“I feel like I’d be constantly worried,” I mutter.
He snorts. “I am, but I do my best not to treat Naomi like she’s glass. She’s going to fall down, she’s going to get hurt, and I will be there to help her up.But I also make sure she knows the proper ways to handle animals like horses or cattle.”
“She’s a smart little girl.”
He grins widely and takes the reins, leading the horse out of the barn. “She’s too smart for her own good sometimes.”
The warm breeze blows over us and I breathe it in. My mind begins to wander to what it would look like living here.
“Okay, I’ll get you up, and then get on after you,” Cooper says, bringing me out of my thoughts that feel like a ball and chain.
“The horse can carry both of us?” I ask, shocked.
“Well, sure, not all can, and weight matters, but Goldfish definitely can handle us.”
“I’d like to show you some of the land, and then I’ll bring you back. Is that okay?”
I nod and blink the burn from my eyes.It’s perfect.
Cooper ties the reins to a post and then comes up behind me.
“Put your foot here in the stirrup and grab the horn there. You’re going to have to pull up and throw your leg over the saddle. I’ll help you.”
I do as he says, lifting my foot and grabbing the horn. As I start to lift myself, Cooper’s hands cup my ass and he nearly throws me onto the saddle. I scramble to keep myself on, and he chuckles behind me as I try to sit up straight.
“You could have warned me!” I yell.
Cooper smiles and shrugs. “I didn’t want to tell you I was about to cop-a-feel.”
“Buy me dinner first, why don’t you,” I grumble.
He does the same, launching himself onto the horse and leaning into my ear. “That can be arranged. I enjoy taking you out to dinner,” he says, sliding a hand to my stomach.
“When I get going, try to follow my movements. I won’t go fast, but do your best to follow my hips.”
“You’re clever, aren’t you?”
He chuckles, moving his thumb in a circle. “I’ll take it. But really, I don’t want you to fall off.”
“Thanks for that, I guess.”
Cooper chuckles. “You’re welcome — I guess.”
I lean into him, and he gives the horse a little nudge, taking us out into an open area towards a group of trees.
“I’ve always wanted to be a cowboy,” he says.
I lean back, looking at his chin. “Why?” I ask trying to sense the way he moves with the horse. It’s easier with his hand on my stomach.I wonder if he feels all the butterflies in there.
“My dad and uncle were raised on this ranch. But Dad wanted to make more money, so when we would come to visit, it seemed like the best thing ever.”
My chest tightens at his voice. He sounds almost wistful, yet there’s a heaviness to his tone.
When I came back to Paxton, no, when I started spending time with people in Paxton, June, Gracie, Cooper, even Naomi and the rest of the Hayes family. I had that feeling. I love my family, and I love being with them, but there is something special about Paxton, and even more so about this ranch.
“Do you still feel that way?” I ask him.
He doesn’t answer right away, leading Goldfish up a hill.
