They ended the tour back in the family room.The atmosphere was warm and cozy.Sandy was clearly a man ofsubstance and she wondered what the heck she was doing with him.Jesse ran up, dogs at his heels.
“Miss Cable, Miss Cable!Would you like tosee my horse now?”Jesse smiled broadly and Lily longed to sweepback that mass of hair always falling in his cherubic face.Shesmiled back at him.
“You bet.Lead me to him.Is it a him or aher?”she asked Sandy.
He laughed, “A her.This way.”He cuppedLily’s elbow to usher her out the back door towards the barn.Thatnow familiar spark from his touch no longer made her uncomfortable.Sizzle, maybe, but definitely not uncomfortable.He smiled at herand clutched her arm even tighter.
The backyard area also seemed to go onforever.A large barn sat on one side with other low levelbuildings mixed in the countryside.He must have a building foreverything.The main house backed up on one side to tree-coveredhills.Behind the hills were the Sierra Mountains complete withremnants of the snow pack.Like the town, his ranch was a picturepostcard.It would be hard not to love this place.
Once they were in the barn, Sandy nodded toher.“Have you ever ridden before, Lily?”
“Actually I have.I grew up on my parents’ranch in Sonoma.My Dad still breeds ranch horses.”She lookedaround at the airy loft filled with hay and the individual stallshousing several sturdy horses chewing complacently.
“So you might be a Westerner after all,” heteased.
“I have a funny feeling I might.”
“I thought you said he had a winery.”
“He does that too.He doesn’t have many acresof grapes, but Dad loves the process of winemaking.He sells a fewbottles around town.I’ve learned a lot from that man.”
“What about your mother?”Sandy pulled down aworn saddle decorated with silver rounds.“You haven’t mentionedher or is it none of my business?”
Lily touched the soft leather of the saddle.“She died several years ago.Had a heart attack one night afterdinner and just died sitting in a chair in the living room.Wethought she was asleep… She wasn’t.”
“I’m so sorry.”Sandy took her hand as Jesseran up.
“What’s taking you guys so long, huh?Scoutwants to take off.Let’s go!”
Sandy put saddles on two of the young horses,a bay and a lovely chestnut mare.After cinching the saddles, hehelped Lily mount and handed her the reins.“Okay?”
Sitting a horse felt so familiar and she felther childhood stirring.She tied her hair into a quick ponytail andtook the reins.“Yep, let’s go.”
They walked their horses for a while, beganto trot and then Sandy arched a playful eyebrow.“Ready,ma’am?”
Lily laughed, “Yes, sir.”And they took offat a gallop.Jesse was already far ahead shouting for them to catchup.The happy dogs were out loping along with him.They’d turn andrun back to Sandy getting what looked like a pretty goodworkout.
Wow!What a gorgeous view.
Their horses ran through a meadow coveredwith yellow and purple wildflowers.Recent rains had green grassessprouting everywhere.Gentle sloping hills in the distanceresembled steppingstones to the gigantic mountains behind them.When they stopped at a stream for the horses to drink, Lily wantedto run through the meadow like Maria in theSound of Musicsinging about the hills being alive.
Sandy bent forward in his saddle.“Penny foryour thoughts.”
“You’re going to think I’m a hopelessromantic, but I feel like Maria in theSound of Music.
“Does that make me Captain Von Trapp?”Withan infectious laugh, Lily laughed with him.
“You’re so exotic to me that you should bethe Frenchman inSouth Pacificinstead.”
“Why exotic?And you’re the second person tobring up that movie to me recently.”
They were walking their horses now whilechatting across the saddles.Conversation was easy, natural.Jesserode ahead and was busy giving the dogs orders, which theyblatantly ignored.
“Who else brought up that movie to you?Andwhy?”
“Hmm… I guess I can tell you this.”
Sandy told her about the conversation he hadwith his mother last night.He admitted that he was apprehensiveabout inviting a woman over and needed a sounding board.Lilygrinned during his recitation, but her eyes widened with theinformation about her grandfather, Joe Cable.
