Jane laughed. “Relax, Reese. It’s really not that big of a deal.” She motioned in the direction of the corrals where just yesterday he’d been working with the boys. “If Kat were to ask you about your passions and why you want to work in this field or what your goals would be to help these kids in a therapy setting, what would you say?”
“I—I don’t know.” Reese could feel the heat crawling up his skin at that confession. “I’ve never had to think of something like that before.”
Jane reached forward and squeezed his upper arm. “Well, we don’t have to go for a couple weeks. I’m sure you can come up with something before then. I’ll send you an email with some of my expectations, and you can go from there. Does that sound good?”
He blinked, nodding, but still struggled to find the words to express what he was feeling in this moment. Even after they’d left his side to do other things, he still stood just outside of the main house.
Dragging a hand down his face, Reese heaved a sigh. He wasn’t anxious. That wasn’t it. This was something else. Anticipation? He was standing before a path that would lead him to a future he’d only ever dreamed of.
And there was one person he wanted to revel in this moment with—Serenity.
He didn’t see much of Leo for the rest of the day. Nor did he bump into the woman of his dreams. For the most part, he kept to himself, his thoughts whirling with unnumbered questions.
By the time the sun had started to drift toward the horizon, Reese was making his way toward the front porch of the house next door.
Serenity was already seated on the steps, and when her eyes locked with his, she offered him a smile. It was genuine, and it made the stresses of the day melt right from his shoulders. He hesitated. He’d been out here to share the sunset with her a handful of times since she’d arrived, but it was still the quiet moment that she stole for herself.
“Well?” she murmured. “Are you going to take a seat or just hover there, blocking my view?”
He snorted. “We both know my standing here only improves it.”
She laughed, and the sound of it did things he couldn’t get enough of. Serenity patted the steps beside her, and he obliged.
Together, they stared out at the sunset. The colors were more muted today. He couldn’t tell if it was the clouds or if it was something else. Up until this moment, he hadn’t realized that such things could be so different when it came to nature.
“The boys missed you today,” Serenity whispered.
He stilled from where he leaned his elbows on his knees. His head swung around, and he stared at her beneath the darkening sky. “We didn’t have a lesson today.”
The corner of her mouth pulled upward, but she didn’t shift, so he continued to stare at her profile. “I know. But I think they expected it.”
That confession was enough to make his heart stumble. Her kids liked him. Or maybe they just liked being out on the horses, and he was fooling himself. “They’re good kids,” he finally murmured.
Her smile widened, and she ducked her head so she could look at him better. Her brown locks fell from her shoulder and hung, twirling in the slight breeze that picked up. “No. I think you’re just that good with children. Why is that? Do you have any nieces or nephews?”
He shook his head. “Nope. Just my cousin’s kids. But you can’t take two steps before you’re tripping over them.”
She laughed. “I’ve noticed.” Serenity turned her attention back to the sunset. “It must be nice to grow up in a place like this. It’s so… removed from the world, you know?”
Reese nodded. He’d grown up in the country. It had been nice enough. At the time, he’d thought he was closed off from the world, but then he’d learned the truth of what the world could offer, and he’d been glad for the chance to be raised in a place like this. Children didn’t need the pain or misery that came with higher crime rates and poverty. Out here? Hard work and family values reigned. “I had a meeting with your sister today,” he said quietly, not wanting their conversation to end.
Her surprised stare almost drew another chuckle from his lips.
“It had nothing to do with you, if you’re wondering. You know that charity she’s organizing? The one working on offering equine therapy services to folks in the area?”
Serenity’s surprise softened to curiosity. “Yeah. It sounds like an amazing program.”
“It does. There’s a lot of work that’s gonna go into it. Apparently, she’s wanting my brother and me to be the liaisons between Sagebrush Ranch and the actual business side of things.”
Her brows shot up. “Wow. That sounds exciting. Better than teaching a couple city kids how to ride a horse, right?”
This time, he did laugh. He threw back his head, and the sound echoed off the trees and other surfaces around them. She startled and stared at him with wide eyes before a small smile touched her lips.
“What?” she demanded. “Isn’t it?”
“Actually, that’s what I’d be doing. They want me to head up the department that would oversee the youth program.”
She gasped. “That sounds perfect for you.”
