“Yeah, well, I like animals better than most people I meet, so it works for me.”
She clicked her tongue in disapproval. “You don’t mean that.”
“Actually, I do.” His flinty gaze softened a bit, and he almost smiled. “Most of the time, anyway.”
She was getting the distinct impression that he was as intrigued by her as she was by him. Whether it was their vastly different backgrounds or their polar-opposite personalities, she couldn’t say. But she couldn’t deny that the more she learned about him, the more she wanted to know.
And then, out of the blue she heard herself say, “You know, I’ve always wanted to take riding lessons.”
Those icy blue eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why?”
“Horses are beautiful and strong, and much more intelligent than most people realize.”
Giving her a quick once-over, he finished his assessment with a single nod. “True enough.”
“I think it would be fun to learn more about them.” And herself, she added silently. After spending the first twenty-five years of her life being treated as if she’d crumple in the face of any adversity whatsoever, she was eager to test her wings and see how far she could fly. “So what do you think?”
“About teaching you to ride?” She nodded, quelling her impatience while he thought over her proposal. She couldn’t understand why he’d turn down a paying customer when his family’s business was in such dire straits. Then again, everyone came to decisions in their own way, and she had a feeling that rushing him would end in a curt no-thanks.
“Here’s an idea,” he offered in a tentative manner. “I’ve got some free time this afternoon after four. Why don’t we try it once and see how it goes?”
She’d had enough of his boot-dragging, and she let a bit of that anger show in her face. “I’m willing to pay the same rate you charge everyone else. Do you have a problem with teaching me?”
“Not a bit,” he replied smoothly. “But you might have a problem learning from me.”
“What on earth is that supposed to mean?”
Shrugging, he stepped away and turned the doorknob. “I guess we’ll find out.”
“Fine,” she spat, recognizing a challenge when she heard one. “I’ll see you at four.”
“I’ll be in the barn nearest the house. Wear shoes with no heels.”
With that, he pulled open the door and strode into the hallway. Her temper was simmering, and she took a few moments to calm down before rejoining her students. As she roamed around the tables offering help and praise as needed, she couldn’t get one thing out of her mind.
Like so many of the men she’d known before him, Mike Kinley had severely misjudged her. She was looking forward to showing him just how wrong he was.
* * *
Mike was checking the girth on an English saddle when a yellow convertible drove up and parked near the barns. Lily stepped out of the car, which he couldn’t help noticing was nearly as cute as she was. Dressed in jeans and a pink T-shirt, she looked nothing like the well-dressed woman he’d seen up to this point. As a matter of fact, he liked this look much better.
Growling at himself for thinking of her that way, he shook off the impression and took his time strolling over to meet her. The slow pace gave him a chance to remind himself that it was his own fault she was here, and he had no choice but to make the best of it.
Before he got there, Abby came flying down the back porch steps and made a beeline for their visitor.
More excited than usual, she stopped and stared up at her teacher with obvious heroine worship shining in her eyes. “Hi, Miss St. George. Are you ready for your lesson?”
“I think so.” She turned to Mike, eyes twinkling in amusement. “I guess we’ll find out.”
Being a fairly intelligent guy, he recognized that she was punting his own words back at him. Her version was much brighter than his had been, and he got the feeling she was daring him to match her. He managed not to smile, but it wasn’t easy in the face of all that perkiness.
Eyeing her sneakers, he frowned. “That’s the only pair of flat shoes you own?”
“Obviously,” she retorted, tilting her head in a chiding gesture that brought to mind his sassy younger sister.
“Well, you’re gonna need some riding boots to grab on to the stirrups. Come on in and I’ll see what I’ve got.”
Eager to get her lesson over with, he wasn’t crazy about having to go through the extra hoop. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her in the stable, he told himself as Abby took Lily’s hand and tugged her forward. He just wasn’t keen about sharing his turf with someone who made him so...jittery.
Inside the sliding door, she fell out of step with him, and he glanced down the rubber aisleway, thinking something must be out of place. The dividing walls between the stalls were made of age-darkened oak, with wrought iron rising from chest height up to the ceiling. Lights and fans dotted the interior, keeping the horses cool on even the hottest days.
It all looked fine to him, and he asked, “Something wrong?”
Eyes wide, she slowly shook her head. “This is incredible. How many spaces are there?”
“Twenty in this barn,” he answered proudly, lifting Abby up to sit on a sturdy shelf normally reserved for spare equipment parts. It was currently empty, one more reminder of how close to the bone Dad’s beloved Gallimore was operating these days. “The stable for boarders has another fifteen.”
“You take care of thirty-five horses here?”
“Well, me and my brothers, Drew and Josh, along with a couple of Dad’s old grooms who wanted to stay on after he died.”
Peeking into a vacant stall, she looked down the line with obvious disappointment. “They’re all outside? I was hoping to meet some of them.”
“I saw Gideon waiting in the front paddock for you,” Abby piped up helpfully. “First, you need some boots.”
“All right, then. Let’s find me a pair and get started.”
To Mike’s ear, the excited pitch of Lily’s voice nearly matched his daughter’s, and he found himself grinning. In his experience, adults didn’t get jazzed about new things the way kids did. Maybe it was being around children all day, he thought, or maybe that was Lily’s natural way of viewing the world. Whichever it was, even a reserved guy like him was having a tough time resisting all that enthusiasm.
Stopping outside the tack room, he motioned his prospective student ahead of him. Most folks moved tentatively through the barn during their first visit, but not Lily. She confidently strode past him and into the large storage area. Along one wall were three rows of saddles, some English for dressage and jumping, some Western complete with lassos coiled neatly around their horns. On the other wall, dozens of bridles hung from their padded holders, reins left dangling to avoid straining the leather.
Standing in the middle of it all, Lily spun slowly until she came back to Mike. The look on her face was impossible for him to read, and he waited for her to say something.
“What a great office you have,” she commented with a smile. “You must love working here every day.”
“Except when it rains. Then it’s kinda the pits.”
“I guess