“And giving me dating advice.”
Her brown eyes sparkled. “What are friends for?”
“Well, that goes both ways. I think you should give Jeremy a real shot. You seemed to hit it off very nicely, and if I’m not wrong, there was a spark or two.”
“Or three...,” Brianna muttered.
“What was that?”
“I said ‘I agree.’ But there’ll be time for dating later.”
She let her friend get away with that, but only because Charlotte had no room to talk.
Thirty
“You didn’t have to come over on your day off.” Charlotte felt bad about that. Gunner already worked long hours. She led Maxwell, a bay quarter horse, from the stall. “We could’ve done this one day this week.”
“I didn’t have anything better to do at home,” Gunner said. “Just had to mow the property, and I got that done this afternoon.”
“Isn’t that the landlord’s job?”
“I don’t mind giving Mr.Dixon a hand.”
What he wasn’t saying was that he worried about his landlord. She focused on his handsome features. For a guy who avoided close connections, he sure was looking out for his elderly friend. Gunner had a softer heart than he wanted to admit.
But he didn’t seem to have any family or close friends with whom he kept in contact. Didn’t he get lonely? Didn’t he ever long for a kind word, a soft touch, a meaningful connection?
His gaze met hers and clung. A familiar expression came over his eyes—sadness or longing? She couldn’t be sure which.
Her fingers twitched with the desire to reach out and touch his face. To let him know someone cared. How could he be satisfied with a transient lifestyle and temporary relationships? It must all feel so empty and meaningless. She knew what it was like to have a void, and she wanted to fill that empty space for him. He was so deserving.
Maxwell nickered as Gunner came to a stop beside her.
She pulled her gaze from him. Stroked the gelding’s muzzle. Why was she having these thoughts? Even if Gunner had a void, she wasn’t the person to fill it. He wasn’t staying here.
And, oh yeah, there was Kyle.
She cleared her throat. “So, uh, what do you think’s going on with Maxwell here?”
“That’ll be your puzzle to solve. His owner says he’s always been an easygoing guy, a good companion. But they recently moved to a new property, and now he gets antsy whenever she rides him.”
“Any change to his feed?”
“Nope.”
“How recently did they move? Maybe he’s just settling in.”
“It’s been six months. He’s fine in the stable and pasture. It’s only when she’s riding him that he becomes agitated.”
When a horse exhibited a problem, their human was sometimes the root cause. “Maybe the owner’s conveying nervous energy for some reason.”
“All right. That’s a reasonable conclusion. What should we do next?”
“Saddle him up.”
Gunner gave a nod. “Let’s do it.”
She led Maxwell to the tack room and together they saddledthe horse. The gelding exhibited no signs of distress. Instead, his ears perked up and his nostrils flared—signs of curiosity.
