Then the sound of hooves alerted us to Theo and Izzy being back.
“Hey, did you have a nice ride?” I walked closer to meet them.
Izzy snorted at me, then wanted petting, so I patted his neck as I looked up at Theo, who was doing his best not to glare at Anderson. The expression he gave me was telling; he raised a brow at me as if to say, “you didn’t tell me he was handsome and loved dogs.”
“There was an incident at the small bridge over the stream. Mister didn’t want to go over it, so I had to dismount and help him figure it out.”
“Aww, is our big bad boy all scared of a little bridge?” I cooed at Izzy, who tossed his head.
“That almost looked like he understood you,” Anderson said from behind me.
He walked closer and brushed his clothes off.
“Anderson Marsh, meet the foreman of the rescue, Theo Fenton.”
“Nice to meet you,” Anderson said politely, immediately taking in the way Theo was measuring him up.
For a couple of seconds, things could’ve gone either way, but then Theo nodded. “Welcome to Twin Star.”
Something inside me unclenched and I patted Izzy again. “We were going to get coffee, before I show Anderson around. Do you want some?”
Theo shook his head as he smoothly dismounted Izzy and walked around him. “I’m going to hose this one down and then continue on the next one on my list before it gets too hot.”
“All right. Well, we’ll come by at some point soon.” Without thinking, I leaned closer and pecked his lips. “See you later, babe.”
Theo’s eyes widened, and I heard Anderson clear his throat with amusement.
“See you,” Theo managed to get out before escaping with Izzy in tow.
I ran my hand over my face and groaned. “Well, that was professional,” I murmured.
Anderson laughed. “Hey, I’m glad you’ve found someone who looks at you like that.” Then he winked at me. “And what’s a little unprofessionalism between old friends, eh?”
I glanced at my phone to check the time, then asked him, “So, how are you with kittens?”
The awed expression that spread on his face told me we had it in the bag. And he hadn’t even met most of the animals yet.
* * * *
For some reason, Rey took an immediate liking to Anderson. Maybe it was the fact that Rey could be the teacher to Anderson’s eager student, as they chatted about all things kittens for the next hour.
I didn’t feel anything special for Anderson as I watched him sitting where Theo had yesterday, similarly playing with the kittens. Meanwhile, when Theo had been doing the same thing, my entire being had been drawn to him.
I made us all lunch, and texted Theo that I’d bring his to the so-called office in the stable. Then I texted Sierra to ask if she wanted some, too, and she told me to bring her the good caffeine.
I’d given Hudson a heads up the previous day to let him know that if my hunch was right, Anderson would become a major donor. Hudson had told me he’d checked the guy out and that Sierra could handle whatever Anderson wanted to do if he chose to become a supporter.
I’d half expected Hudson to want to be here for this, but I guess he was busy in the city or thought whatevercheckinghe’d done was enough.
Somehow, I managed to get both Rey and Anderson to come eat lunch at the table. Afterwards, we left Rey and the kittens to have a nap on the couch while Anderson and I grabbed the drinks and sandwiches and headed outside.
Since I’d sent him a copy of the brochure by email, Anderson knew a lot about the rescue already.
“I like that it’s a small enough operation to feel like if I donate, I’ll be a part of it in a way, you know?” he mused after we’d dropped off Sierra’s coffee.
“Yeah, that was what Ruth wanted to do, but of course the operation grew some over the years. It’s still small though, feels more like a home farm than a business or a bigger organization.”
We passed the arena, where Theo was putting up jumps.
