She kept her attention on the road. “I’m glad you came along.”
“Me, too.”
“Which makes it even more important that I leave on Monday. I could get used to having you around.”
“Same.” Clearly their growing connection scared the stuffing out of her. Scared him, too. But he craved it more than his next breath.
Chapter Ten
Jordan enjoyed driving solo, which was a good thing because she did a ton of it. That said, Luis made an excellent traveling companion.
Conversation came easily, just as it had five years ago. Or maybe he was making a concerted effort to keep her mind off her injured horse.
That was entirely possible, especially since he focused on a topic guaranteed to keep her engaged — her work. He had questions, lots of them, regarding how she structured the lessons and where she placed the emphasis.
She explained what she’d adapted from the clinics she’d attended and where she’d chosen to innovate. Discussing it with him energized her. She and Luis approached the subject of horse behavior with the same respect and empathy. She didn’t find that often.
In fact, almost never. Luis’s intuitive understanding of animals, especially horses, was rare. She might have noticed the same ability in Spence Bridger if she’d been lucky enough to have met him.
About thirty minutes into the drive back to Mustang Valley, Luis called Monty. Their conversation was brief. After he disconnected, he tucked his phone away. “He’ll be there to meet us.”
“Good. I still hate pulling him away from the celebration, but after seeing what Fudge is going through….”
“Like I said, Monty prioritizes a sick animal over just about anything else. He’s been like that since he was a kid. He’d bring home some half-dead critter we all assumed was a goner, but soon that squirrel or bird or rabbit would be fully recovered ready to live la buena vida.”
“Mila’s diary on the H&H website talks about him a lot. It sounds like he has his hands full treating the wild horses. On the job 24/7.”
“That’s about right. Luckily there’s another equine vet in town, because plenty of folks have horses. Noelle’s busy, too, but when Monty gets slammed, she’ll often volunteer her time to help.”
“And on the one day he takes time off, here I am with?—”
“You need to let go of that.”
“You’re right. It is what it is.”
“Just remember what I said about him. Riding to the rescue is his thing.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. It seems like a theme around here. Everyone’s friendly and helpful, both to strangers and each other.”
“Mostly. We have some feuds going on, though. Auntie Kat and Eli Hawthorne, for example.”
“Eli, the leader of the Polar Bear Club?”
“How do you know that?”
“I passed their wagon on my way to the staging area to wait for you. He invited me to ride in the wagon with them.”
Luis chuckled. “Color me surprised.”
“At the H&H gathering I got more info from Kat. Is she really a member of their club?”
“Only to irritate Eli. Or so she says. We all think they might be bitter enemies in public and something else in private, but we have no proof.”
“I love it. Romantic intrigue, elder style. What’s more fun than that?”
“I can think of a few things, querida.”
No mystery as to what he was referring to, especially the way he’d said it. “Are you doing that on purpose?”
