“She is.” He didn’t add that the horse didn’t hold a candle to the woman admiring her. That would have been too much. He continued watching them for a moment before he murmured, “You don’t like crowds, do you?”
Her laugh was quiet and almost surprised. “You noticed, that, huh?”
“Yeah.”
She peeked at him briefly but with her face cast in shadow, he couldn’t tell how she was feeling. “I can be in large groups, but it takes me a while to warm up to them. And even then, my social battery can get depleted. I’m really more of a homebody. I’m just more comfortable curled up with a good book or binging a television show than I am with my friends. Don’t get me wrong. I love them to death. I just…” Her voice trailed off and she shrugged. “It’s nice not having to wonder if I’m saying the right things all the time.”
Tripp nodded. He could see the appeal in her words, though he preferred to be social. He craved the excitement it stirred. Or at least he used to.
He shifted, ducking beneath a bar as he entered the corral and came up next to the horse. “You go riding often?”
Wendy shook her head. “I don’t have access to a horse.”
“Your best friends are associated with one of the larger ranches in Rocky Ridge.”
She wrinkled her nose, but it wasn’t out of disgust. He’d seen this reaction a handful of times. It was the expression she madewhen she was trying to come up with the right words to say. Without looking at him in the eye, she said, “This is a business. They’re working. I can’t just show up here and ask to go riding.”
“Why not?”
That caught her attention and she stared at him with surprise. “You’re kidding, right?”
He lifted a shoulder. “You’re friends. Maybe you couldn’t just show up. But it’s not like you couldn’t set up a time and hang out.” Then again with what she’d just said, maybe she wouldn’t want to be out and about.
“Yeah, maybe.”
Leaning closer to her, he smirked. “Animals are less judgmental than humans. If you really want to get out of here and go for a ride, you can always ask me and that means less people.” He wasn’t sure, but he could have sworn there was a hint of a smile. But then it faded just as quickly.
“I would bet that you say that to all the girls you take out.”
His spine straightened. They’d gone from borderline flirtatious to her pointing out his dating life. Where had that come from. “Actually, I’ve never brought a girl back here to go riding. The girls I’ve taken out aren’t exactly the type to appreciate… dust and dirt.”
She made a disgruntled sound. “Of course not.”
He grinned, not interested in taking offense at her tone. With a laugh, he asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Wendy gave him a pointed look. “I saw the woman you were talking to at the party. She’s definitely not the kind of woman to get on a horse and ride into the sunset.”
Initially, he frowned. He didn’t know who Wendy could possibly be talking about. He hadn’t been flirting with anyone… that thought faded and he laughed as realization dawned on him. Tripp folded his arms. “Are youjealous?”
Wendy’s jaw went slack. It might have been the moonlight, or maybe she’d actually paled at his words. There was no covering up her reaction even though she gave it a valiant effort. “What? No!”
“Yes, you are. You were watching me talk to Serena.”
She shook her head vehemently and turned her full attention painfully toward the horse. “I wasn’t.”
“Yes, you were. And you were jealous. Just admit it, sweetheart, and maybe I’ll take you out on a ride just the two of us and Nugget here.”
She chewed on her lip. There was a slim chance that she’d take him up on his offer. He should have known better than to believe she’d humble herself enough to openly admit her jealousy. Wendy remained rigid and silent.
He blew out another chuckle. “Okay, don’t admit it. I’ll still take you riding.”
Her eyes darted to meet his as if to gauge whether he was being serious.
“And I’ll give you one better. Serena ismarried.” He could see the cogs in her mind working—preparing to spew something hateful but he put an end to it. “And I was talking to herbecause I’m taking what you said to heart. She and her husband run an equine specialty training center. They have a dentistry program.”
Wendy’s eyes widened. “Really? You’re going to do it then?” If the awe in her voice wasn’t enough to bring him to his knees, her open excitement for him would have.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “I’ll be looking into it. But yeah, if it works out, I’ll probably go forward with it.”
