“I know.But since we’re sharing, I thought this would be easier.”
He knew she wanted to decline, but instead opened her mouth.It felt amazing to him to care for her in any way, and the fact that they shared a fork felt intimate to him.He hoped it did to her, too.
She waved her hand before the bite of pancakes he brought to her mouth.“I can’t eat another bite.”
He didn’t think she ate nearly enough but didn’t push it.He planned to feed her again in a few hours.
After he finished, he picked up the dishes, set them in the sink, and kissed Dottie on the cheek.
“Thank you.”
He saw Hanna grin when Dottie tried to push him away.
He came back and sat down next to her.“So, part of my surprise is horseback riding.Do you like to do that?”
“Oh, I love it.I just haven't done it for so many years.”
“It’s like a bike.Once you know how to ride, you never forget.”
“Okay.I’d like that.”
“You can’t wear sandals.”
“I’ve got a pair of tennis shoes in the Tahoe.”
“I went ahead and got you a pair of boots.They’re safer.”
“You bought me boots?”she asked, surprised.
“Yes.”He reached to get the box he had set on the chair seat next to him, and then opened the box and pulled out a tan leather boot.It looked feminine and should fit comfortably since he checked her shoe size.
“If you don’t like them, we’ll get you another pair when we go into town.It’s good to have more than one.”
“I ...I can’t believe you’d do that.You know this isn’t my home anymore, and I won’t be able to use them in the city.”
“We’ll worry about that later.”He handed her some new socks.“Put these on and then try the boots.”
She looked undecided, but he also caught a spark of excitement.
After putting on the boots, she walked around a bit.
“These are really comfortable.”She walked over to him and hugged him.“Thank you.I love them.”
He cleared the emotion out of his throat.“Good.Now you just about look like a cowgirl.”
She laughed.“Just about?”
“Yeah.”He reached for a hat on a hook and put it on her head.“You’ve got a hat, too.”
“You bought me a hat?”
He grinned at her shock.“Well, yeah, you can’t be a cowgirl without one.Besides, we’ll be out in the sun, and I don’t want you to get sunburnt.”
He saw the tears fill her eyes, and he would have panicked if she hadn’t been smiling.“Okay, then, let’s head down to the barn.”
Dottie got his attention.“I had one of the guys take everything you wanted, so it’s already down there.”
“Thank you, Dottie.”
