River offered him a smile and finished plating the food before bringing him a dish. He accepted and stared down at the plate with so much gratitude he might actually burst. “River…”
“Careful, Doc. If you’re itching for a repeat of last time, I’m not going to be so gracious as to leave. It’s Sunday and my day off. You get to be the one to storm out that door over there.” Her tone was light, but the undercurrent and meaning of her words were not.
Throat thickening, Mathew nodded. He swallowed, but his voice remained hoarse. “I’m sorry. For how I reacted last week—especially after everything you did for me.”
“Water under the bridge.” Her tone was light and airy. It was the morning breeze after freshly fallen rain. It was a rainbow stretched across a blue sky. And when she winked at him, he could do nothing but pick up the fork and take a bite. “But now that we’ve made it clear who was in the wrong…” She eyed him, a smirk spreading across her face. “You’re gonna have to make it up to me.”
Mathew smiled despite himself. He wasn’t sure what she had in mind or if he’d be up for the challenge, but if she was willing to overlook the way he’d treated her, he was ready to make an effort. If losing his father had taught him anything, it was that life could be cut short all too soon. Maybe Aiden had a point. He needed to take time to grieve and cope. And if that meant spending some extra time with a woman who felt a little like a safe harbor, then he’d do it. “How will I do that?” he asked.
River lifted a shoulder, still chewing. Then she winked again. “I’m sure we can come up with something.”
10
RIVER
“Nope. Not happening, River. I’m not getting on one of those death traps.”
River planted her hands on her hips and lifted a brow at the man backing away from the horse like Bandit might suddenly sprout wings and breathe fire. “It’s just a horse. You’ll be perfectly safe.”
He shook his head. “Not happening.”
“Are you telling me you were raised by a farmer and never rode a horse?”
“No. I’m telling you the one time I rode a horse, I got bucked off and broke my wrist. I’d rather not repeat that experience.”
A laugh slipped out before she could stop it, and his narrowed eyes told her he noticed. She quickly pressed her lips together, but it was too late. Especially when the corner of his mouth twitched like he was fighting a smile of his own.
“Are you laughing because I got bucked off the horse?”
Oh, it was unfair how handsome he was. And the look he was giving her made her stomach do a little flip—one she tried her best to ignore.
“Of course not,” she said, far too innocently. Straightening, she patted the horse’s neck. “This here is Bandit. His mama is Eloise Owens. You know the Owens family, right?”
He frowned like the name didn’t ring a bell, which was surprising considering he’d lived in Copper Creek longer than she had. How did he not know who Shane Owens was? “I thought Slate Rock Ranch was owned by Zeke Callahan.”
“It is. And you’re about to get the grand tour on Bandit here. Eloise is one of Zeke’s daughters, and she’s married to Shane. You know, the guy who runs the country club that also doubles as an equine therapy center? She’s worked with horses for situations like this before.” River gave him a pointed look, waiting for it to click.
“And what situation is that?”
She sighed. “People who are scared of horses.”
Mathew puffed out his chest. “I’mnotscared. Riding is just… reckless. I’m smart enough to not put myself in a dangerous situation.”
River shook her head, catching sight of the cowboy who was eyeing them from a few feet away. He was smirking at the whole exchange. She hadn’t been paying attention when he introduced himself, but she was pretty sure he was married to one of Zeke’s daughters, too. “Come on, Doc. You said you’d make it up to me. This is what I want to do. Let’s have some fun. Do something crazy. Get out of your comfort zone.” It took several more minutes of convincing, but eventually, she persuaded Mathew to get into the saddle and start on their tour. There were a few other couples in the group, which allowed her to hang back with Mathew, so they weren’t overheard.
After Mathew opened up to her about his father, she kept getting this feeling that she should tell him more about herself. It was the strangest thing, because up until she’d met Emerson, she’d kept those parts of herself locked up and hidden from view.
“I grew up in the foster system.” The words tumbled from her lips as they plodded along the trail. They were now completely surrounded by the most beautiful woods she’d ever visited, and that was saying something. It was magical out here. She breathed in the scent of pine and fresh air, if only to steel herself for more sharing. “I was dropped off at the fire station when I was almost three.”
Mathew sucked in a sharp breath. He probably realized instantly that a traumatic experience like that reshaped a kid’s mind. She’d been old enough to have fuzzy memories of her parents. Nothing too concrete now, but when she’d been a kid, it was really hard.
“That’s why Emerson and I clicked.” She risked a peek at the man riding beside her and offered him a small smile. “Emerson was brought up in foster care as well, but his parents passed away and there was no one else to take care of him.” She didn’t have to point out that her situation was vastly different.
She hadn’t been wanted.
She’d been discarded.
River knew better than to tell him about the emotional scars that were carved deep in her heart. No one wanted to know about that sort of thing. It made them uncomfortable.
