“Take me out. I know your family talked youintoit.”
“Trust me, they can’t pressure me into doing anything I don’t want to do,”hesaid.
“At breakfast, you seemed…reluctant.”
“I just don’t want you to get your hopes up,” he said. “I’m not interested in a relationship. I know Madison led you to believe that I was ready to get married, but that’s so far from the truth that it’s not evenfunny.”
“I understand what happened. Trust me, I don’t have any delusions about falling in love at first sight. I’ll admit, I did like the man Madison pretended to be, but now that I know he’s not real, I’moverit.”
“I’m surprised you’re taking it so well,”hesaid.
“When you get past a certain age, you learn to roll with thepunches.”
“You can’t bethatold.”
“Thirty-two,”shesaid.
“Okay maybe you are old.” He cracked asmile.
“Ugh!” She moved close enough to playfully punch his shoulder. “How old are you, Mr. SpringChicken?”
“I’m just a young’un.Thirty-one.”
“One yearyounger.”
“In dog years, I’d be seven years younger,”hesaid.
“Good thing we’re not dogs. At least I’m not one. Youmaybe…”
He threw his head back andlaughed.
“Okay, I can see you’re going to be a fun trail companion. Have you ridden before?” heasked.
“A fewtimes.”
“Okay. I got Hanna out for you. She’s an American Quarter Horse. Super easy to ride. She shouldn’t give you any problems today,”hesaid.
She followed him to an open space in the barn. Two horses stood next to each other. One turned its head to look at her with large, brown eyes. Silky, chestnut-colored hair covered its body, but its mane and tail were as black asmidnight.
The other horse reared up and snorted as Drew approached. Its jet-black hair fell in a shaggy mop over its face. At least a foot taller than the other horse, it looked like something out of anightmare.
“Please tell me I’m not riding that one,”shesaid.
“No. Killer’sallmine.”
“You named himKiller? Way to give the poor thing a complex,”shesaid.
“If you’d seen what we went through breaking him in, you’d agree that his name fits him perfectly,”Drewsaid.
“I’ll take your wordforit.”
“Do you need help up?” heasked.
“I think I can manage,”shesaid.
She hadn’t ridden in years. As she eyed the height of the saddle, her conviction wavered. Had the saddle seemed that high in the past? Oh, well, it was now ornever.
She hooked a foot in the stirrup and pulled up while swinging her leg over the horse’s flank. But before she could steady herself, the horse took a step to one side, throwing her off balance. She fell backward a foot before Drew’s strong hands grabbed her butt. He pushed her into thesaddle.
