She was impossible to read but she was here, so at the very least he knew she wanted to spend more time with him, and she didn’t want it to be just physical.
“Do you remember me in high school?”she asked, surprising him.
“Honestly no, but I wasn’t in the habit of looking at the freshmen.I had football and big plans to escape our small town.”
“And a serious girlfriend as I recall.”
He nodded.“I think it was more serious to her.She was always focused on letting everyone know we were dating.”
“That whole star quarterback dating the captain of the cheerleading squad thing,” Shelby said.She pushed her long sleeve up and he got another glimpse of the delicate star flower tattoo on the inside of her forearm.She was a paradox to him, quiet, edgy, artistic, strong, not afraid to get her hands dirty.He’d completely misjudged her when he rescued her out of that embankment the first night they met.
He narrowed his eyes.“Who did you date in high school?Wait, let me guess—the older guy with tattoos and a motorcycle.”
Her laugh was infectious.“Bingo.Anyone who would annoy my parents was an option.”
“But?”
“But I had a big crush on you.”She looked down at her cup as she said it but then finally met his gaze.
“Really?”
“You were like the all-American guy and our families didn’t get along.So a crush on you was also defiant.”
“I have deep regrets about not figuring that out back then.”
She laughed and the waitress walked over with a saddle bag.“Your order sir.”
“Oh a mystery bag?”
“Yes, but first we ride,” he said standing and feeling more confident about her interest in him after her confession.It really was a mystery how he could have missed noticing her all those years ago, when she had his undivided attention now.
Back at the barn there was a speckled white midsize horse, and a larger dark brown horse.Steam blew out of their nostrils as they stood waiting for their riders.
“Wow, they are gorgeous,” Shelby said, first putting out her hand to the white horse and then running her hand over its neck.
“That is Belle, and this is Beast,” Jack announced.
“Cute.”Shelby smiled.
“My niece names them.”Jack offered her his hand and helped her up into the saddle, while Wes greeted his horse—Beast—and let the impressively large animal sniff him.Then he threw the saddle bag over the front of the saddle horn and mounted in one easy motion.He didn’t ride much, but it was a skill he liked to maintain for the occasional forest search.Although Sandy Point was a beach town, once you went a few miles inland you were in some thick forest, and horses were the best way to cover a lot of land fast.A few summers ago they’d had a missing child, and they’d needed every volunteer to comb the beaches and forest.Luckily, they’d found the first grader before it got too dark.
Now he looked over at Shelby, with her thick curves straddling the horse, and he wished he was her saddle.This outing was going to test all his patience, and then some.They already knew they were physically compatible, but he needed to offer her more than a few hot nights in bed, if they were going to be more.
“You ready, cowboy?”Shelby said.
“Absolutely—how adventurous do you want to be today?”he asked.
“There are three trails open today, each with varying levels of difficulty.The more horseshoes on the signs, the harder the ride,” Jack said.
“Ladies’ choice—I’ll follow your lead,” Wes said.
Shelby gave her horse a gentle squeeze and the well-trained mare sauntered down the path toward the wooded area with three clearly defined trails, each boasting a telltale name; Pride with four horseshoes, Prejudice with three horseshoes, and Persuasion with only two horseshoes.
“For someone who doesn’t date much, you really nailed this first-date theme—quaint ranch with bookish themes and horses,” Shelby said, waiting for him to catch up and stop next to her on his larger horse.
“I wanted to make up for our lack of a first date and get you all to myself in a different way.”
“You’re definitely winning some major points today,” she said, then gave her horse Belle another squeeze to head down the middle trail: Prejudice.Which was very fitting since they both may have misjudged the other when they first met.
