He kept his eyes facing ahead until he was sure she’d finally looked away. When he quickly peeked back over at her, she was resting her head on the seat and smiling as she looked out the window.
He was sure he’d never seen anyone more beautiful in his life. And seeing her smile was worth the months of torturous teasing he was going to get after today.
He realized with a sudden jolt that he would already do just about anything for this girl beside him.
Even at the cost of his own pride.
Chapter Seven
Caroline let the large chestnut colored gelding nuzzle her neck. It was a feeling she had missed so much and standing here with this gentle horse was healing even more than she’d realized had been broken. She’d just spent the past hour brushing him and giving him carrots to win his trust, although she could tell he was already an easygoing horse that was used to being around people.
Travis had gone off to visit with a few of his cousins who were living on the ranch so she could have some time by herself with the horses. Right away, this one had come over to sniff at her curiously, while a black one raced around the pen pretending it didn’t even see her. A few others came over and let her pet them now and then before going back to grazing.
She felt like she’d died and gone to heaven, being around these creatures she’d missed so much.
“I see you’ve made friends with Frank. He’s my grandma’s horse, and likely the quietest one out of all of them. She dotes on him, so that is understandable.” Travis climbed over the wooden fence and came over to where she was petting the horse.
“Frank? That’s not a common horse name.” She laughed at the name which didn’t seem to suit the horse at all.
“Frank Sinatra actually, but we just call him Frank. Grams loves him, so…” He shrugged as he reached up to scratch the horse around the ears.
She nodded in understanding, then pointed to the black horse that was now headed in their direction. “And who is that? He’s been quite entertaining to watch.”
Travis grinned widely as the horse came over and stuck his nose into Travis’s neck. “This is my horse, Wayne.”
Her eyebrow shot up as she made a face. “Not Wayne Newton.”
He shook his head and rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. “No, Wayne Gretzky. The Great One.”
She burst out laughing.
And Travis frowned.
“Of course. How could I have missed something so obvious?” Caroline couldn’t keep the grin from her face.
Travis shrugged as though it was the most natural thing in the world. “I do enjoy my hockey.”
“You really are a big fan?”
He nodded proudly. “Winnipeg Jets, all the way.”
She had to laugh. “Why Winnipeg? They aren’t anywhere near here. Shouldn’t you be cheering for the Colorado Avalanche or a team closer to you?” she teased him.
He squinted slightly in her direction. “No, Winnipeg is a good team. I love the fan base and they’ve just got some really good players. How do you know the names of hockey teams anyway?”
This time she grinned proudly at him. “Florida Panthers, of course.”
He laughed loudly. “The Panthers! And you were making fun of me for cheering for the Jets.” He shook his head and laughed again. “Panthers.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at him. This was fun. Lawrence had even questioned her love of hockey because it took time away from him. “At least my team was close enough I could go watch the games in person.”
He nodded sadly. “That’s true. If I had the money, I’d fly to watch all the Jets games, but I have to make do with my big screen TV. I’ve been to watch a couple of games when they were in Colorado and I went to Vegas once to have a hockey vacation when they were there.”
“I guess that’s what I’ll have to do now too. Go to the games that are close by or make a trip out of it. No more season tickets for me.”
“Well, I can’t tell you how nice it is to find someone else who likes hockey. Why didn’t you mention this earlier? My family has never had any interest, so it’s refreshing to find another fan. Even if they do cheer for the Panthers.”
She laughed. “But Wayne Gretzky for a horse name, really? At least I didn’t call Bentley, Bobby Orr or Sydney Crosby.”
“Well, Wayne’s like Bentley, a bit more finicky about who he’ll hang out with. I think it has a lot to do with the fame. It’s gone to his head a bit.”
Caroline couldn’t stop laughing as Travis talked about the horse as though he was the real Wayne Gretzky.
“Well, everyone knows Gretzky is a great guy, so I’d say you’re pretty lucky that he’s chosen to let you hang out with him.”
They each gave attention to the horses that were in front of them, scratching the coarse fur along their necks, and she could feel Travis’s eyes on her as she leaned into Frank slightly.
“So, do you think you’re up for a ride? We can just go slow and head out across the pasture on the other side of the pen.”
Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of actually getting on the horse and riding. But the fear was still there too, no matter how much she tried to push it away. It was frustrating how something she’d loved for so long could be causing her to be afraid now.
“I don’t know. My hip is still a bit sore.” She knew that was just an excuse and by the look on his face, he knew it too.
“I thought you said you’d been doing those exercises I gave you the other day. Aren’t they helping?”
“Well, yes, but I guess maybe just from standing around here a bit petting Frank has left it a bit stiff.”
His eyebrow went up, but he just watched her.
“And, I guess maybe I’m still a little nervous to get up there.”
“Tell you what. How about if I lead Frank, and we just walk around right inside the pen? I won’t let go.”
She knew this was her chance to get back into something she loved. And he was offering her the safest way to do it.
“If you promise to not let go, then I can try. You’re sure Frank is the best one to ride? I want the quietest one possible.”
He laughed as he headed to the stable to grab the tack. “Trust me. Frank is a softie. My grams still rides him at least once a week. You’ll be safe with him.”
Frank pushed his nose into her chest as if to let her know she could trust him. She quickly scratched between his eyes and leaned her head against his. “Okay, Frank. I’m trusting you, so you better behave.”
She tried to slow her racing heart as Travis threw the saddle on and finished getting Frank ready to ride. She whispered soothing words to the horse, hoping it would keep him calm, but she knew the words were more for her benefit than anything.
When Travis looked over and smiled at her, offering his hand to help her get mounted, she let her worries go. As long as he held onto the lead rope, nothing was going to happen. She realized how much she already trusted this man, and just somehow knew he would keep her safe. She took his hand and noticed the gentle squeeze he gave it before helping her up onto the horse’s back. As soon as she was mounted, she let her head fall back slightly and closed her eyes to enjoy the feeling of being back in the saddle. Travis was still holding onto the reins when she looked back down, and she gave a subtle nod to let him know she was ready.
Frank started to move beneath her, and she swallowed hard to keep her panic from rising up. This was something she’d always loved, and no matter how hard it was, she was going to face it head on so she could get it back. Before the accident, and before Lawrence, riding was second nature to her.
“See? I told you Frank was a sweetheart. Now, if only we could tell Wayne to stop getting in the way.” She laughed as Wayne continued to follow along behind Travis.
“I’m beginning to think maybe you’re not only a cat whisperer. It seems like these horses are quite taken with you too.”
He sidestepped past Wayne to avoid crashing into him and looked back
to grin at her. “Maybe I should have become the vet instead of Joel. I actually did think about it at one time, but the thought of ever having to deal with an injured animal and watching them suffer was just more than I could handle. And if I ever had to put one to sleep, that would be the end for me.”
She smiled warmly at him as he continued to slowly lead her around the large fenced in area. The fact that he could admit something like that warmed her heart. It proved to her the kindness she believed he had in him was genuine.
“How about you? Did you always know you’d be working with numbers?”
She laughed and shook her head, keeping a tight grip on the reins she held. “Nope. I was going to be a professional rodeo queen. Of course, everyone told me how unlikely that was, so I ended up doing the next best thing. Became an accountant.”
He spun to look back at her to see if she was serious. “An accountant is the next best thing to being a rodeo queen? I never would have guessed that.” Even from here, she could see his dimple when he grinned.
Her body began to relax even more, and the familiar feelings she used to have when she was riding started to push the fear away.
“So, you’ve never really told me why you chose to come to Quinn Valley. It’s a long way from home for you. Do you have relatives or someone you know here? Usually, people don’t move to Idaho from a place like Florida without a good reason.” He was still smiling at her, not even realizing the question was so difficult for her to answer.
When she didn’t reply right away, his smile faltered. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be prying. Whatever your reasons for coming here, are none of my business. I’m just glad you ended up here.”
She felt guilty not being able to tell him everything. But talking about it always left her feeling drained again. It wasn’t like she was the first person to have to move away because of an ex.
However, she still worried that she’d just run away from her problems, instead of being strong enough to deal with them. Lawrence really wasn’t a bad guy, and she sometimes thought maybe she’d over-reacted.
Until everything was sorted out in her own head, she wasn’t sure she could even explain it to another person.
Even if it was someone she was already fighting hard not to fall for.
Chapter Eight
“Mmm, Grams, there is no one in the world who can make better butterscotch pie than you.” Travis closed his eyes and chewed slowly to savor the last bite. “You sure do know how to spoil your favorite grandchild.”
Dusty came down the hall just then and grinned in their direction. “Did I hear someone talking about me?” He leaned in to kiss Grandma Gertie on the cheek. “We all know I’m your favorite.”
Their grandma rolled her eyes as she made a clucking sound with her tongue. “I don’t have favorites, and you both know it.”
“Well then, why did you bring me a piece of pie?” Travis handed her back the now empty plate.
“I brought one for Dusty too. And Amy and Patrick. She’s put them in the back room.” Travis had figured his grandma would bring a piece for everyone in the office, but he couldn’t resist teasing her. Since he’d been the first one out from a patient when she’d arrived, he’d gotten the first piece of pie.
“I knew you wouldn’t forget about me, Grandma.” Dusty winked at her as he went into the room behind the desk to retrieve his piece. “If Amy doesn’t hurry back from picking up the mail, I might just eat her piece too. And Patrick isn’t in until tomorrow, so his might become mine too.”
“Don’t you dare or I won’t be bringing you any more pie.”
Travis laughed as he watched Dusty cover his ears and pretend he couldn’t hear her.
“Honestly, you two. I don’t know why I still come around to dote on you.”
“Because I’m your favorite, and you know it, Grams.” Travis leaned in close to pretend to whisper conspiratorially.
Grandma Gertie slapped him gently on the arm and shook her head.
“Actually, I have an ulterior motive today. I know you were out at the ranch yesterday, and that you brought that nice girl who is working at Harold and Irene’s office. I just wanted to be sure Frank behaved for you.”
Travis refrained from rolling his eyes. He knew his grandma wasn’t at all concerned about how Frank had behaved. She knew full well that horse never misbehaved.
No, his grandma was trying to find out more details about him and Caroline. This woman had made it her personal mission to see all her grandchildren married off this year, so if she even sniffed a possibility for one of them, she needed to find out more information.
“He was awful, Grams. He wouldn’t behave at all. Just a terrible horse to have used for riding.”
Her hand flew up to her chest. “Oh no! Are you serious? I’ve never seen Frank act badly. I’m so sorry. I hope no one was hurt. I just can’t believe it. I would never have thought he’d misbehave.”
“So, why were you so concerned about making sure he’d been good?” He grinned at his grandma with an eyebrow raised, loving the moment she realized she’d been figured out.
“Well, I wasn’t really worried. I was just making sure Caroline had a nice time.”
“Yes, she did, Grams. Frank was a perfect gentleman, and we just walked around inside the pen. She had a riding accident a few months ago so has been nervous to get back in the saddle. I was just helping her get over her fear. That’s all.”
“That’s very nice of you to do that, Travis. I’m sure she appreciated it.”
He leaned back against the desk and crossed his arms as Dusty walked back out taking a huge bite from his pie. “Mmm-mmm-mmm. Honestly, Grandma, you can come here every day to drill Travis about details of his date with Caroline if it means you’ll bring me pie.”
Travis glared at his cousin. “It was hardly a date.”
“And I’m not here to drill anyone about anything. I was merely stopping in to see my grandsons and bring them pie. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Dusty just shrugged and put another large bite in his mouth.
Grandma Gertie turned back to smile at Travis. “But do you think you’ll be bringing her to the weddings this weekend? I’m sure no one would mind if you showed up with a date.”
“Grams…”
She put her hands up in front of her. “I was just suggesting. I mean, the poor girl doesn’t know anyone in town, so she’ll be all alone anyway. Wouldn’t it be nice to include her?”
Before he could argue anymore, a movement by the door caught his eye. He groaned loudly and shook his head as he walked over to open the door for the cat sitting on the other side howling.
“Bentley, how did you get out this time? One of these days, you’re going to be flattened by a car crossing that street and then you’ll be sorry.”
Travis cringed as he thought about the possibility of that actually happening. As annoyed as he was with the cat, he’d taken a bit of a genuine liking to him. Plus, he knew Caroline would be devastated.
His grandma came over and crouched down to pet the cat as he weaved around her legs. “Oh, my heavens. What a sweet little cat. Who is he, and why is he here, Travis?”
“That’s Travis’s girlfriend’s cat. He pops over to visit now and then.”
Travis shot another angry look in Dusty’s direction as his cousin innocently put another piece of pie in his mouth.
“His name is Bentley and he belongs to Caroline. For some reason, he keeps finding me, either at home or at the office, and thinks he can stay and hang out with me.”
“Oh, that’s so wonderful.” She scratched at the cat’s belly as he rolled over to get more attention. “He’s a beautiful cat. He must really like you.”
“Strangely enough, he actually does. And I don’t even know why. But once again, I’m going to have to take him back to Caroline. And within a couple of hours, he’ll be back.”
Over the past week, Bentley had come to the office as often as he could, and in the evenings he’d
made a few more trips to Travis’s house. Each time, he had to take the cat back to Caroline who always felt terrible.
They’d searched for ways to see how the cat was escaping, but they hadn’t been able to figure it out. Thankfully, though, he’d only seemed to ever go to Travis, so no one else had turned the cat in for wandering around town.
“You know, they say animals can sense things that humans can’t. Maybe Bentley here knows something about you and wants to make sure you don’t get away from him, or Caroline.”
He clenched his teeth tight as he listened to his grandma ramble. She was still bent down giving Bentley attention and the cat was enjoying every moment of it. His loud purr was almost vibrating the floor.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking, Grandma. I mean, this cat hates most men. Trust me, I’ve been on the receiving end of his hatred. But he loves Travis. If that doesn’t tell you something, I don’t know what would.”
If they’d been alone, Travis was sure he’d clock Dusty right between the eyes. His cousin was enjoying egging their grandma on just a bit too much. He’d come out from behind the counter and stood beside them.
As soon as Bentley spotted him, he arched his back and hissed.
“See? I prove my point. He hates me but loves Travis. It’s just not normal.”
Grandma Gertie stood up and nodded. “He’s right, Travis. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Bentley has chosen you.”
Travis pushed his hand through his hair in frustration. Had his entire family gone crazy?
“Okay, first of all, Bentley is a cat, so I’d hardly predict my future based on his affections. And second…well, he’s a cat! You are both ridiculous. I’m just going to pick him up and take him back over to Caroline. And you two can stand here and talk about how this cat is a master matchmaker in the romance department.”
He leaned down and scooped the cat up in his arms. He almost wished the cat would hiss and claw at him to prove to these two how wrong they were, but of course, Bentley gave him a nose bump with his forehead and then leaned his head against his chest.
Calico Cupid Page 4
