“Get a grip,” Aftyn murmured, and stepped aside to examine the stalls. She ran a hand along a dapple-gray’s muzzle. The horse snorted, breath warm against her palm. “Hello, gorgeous.”
“That’s Smokey,” Cole said from behind her. “Calmest horse in the barn.”
“I’ll take him.” She turned to face him.
Cole fetched a lead rope, clipped it to Smokey’s halter, and led him out beside his own horse. She’d never forget watching that animal clear the fence the day he’d rescued her.
In the tack room he worked quietly, swapping halters for bridles, cinching girths, wiping each edge of leather until it gleamed. Buckles and straps echoed in the high-ceilinged space. He ducked into the next room and returned with two fishing poles and a container of worms.
“Ready?”
She nodded, breathing in hay and horse sweat and wood shavings. “I might need a boost. He’s awfully tall.”
“Sixteen hands.” Cole moved beside her. “Whenever you’re ready.”
She placed her foot in the stirrup, gripped the pommel, and swung up in one clean motion. She sat for a moment, then turned.
“I wasn’t sure I’d manage that.”
“Been a while?”
“Almost two years.” She settled her weight as Smokey shifted beneath her. “I’ve missed this.”
“Then you’re welcome back anytime.” He swung onto his own mount. “Your muscles will remind youtomorrow though. I’ll get you some salve when we come back.”
“I’ll take it.” She smiled.
“Let’s head out before the heat gets worse.”
They nudged their horses forward, leaving the barn’s cool shadows behind for the open fields beyond.
Chapter Six
As they rode through the sun-drenched pasture, Cole held the reins loosely, fighting the urge to glance back at her. The steady rhythm of hoofbeats behind him made his pulse quicken. She was someone he’d love to get to know. But she was hellbent on leaving once her sister was found, and he’d been down that road before.
After Callie left the last time, he’d sworn off women who put everything else first. He’d invested years in that relationship, countless dinners at The Hartland, long rides under star-filled skies, only to be handed an ultimatum she knew damn well he’d never meet. The farm had been in his family for generations. The oak trees his great-great-grandfather planted still stood by the house. It wasn’t as if he’d hidden any of it. She’d told him on their first date she had no plans to leave Clifton; fingers intertwined with his as fireworks exploded against the night sky.
He clenched his jaw. She’d lied straight to his face, those brown eyes never wavering. It had cut him deep, but he was done. He wouldn’t take her back. Ever.
“Over that rise is the pond.” He pointed toward a knoll where cottonwoods cast long shadows across the grass.
“I hope there’s a breeze off the water.” A bead of sweat caught the sunlight as it traced her temple. “It’s brutal today.”
“It is.” He wiped his forehead with his bandana. “I’ll be glad to see cooler weather.”
“Me too.”
When they reached the pond’s edge, dappled light danced across the surface. Cole swung down and brushed the grass from his jeans as he stepped toward her.
“Can you get down on your own, or do you need help?”
“Let me try.” Her voice caught on a laugh.
He stepped back, stifling a grin as she lifted one leg over the saddle. Her brow furrowed, and she froze mid-movement, looking at him with wide uncertain eyes. “Could you stand behind me in case I tumble? My knees feel weak already.”
“Sure.” He moved close, hands raised and ready.
She kept her left foot in the stirrup and hovered above the grass, arms draped across the pommel. “It looks so far down from up here.”
