“We’ll take four. I’ll drop the other two off in the morning before I start work for Rachel, Delaney, and Rebecca,” he explained.
“I didn’t expect you to be an ass kisser,” she teased.
“Delaney’s pregnant, and it’ll be a nice treat for her. Rachel doesn’t cook, and Rebecca has to take Megan to Corpus Christi in the morning. I thought they might enjoy it.”
“You’re very thoughtful. In case I forget to tell you, I love my hat. You didn’t have to buy me anything,” she said, touching the rim.
Garrett passed her silverware wrapped up in a napkin. He grabbed the homemade BBQ sauce and added some to his plate. “Do you want to try it?”
“Nope. I’m a simple girl. Sauces don’t interest me,” she said, piercing the meat and putting it in her mouth. “Oh wow. It’s good.”
“Told ya,” he said, grinning and taking a bite of his own food.
“It doesn’t escape my notice how you do things invisibly for people,” Riley said, staring at her food. “You tip the owner, and order cobblers when we can easily make them ourselves. Do you do this all the time or only in special cases?”
Garrett stopped eating and put his fork down. “Do you have something you want to ask me, Riley?”
She played with her food. “I guess I wondered if Tara and I fit in the same category as Ben and Maggie.”
“No,” he assured her. “I’ve enjoyed having you two around, and I don’t like what you’re insinuating. I don’t consider you a charity case.”
Riley bit her bottom lip. “It’s difficult to trust people.Ever since I took off with Tara, I’ve discovered this world has terrible people in it. Sometimes, I feel stupid in naively believing the bikers might let us go if I gave them the money. I felt desperate to get Tara back. She’s all I have.”
Garrett reached across the table and caressed her cheek. “They put you in an impossible situation. Don’t second-guess yourself. You saved Tara.”
“Then you rescued me. If you didn’t come for me, I’d still be there,” she shuddered.
“Instead of running to the police, you ran right into the dumpster fire to protect her. You’re brave and risked your life to save the person most important to you,” he reaffirmed. “You’re feisty.”
Giggling, she wiped her mouth and set down her napkin beside her plate. “I’m stuffed.” She put her hand in her boot and pulled out the money. “I don’t know if I have enough for a tip with the extra cobbler, but I want to pay for dinner. Before you say no, it’s important to me to do this.”
He frowned, not liking this at all, but knew it meant something to her and kept her pride. “How about a compromise? You pay for our meals, and I’ll pitch in for the tip and dessert.”
Riley considered it and nodded. “Thank you for not fighting me.”
“Thank you for going with me today. I enjoyed it,” he said, happy she accepted his offer.
Garrett watched as she blushed and kept her head down. Her actions seemed humble, drawing him closer to her. He liked the fact she kept things simple and loved the little things in life. Garrett knew pride drove Riley to part with her money, even though she measured everything by wants and needs. Riley Stewart suddenly became both to him, and he hoped she felt the same.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Riley stroked the grey’s neck while he settled his new horse. He chuckled as he listened to her talk.
“You’ll enjoy your new home. It has nice green pastures, and the barns seem sturdy enough to handle bad weather. Your new owner can be an ass, but deep down, he’s a good guy. Garrett won’t take you out during hot weather. I don’t agree with his idea of not naming you right away. You resemble a grey cloud after a storm. The beginning of where light overtakes the dark. Your coat’s beautiful, and I bet you ride like a dream. One day, I hope to have a horse like you. Maybe, when Garrett’s with his big old brute, who can’t hold a candle to you, I’ll take you for a ride.”
“I can hear you, you know,” Garrett said, adding feed to the bin.
“If you bat your eyes at him, you might talk him into an apple. He’s got a soft spot for females. Don’t take offense because he fed Brutus before you. He sometimes forgets his manners. I don’t know how many times he walks across thefloor after I mop it. Maybe he was born in a barn,” she continued.
Garrett added water and closed the gate. He strode over to the grey and pointedly gazed at her. “Are you done telling my horse all my faults?”
Riley stuck her nose up in the air. “I don’t consider them bad things. She’s a beauty, Garrett. I imagine she’ll be a joy to ride,” she said, peering longingly at the horse.
“I have work to do on the ranch in the morning. Maybe if I get done, we can take them out and test them,” he suggested.
Beaming from ear to ear, she nuzzled the horse before he took her to the open stall. Riley leaned in, checking on the other horse. “He holds his tail like he knows he’s handsome.” The animal’s ears perked up as if listening to her. “Yep, I’m talking about you. Brutus fits you. I’ll make sure to fix sandwiches for dinner tomorrow. Then, we can stretch those legs for you. I can’t wait to see how fast you fly,” she murmured.
Noticing the hay seemed a bit low, Riley made her way to the area, hoping to fill the wheelbarrow up for Garrett while he cared for the second horse.
