"Well, that sounds fair, I guess. Still, maybe I can do something for them and convince Sean to give it to them."
His brows rose. "That seems very kind of you. But again, why don't we go enjoy your newfound gifts?"
I waited as he bundled himself up, then we stepped out onto the porch. The sounds of work echoed around us along with the shrill wind whipping around. It was cold, and I definitely needed the items I was wrapped up in.
Simon took my hand as he led me down the stairs and across the snow-covered ground toward the stables. "I want to check on Ginger first. She's a handful and a half, but I love her. BobbyAllen is taking care of her, I'm sure. It's a habit of mine," he said, as if it were embarrassing he cared so much about a horse that he wanted to go check on her himself.
I shook my head and squeezed his hand. "I'm glad that you check on her. She sounds like she might be a bit restless from time to time, and she deserves someone who loves her enough to worry."
"Oh yeah, I do worry," he said as we went through the open barn door.
We turned the first corner inside and came face to face with Bobby Allen staring down a horse with his hands on his hips. He turned at the sound of our footsteps.
"Oh good, you're here. Come talk to your woman," he said, throwing his hands up. "She's been extra ornery today."
Simon chuckled, squeezing my hand once before stepping away. He approached the large, beautiful mare. "Ginger, sweetie," he said, voice all soft. "You know better than to tease Bobby Allen when I'm not around. He's good to you, just like I am."
Simon held his hands up, showing he didn't have anything to harm her. As he took solid steps her way, she chuffed at him, shaking her head like she was rolling her eyes or something. The girl had personality.
I didn't know the horses all that well since I rarely spent time involved in that aspect of the ranch, but Ginger was an infamous animal.
When Simon was within reach, he stroked down her nose in one go. She melted beneath his touch, becoming a pliant thing nudging him for more pets.
I looked to Bobby Allen, who was standing there shaking his head. When he saw me watching, he smiled. "She’s normally good for me too, but today she was all up in arms."
Turning, Simon said, "She was probably still restless from last night. I left her to go check out what Tanner was doing—though I didn't know it was Tanner at the time—and since I hadn't come back, she probably thought the worst."
"You speak as if the horse is analyzing your movements," I said as I took a couple of steps forward.
Ginger's eyes were on me even as she accepted the love Simon gave her. I didn't want to startle her, didn't want to cause any issues, but I didn't like being on the outside. Besides, she was a beauty—I kind of wanted to pet her too.
"She's probably jealous that your attention is anywhere else," Bobby Allen said. "Since you've got her, I'm going to go check on the others. You let me know if you need anything."
"Will do," Simon replied as the other man walked away.
The closer I got, the more I could see Ginger tensing up. I stopped moving completely, just watching.
Apparently Simon wanted none of that, though, because he turned to me and extended his hand. He kept the other still on Ginger's head. "Come to me, bud. I want you to meet the most important lady in my life."
The grin he gave me was so sexy. I loved seeing him happy like this. So of course I stepped forward. I took slow, measured steps, trusting him and trusting Ginger a bit that this wouldn't go badly.
When our hands laced together, Ginger made a loud whinny noise, which made Simon whip his head her way. "Hey, girl, now none of that. You need to share. I can't spend all my time in these stables with you."
His accent turned thick and my body damn near climbed him. A man with a thick country accent who babies animals? Hell yeah.
I might have had a type, and if I didn't before, it was definitely solidified now. Simon was what I wanted, but nowwasn't the time. I was a mess. He needed a partner, someone that could be there for him too. Even in a caretaking dynamic, you supported one another. I didn't know if I could give that to him. Not in the near future.
Simon pulled me forward the rest of the way and tucked me underneath his arm. Together we watched Ginger assess me. None of us spoke, and it would have been laughable if not for how seriously Simon was taking it.
After a couple of solidly awkward moments, Ginger tilted her head in my direction, which moved Simon's hand away.
"She wants you to pet her," he said.
While I didn't necessarily want to risk getting my hand chewed off, I knew that Simon wouldn't let me get hurt. So I did what seemed best. I reached out and put my hand right where Simon's had been.
Ginger bumped her head against my palm a couple of times, and it felt like I won the lottery. She was giving me her approval—at least I was interpreting it that way.
Simon's gentle laugh and the way he squeezed my shoulder was also encouraging.
