot of help I was.”
“It was nice of you to offer anyway.” She secured River’s lead rope, gave the gelding another pat, and then headed out of the trailer.
Grant lifted the gate and latched it closed.
Ask me out again, Skye thought as she stared at his back. Ask me, please.
He turned around and smiled that easy smile of his. “How’d the lesson go?”
“The lesson?”
“Last night. With the rest of the wedding party. Any left feet in that group as bad as mine?”
“Not quite that bad,” she said, somehow keeping her expression bland.
“Ouch!”
“I know. Ouch!”
Face toward the heavens, he laughed. It was a great laugh. Full of honest delight. Skye felt pleasure clear down to her toes.
Grant bumped the brim of his hat with his knuckles, pushing it higher on his forehead. “Why don’t I ride along with you? Just in case River gives you more trouble getting out than he did going in.”
His help wouldn’t be needed, and they both knew it. But it pleased Skye that he’d given her an almost plausible excuse for him to join her. Besides, his spontaneity was one of the things she liked about him. Just one of an increasing number of things she liked about him.