‘I’ll cost out the carpentry work and get some quotes on the refrigeration units—I should have a pretty good idea of the total cost for you in a couple of days.’
‘Wow, I can’t believe how quickly this is all coming together. I mean, yesterday it was just a wild thought that crossed my mind, and now it’s looking like it’s really going to happen.’
Denver cocked his head. ‘You better believe it will.’
Alex looked around the shop again. Denver’s confidence was contagious. What had he called this, a fun little job? For him, yes, but to Alex it was so much more than that. It was creating something she could call her own. A slight smile touched her lips as warmth washed over her.
She turned to face Denver again as he cleared his throat to speak.
‘You’ll need a bookkeeper no doubt, and I’ve got a great contact—Cathy Brooks.’
With difficulty, Alex turned her focus back to the practical. ‘Oh, good, yes I hadn’t thought about that. I’ll need a cash register too, I suppose. Is this Cathy a friend of yours?’
‘Yeah, we went to school together. She’s really good at what she does, and I’m pretty sure I’ve got her business card at home. I’ll leave it on the kitchen table. You can grab it when you come over to ride.’
The joy she’d been feeling dissipated as his words hit home. She’d been trying to forget she’d agreed to go for a ride with Travis. Obviously, Denver hadn’t.
‘Are you sure this ride is a good idea? I haven’t been on a horse since … actually, I don’t think I’ve ever been on a horse. I’ve ridden ponies a couple of times, but that was at school camp.’
Denver winked. ‘You’ll be fine. Sally is the most trustworthy horse I’ve ever come across. You’ll have a great time. You’ll see.’
~~*~~
Alex spotted Travis standing near the barn as she drove up to the house. Once again in his element, his whole body exuded quiet confidence.
When she stopped short of the barn, he directed her to where she should park. That’s when she noticed the two horses tied up, both saddled, looking ready to go. The larger one was quite dark, the other a lovely reddish brown with white on its legs. She hoped she’d be riding the smaller one.
Travis was standing right there when she opened the car door. He swept his hand across in front of him. ‘Your steed awaits.’
‘Which one’s mine?’ she asked, nervously.
‘That’d be Sally; on the right.’
She let out a sigh of relief as she swung her legs around and got out of the car. When he didn’t move, she found herself standing far too close to him, and far too aware of his musky scent.
‘Did you bring a hat with you?’ he asked.
‘Oh, I didn’t think of that.’
‘No worries, I brought one down from the house that should fit you. It was my mother’s. She’d be pleased to see it being used given I’m not sure she ever wore it herself.’ He reached around her and closed the door, then led her toward the horses.
He untied the horse she was to ride and rubbed the horse’s forehead gently. Then he handed her the light-coloured straw hat that was resting on top of the saddle. She put it on and smiled. It was a perfect fit.
‘Here, Sally really is quite gentle,’ he said, encouraging her to come closer as he continued to rub Sally’s forehead.
Alex swallowed hard and took a deep breath. She could do this. Wasn’t it meant to be good for you to step outside your comfort zone? She reached out and placed her hand on the horse’s forehead, mimicking the movements Travis had made. The horse closed her eyes and leaned into the pressure of Alex’s hand. Warmth washed over her and a smile eased some of the tension in her jaw.
‘See, she likes you already.’ Travis must have moved closer; his warm breath touched her neck as he spoke, sending shivers down her spine.
Alex drew in a quick breath, no longer certain if it was the horse riding or Travis’ company that she’d been worried about.
He chuckled softly, shaking his head. ‘Come on, I’ll give you a leg up.’
‘No, I’m right,’ she said, determined that she could do this on her own.
Travis nodded as he stepped back. ‘Okay.’
Alex grabbed the side of the saddle and lifted her left leg, placing her foot into the stirrup, but as she tried to pull herself up, Sally turned her head toward her and practically rolled her eyes. She laughed nervously, and that made it even harder, so she pulled her foot out and stepped back.
Travis, to give him credit, kept a straight face. ‘Here, let me show you.’
Alex moved out of the way as Travis gathered up the reins in his left hand, placed his right hand on the front of the saddle, lifted his foot into the stirrup and in one smooth motion was up in the saddle. He looked down at her, smiled, and jumped off.
‘Gees, you made that look easy.’
He shrugged off the compliment. ‘It is easy, when you know how.’
‘I think it put me off when she gave me that look.’ She took the reins in her left hand and then tried to heft herself into the saddle the way he’d done. It wasn’t quite as easy as he’d made it look and part way up she had to abandon the effort.
‘You nearly had it. Grab the saddle here instead.’ He placed his right hand on the back of the saddle, and she wondered if she could feel his other hand on her lower back or if it was just her imagination.
She looked up into his eyes, and he just smiled. She was reading too much into this.
Clearing her mind, she put her foot back into the stirrup, and grabbed where he’d shown her. In a moment, she was up. Not nearly as gracefully as she’d have liked, but she was on Sally’s back and Sally wasn’t moving. A sigh of relief escaped before she could stop it.
He looked up at her, a wry smile suggesting he was holding back laughter. ‘Those stirrups are a bit too long for you. Here, pull your foot out for me and I’ll adjust them,’ he said as he touched her lower leg, and gently moved it out of the way.
His touch sent tingles across her skin that travelled all the way up her body. Had Liam never touched her calves? They were amazingly sensitive.
‘Now, put your foot back in and stand up in the stirrups. Better?’
She tilted her head questioning him. ‘Better than what?’
‘Yeah, it’s better. Here, I’ll do the other one,’ he said with a laugh as he walked around to the other side.
Again, he touched her leg to get her to remove her foot from the stirrup, and again it sent shivers along the surface of her skin. This time, as he adjusted the straps his hand brushed her thigh. She drew in an involuntary gulp of air and forced herself to close her mouth.
‘Try that,’ he finally said, guiding her foot back into the stirrup by gripping the heel of her boot. ‘And try to remember to keep your weight on the ball of your foot, and keep your heels down.’
He removed his hand and stepped back, then looked up at her, looking like he was waiting for her to acknowledge his instructions.
She swallowed and pushed an imaginary bit of hair away from her face. ‘Got it.’
A moment later he was on his horse beside her. ‘Ready?’ he asked.
‘I think so,’ she replied.
‘Alright then, let’s go.’ His horse took a few steps, and Sally fell in beside him. ‘Now, when you want to stop, pull back like this. Not too hard, just a gentle pull and say whoa.’
Alex pulled back as he’d shown her, and Sally stopped instantly. Some of her tension released; at least she knew where the brakes were.
‘And to ask her to turn, you do this.’ He gently laid the reins against his horse’s neck and immediately the horse began to turn. Then he laid them on the other side for a brief moment, and the horse turned back. ‘Now, you try.’
Again, she did as he’d done, amazed at how easy this was. ‘Wow, I feel like a prof
essional now … almost.’
A deep throaty laugh escaped him before he smacked his right hand over his mouth. ‘I shouldn’t laugh. We were all beginners at one time or another.’
‘Yes, well, you and Denver were probably in the saddle before you could walk.’
He grinned. ‘Just about.’
With each step Sally took, Alex’s nerves settled further. The weather couldn’t have been better, her horse was behaving beautifully, and Travis seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself. His patience in explaining things that to him were clearly second nature reminded her of the way he’d behaved when he’d fixed the screen door. It was hard to reconcile this side of him with the gruff man she’d met in the saloon the day she’d arrived in town. Had she judged him too quickly that day?
She brought her attention back to her horse as they reached the end of the driveway and Travis turned right into the main road. Sally fell in behind Travis’ horse and within a few minutes, the steady clip-clopping of the horses’ hooves completely transformed the last of Alex’s fear to enjoyment.
Travis turned, and spoke over his shoulder. ‘You doing all right back there?’
‘Yeah, this is more fun than I expected. She’s quite happy just following you.’
He cocked his head and gave her a smile that said, I told you so, without saying it. ‘We’ll get off this road soon and go up through Blue Gum Park—the trails are wide and clear, and it’s shady.’
‘Blue Gum Park? Is that the park across from my place?’
‘Yep. We’ll come in from the bottom and ride up through the park.’
‘Riding is allowed through there?’
He cocked his head again, only this time a frown visible across his brow. ‘Sure, why wouldn’t it be?’
‘A lot of our parks have signs saying no horses, no dogs, no motorbikes … and the rest.’
‘Horses are definitely allowed. When your uncle donated the park to the county it was on the condition that the trees could never be harvested—and the riding trails could never be closed.’
‘My uncle owned the park?’
‘Yes, and a great deal of other land around here. As did my family.’
She hadn’t known that, but it made sense. Any wonder he’d had so much money. Once again she wished she’d known her father’s side of the family better.
Travis moved his horse further to the side and slowed until Sally was up beside him. ‘Your uncle used to ride a lot and made most of the trails in the park himself. He had some nice horses, but sold them all when he had the new house built.’
‘I suppose he was getting too old to ride much by then. Was the house next door done at the same time?’
‘Yeah, I’m pretty sure the guy who bought the land built both houses as part of the deal.’
‘And is that man still living in the house?’
‘No, he sold it when the house was finished. The high school principal lives there now.’
She wished she’d known who he was when she’d spoken to him about the mowing. Perhaps she would drop in on him again to ask what the kids around here did to keep busy over the summer months.
A moment later they were riding single file through the park, surrounded by eucalyptus trees. They followed what seemed to be the main trail, passing smaller ones that went off to the sides from time to time.
Travis again let Sally catch up beside him. ‘How would you like to try a slow lope?’
Alex’s heart skipped a beat or two as his words sunk in. Lope. That probably meant running. ‘Uh … do you think I’m ready?’
‘You’ll love it. Sally’s like a rocking chair, and we’ll just go slowly as we make our way up this gentle rise. Ready?’
‘I suppose …’
He moved his horse to the front of hers again and it started to run. He looked over his shoulder and called back to her. ‘Loosen the reins a bit and give her a gentle squeeze with your legs.’
Alex squeezed her legs up against Sally’s sides, hung onto the saddle and closed her eyes. There was an initial surge of power, but Sally quickly settled into a gait which didn’t even bounce her out of the saddle. Either she was the best beginner in the world, or this was one incredibly smooth horse. She suspected the latter.
‘That’s it. You’ve got the hang of it.’ Travis called out to her again, and then brought his horse to a stop at the top of the rise.
When she caught up to him, Alex pulled gently on the reins as they came up beside the other horse. ‘I can see how people get addicted to this.’
‘I told you she has a rocking chair lope. I’m glad you’re enjoying it. Sally’s one of the best horses we’ve got for beginners. She’s never put a foot wrong with anyone.’
Alex leaned forward and ran her hand along Sally’s now sweat-covered neck. ‘And you’re not going to start with me, are you Sally?’
When Travis laughed, Alex looked up and met his gaze. For the first time, she noticed the laugh lines around his eyes. They went well with the touch of grey visible in his temples, and spoke of a man who’d led a full life; a man who’d had some rough times up to now, but seemed to have come through them well enough.
And now she was genuinely glad she’d agreed to come along on this ride, and found herself hoping it wouldn’t be the last invitation she’d get.
His eyes were still locked on hers when he finally spoke. ‘Shall we ride on up to the top? Or do you want to head back?’
‘I’m not in any rush, so it’s up to you.’
He gave her a thoughtful look, perhaps weighing up the options. ‘I thought you might be getting a bit sore, using different muscles. We could go back.’
‘Oh, I’m pretty fit … I run most mornings. Don’t worry about me.’
When he raised an eyebrow, she regretted having said that. Was she almost goading him into taking her on a far longer ride than she was ready for?
A slow smile finally touched his lips. ‘Okay then, let’s keep going.’
They continued up the trail, winding back and forth, and had a couple more slow lopes along the way until they popped out of the trees onto Blue Gum Road. Travis was right; they were across the road from her place. Pride washed over her as she admired the house, still finding it hard to believe it was hers.
‘We’ll ride back along the road, if you don’t mind. Pirate could use the exposure to cars.’
‘Pirate?’
‘Golden Pirate, to be exact.’
‘Well then, Pirate, I guess we’ll ride along the road.’
Of course, not a single car went past, but the clip-clopping of the horses’ hooves did catch the attention of two young children. They asked if they could pet the horses and Travis seemed happy to oblige.
‘He’s so pretty,’ said a young girl of about six or seven as she reached up to stroke Sally’s nose while the young boy moved in front of Travis’ horse.
‘She is pretty, isn’t she? Her name is Sally.’ Alex corrected with a smile. ‘Have you ever ridden a horse?’
‘No, we don’t have any horses, but we have bikes. Mom lets us ride them in the park. Is that where you were riding?’
‘Yes,’ Alex replied.
‘Sometimes I see hoof prints on the trails, and then I pretend my bike is a horse. I’ve named her Princess.’
‘That’s a lovely name. I like the park too—tomorrow I think I’ll go for a run there. It’s a ripper, isn’t it?’
‘A ripper?’
Alex frowned, realising the little girl probably had never heard the Aussie expression. ‘Oh, it’s a really cool park, isn’t it?’
The little girl’s face brightened. ‘You talk funny. Are you from Canada?’
‘No, I’m from Australia. Have you heard of Australia?’
The girl tilted her head, thinking. Then she put a finger on her chin making the cutest inquisitive face
. ‘I don’t think I have heard of Ostraya, but my cousin Laura lives in Canada and she talks funny too. They visited us last year.’
The boy pushed over to Sally, so the children swapped horses. He was either her twin or perhaps a year younger but there was no doubt they were siblings. It wasn’t long before a heavily pregnant woman called out to them, and they each said a quick goodbye before dashing back to their front yard.
Alex waved to the children, swallowing back her sorrow as they departed. Then they continued along the road, this time riding side-by-side.
Travis raised an eyebrow as he turned to look at her. ‘You’re good with kids.’
Alex cleared her throat, regaining her composure. ‘I’ve worked with lots of them. I used to run tennis programs after school and during school holidays.’
‘Used to?’
‘The club I worked for sold out to a property developer. It’s a long story, but I ended up taking a more demanding job, and that was the end of my coaching. I’m hoping to start it up again soon.’
He took a long time to say anything, appearing to be considering what she’d said. ‘I can see you’d be really good at it.’
‘Can you?’
‘What I meant was, you connect well with children, and that’s half the battle.’
It wasn’t a big compliment, and it wasn’t based on much more than a moment’s talk with a young girl, but his words warmed her heart, and made her take stock of the fact that she’d let too much time go by. Working with kids was something she loved, and she needed to get back to it. And selling all the properties would no doubt give her the money to do just that.
When a car finally came along Travis moved Pirate off the road as best he could. Sally followed and fell in behind. They rode the rest of the way back like that, single file, and when they reached the gates of Gold’s Ranch, Travis hopped off and checked the letterbox. When he didn’t get back on, Alex decided it might be nice to walk the rest of the way too. As she dropped to the ground she landed with a thud and a nervous laugh escaped her.
Discovering Gold Page 9
