When he returned from the tack room, Gunner reached into his back pocket and handed her a slip of paper.
She unfolded it to find a list of names and numbers scrawled in pencil.
“I started a list just in case.”
She blinked at him as something warm and wonderful unfurled in her chest. It was such a thoughtful gesture. “Thank you. There are at least fifteen names here.”
“Imagine what you could do if you advertised it.”
She pushed through the unexpected mushy feelings andforced herself to think practically. She loved the idea of another income stream. But time was the critical factor. Gunner was already swamped with his current workload, and Emerson wasn’t interested in putting in more hours. “When will I find time to give lessons?”
He removed the last of the tack and began brushing down Firefly. “What if you gave up your other job? That would free up a lot of hours.”
“Oh, I wish. Not that I dislike working at the Trailhead, but it was supposed to be a temporary gig, just until the ranch could be self-supporting. But it’s dragged on like this for six years now.”
He glanced at her over Firefly’s back. “Maybe that time has finally come.”
Could that be true? Her pulse raced at the thought. She’d need to run the numbers. Make sure she could make it work. At that point it would be an act of faith. She could trust God with this, couldn’t she?
“Maybe you’re right.” Perhaps it was finally time to take off the training wheels and see if she could ride this bike.
Twenty-Four
The first Saturday of August sweltered with heat and humidity. Charlotte walked from the barn to the house thinking about the full day ahead. So much had happened in the five weeks since the grand opening. But most importantly, the news coverage and articles had done their jobs.
The names on that list Gunner made for riding lessons had panned out. And after working the numbers she finally bit the bullet: she gave her two-week notice at the Trailhead. On her final day Lonnie wished her luck and assured her the job would always be there if she needed to return. Fingers crossed, she wouldn’t.
Charlotte had signed up eight kids for two different riding classes and three additional students for individual lessons. Gunner had taken on three additional clients, and Emerson agreed to help out with the trail rides on Saturdays, their busiest day of the week. In short, even with Charlotte working the ranch full-time, they would need an extra hand if business picked up much more. She hoped that person would be her sister.
When she entered the house, she was glad to hear Emerson moving about since her sister had a trail ride scheduled for nine. The aroma of something delicious wafted in the air as she walked into the kitchen.
Emerson was loading the dishwasher.
“Good morning andyum. What is that amazing smell?”
“I made Belgian waffles with brown-sugar butter. Help yourself.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” She opened the oven, forked a plate-sized waffle, and heaped on the whipped butter that sat on the counter. She didn’t even wait until she was seated before she took her first bite. “Wow. This is really delicious.”
“Thanks. I got the recipe from Vivian at the bakery. You should taste her orange crescent rolls. They’re so flaky and they practically melt in your mouth. I haven’t talked her into giving me the recipe yet, but I’m working on it. Did you know she trained in France? She’s really a genius in the kitchen.”
“She’s not the only one.” Charlotte helped herself to another bite. “I’d probably starve if it wasn’t for you.”
Emerson tossed her a grin. “Nah. You’d just be eating frozen pizzas and PB&J sandwiches.”
“True enough.” Charlotte noticed her sister’s overnight bag by the door, and her stomach dropped a few inches. “Are you going somewhere?”
Emerson glanced at the bag. “Yeah, I’m heading to Asheville to visit April.”
“Um, you didn’t forget about those two trail rides today, did you?”
“Of course not.” Her voice took on that familiar defensive tone. “They’re at nine and eleven. I’m going afterward.”
At least she wasn’t shirking her duties. “That’s good. But I was hoping you could stick around and help me with my first group lessons. They’re back-to-back at two and three this afternoon. I’m a little nervous about handling four kids plus the horses on my own. I think I’ll be okay, but I wouldn’t mind an extra set of hands just in case.”
“Sorry, can’t do it today. I’m meeting April for lunch at one. Ask Gunner. That’s what you’re paying him for, isn’t it?”
As if Gunner didn’t work more than his share of hours. “Whatwe’repaying him for. And he’s got his hands full with the horses he’s training.”
