This time therewasno relief. Andie liked it better when staying single was heridea. Not a forced matter of circumstance. But so it was—whether she liked it or not, Andie would be riding solo for the rest of her life. It was a good thing, she insisted stubbornly, that that was exactly what she wanted.
Chapter 7
Awave of warm air moved over Trenton’s skin as he rolled up his sleeves at the head of the barn, eyeing the soon-to-be riders in turn. It was day two of the course, the day their little guests got to climb onto their horses and go for a test drive.
Trenton hadn’t expected the spring weather to take over for the occasion. The sun had beamed so bright over the land that it had melted most of the ground snow before noon. Part of him wondered if Ms. Andie Duran had somehow summoned it herself. He wouldn’t be shocked to learn that the sun, the moon, and the stars too could rotate around a woman like that.
Stop, Trenton. You don’t even know her.
No, but he was intrigued so far, to say the least. He liked hearing about how it hurt her heart to discover the abused horses. If her childhood was as spoiled as he guessed it was, the event might not have even fazed her. Yet he could tell by the look in her eye that it haunted her even still. He liked that.
“Yesterday, we learned all about the horse and saddles, right?” Trenton said, forcing his mind back to the task at hand.
“Right,” came a few hollers from the group. Among them, Andie’s distinct tone rang out like a bell, a sound which produced even more warmth. Only this heat came from within him, the sizzling sparks forming low in his belly. So he had a crush. Big deal.Focus, Trenton.
“You even got to pet the horses, right?” he added.
The replies came again—Andie’s, though softer this time, still capturing his attention above the others.
“Who can remember what we get to do today?”
“Climb onto the saddle!” Billy shouted before the question was finished.
The exuberant response was rivaled by a rather shy little girl named Annette. Annette had taken a liking to Andie yesterday, and though her father sat at the little girl’s right, Annette was cuddled up to Andie on her left, her small fingers curled around Andie’s forearm, head nudged into the nook of her elbow.
Trenton allowed a quick glance in that direction. Andie’s eyes were set right on him, and he’d be danged if she didn’t look as delighted as the kids. Just a glimpse of her broad smile and those deep dimples made the distinct sound of her quiet laughter all the more penetrating.
There went the belly heat again, flaring low and warm. And though it felt nice—undeniably so—it wasn’t a very welcome sensation. Mainly because it revealed a weakness in him—a weakness for a woman who could complicate his life if he let her. Even if she never felt a thing for him in return.
Of course, this early on it was nothing more than a shallow splash of attraction. But it had been a while since he’d felt anything of the sort.
He forced his gaze decidedly center stage to Billy and his mom. Not that it would help. In the two days that he’d known Andie, Trenton had proven to be keenly aware of her location whenever she was near. Like when he’d grabbed a bite of breakfast that morning and spotted her in the sunny nook. He hadn’t guessed she’d be an early riser. If he had, Trenton might have skipped the buffet and settled for a granola bar instead.
He’d spent the entire meal faced toward the window while detecting the woman’s movements as she thumbed through a newspaper, refilled her coffee, and added cream. Twice. He couldn’t help but listen as she spoke to the elderly couple seated at a nearby table. Tuning out a conversation had never been a hard thing to do before.
When she’d approached him after breakfast, confirming the time of the class, Andie had insisted on meeting him there today rather than accepting a ride, which was fine by him. Of course, he’d taken the time to clean out his truck last night just in case.But the barn wasn’t a long ways away or anything—just a walk from one side of the property to the next, and hers was one of the closer cabins.
He was doing it again, thinking about her.
Trenton had planned to use Andie as his assistant, but at the last second, he asked for a volunteer instead.
The inner wrestling match continued as Trenton worked to keep his mind on the kids, the horses, and his instruction as the class moved on, the kids climbing on the horse one by one, testing the feel of being atop a creature so large.
Yet even as Annette took her turn, insisting that Andie come with her, Trenton recalled their conversation from the day before. A conversation he’d replayed several times since. Andie had lost both of her parents not long ago.
That, aside from the horses, must be why he felt a connection. If that was the case, it would mean his attraction to her wasn’t soshallow after all.
Of course, he’d never even known his parents. And there was something about the way she’d so quickly and easily said how they’d died. A part of him envied it. She’d known them while they were here, knew just how she’d lost them, and would have memories to hold dear for the rest of her life.
That wasn’t the case with Trenton. In fact, he’d sometimes wondered if perhaps his parents were alive despite what his granddad said. What if they’d simply not wanted a child and Milt had insisted on raising him rather than see him put up for adoption?
Brewster, Missouri.The recollection reminded Trenton that he might finally find the answers he was looking for. Would he really be able to hold out until he moved? Or maybe the better question was this: once he got settled into his new place and left all of this behind, would he even care to pull up the details of his past?
“Teacher Trenton?” a small voice urged.
“You okay, Trenton?” The latter prompt had come from Andie. That fact was enough to yank him from his musings in a blink.
He nodded, a rather absent response as he forced his mind back on the moment.
