Page 2 of Wilde Ride

Glancing at her, I said, “Kate, Moreen, didn’t you need to go do that thing?”

“What thing?” Moreen asked, confusion written all over her face.

“That. Thing,” I repeated.

Her brows shot up. “Oh yeah! That thing. Um, we’ll just go do that thing that we’re supposed to do.”

“Yes. The thing. We’re on it!” Kate added.

They both shot off like a rocket, leaving Levi to watch as they ran across the backyard in a fit of laughter. He turned back to me, two little wrinkles between his brows. “Are they always so…”

“Yes, they are.”

He handed me the wrapped box. “I got you a gift.”

My heart tripped over itself. “Oh wow! Thank you so much,” I said as I took it from him. “Should I open it now?”

“Sure, if you want. I can’t stay for long, so I’d love to see you open it.”

“We can go over to the gazebo, and I’ll open it there.”

Levi smiled and motioned with his hand for me to lead the way. Once we were there, I stepped up and sat on one of the benches. Levi sat across from me on the other side of the gazebo.

I carefully removed the bow and set it aside before unwrapping the box. I opened it, moved the tissue paper out of the way…and stared. It was a shirt covered in pink and silver rhinestones. A beautiful shirt. I carefully lifted it out of the box, my mouth mostly hanging open as I took it in.

“Caden told me you were up for Miss Rodeo at the River Falls rodeo pageant. He said one of the nights you have to ride Ole Blue around with a flag, and I thought…well, I thought this would look nice on you.”

My eyes lifted from the shirt to Levi. “This is stunning, Levi. I don’t know what to say.”

He grinned. “Ensley told me what size to get. I sent her a picture of it to make sure you’d like it. I know you love pink and silver, and when I saw it, I thought of you instantly.”

I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. “You did?” I asked softly.

“Yeah. I was in Denver with Caroline, and she found a western wear store. We went in and looked around, and that’s where I saw it.”

The mention of his girlfriend felt like cold water being tossed on my head.

“Caroline thought it looked tacky, but she has a different style than you do.”

That was an understatement. Caroline’s father owned the local grain mill, a few buildings on Main Street, and was also a business partner of my father’s. They co-owned the sporting goods store in town. She was the princess of River Falls. The girl had more money than she knew what to do with—and zero sense of style.

Deciding to keep my thoughts about Levi’s girlfriend to myself, I simply smiled and said, “Total opposites.”

He laughed. “Yes, you are.”

I nodded, not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing in his mind.

Clearing his throat, Levi stood. “Well, congratulations. I hear you’re following in the family footsteps and heading to Colorado State?”

I carefully set the shirt back in the box and stood as well. “Yep. Equine Science.”

“I’m not surprised by that,” he said with a soft smile. “You and your sister have always loved horses.”

“Get that from our mother and grandmother.”

“And the summer camps? Will you be coming home this summer to help with those?”

When I was thirteen, I presented my mother and father with a fully laid-out plan to start a summer camp on our ranch. I’d spent weeks going over every detail, and had even drawn out where some cabins could be built behind the horse barn. I also spoke with Uncle David and Uncle Mike, my father’s younger brothers, to help with the start-up costs, after doing a ton of research to estimate a budget.