When he told his family that he and Claire were going on a riding date, he expected certain things. Shannon giggled. Clay sighed and shook his head. It was his mother who surprised him. She put together a picnic lunch for the two of them and told all of her kids that if love lives were fair game, she’d insert herself into each and every relationship they had.
Clay decided that he had to drive into town to get a part.
Shannon offered her horse, determined to aid her last brother on his quest for romance. Benton felt badly at the deception but rationalized it to himself that Claire would need all the horse-related help she could get.
He’d been shocked to learn that Claire had never been riding before. He promised her a gentle horse and a short trip for her first time in the saddle. That didn’t leave him many decent picnic spots, but he’d found a patch of grass shaded by some trees in a pasture that hadn’t been used in a while.
Claire parked beside the barn and climbed out of her pickup in jeans, sneakers, and a bright coral T-shirt that already had a slight sweat stain on the back between her shoulders. “I understand I need jeans to ride, but I’m dying here, Benton.”
“Trust me, it’ll be worth it to get some privacy around here.”
They needed it. In the last week, Claire had come to the ranch twice—once on business from the Hieberts. Clay had shadowed her the entire time she’d been there. They hadn’t had a minute alone to discuss what she’d discovered about the properties he’d told her about. Benton had resorted to slipping her a handwritten note with two new places to check out on their second encounter.
“I’ll take a private lunch for two. Or is that four? Do we count the horses?” she asked.
“We do not count the horses. They’re like chaperones. Big, sweaty, gassy chaperones.”
“You’re really selling it, Lawson. Let’s do it before I melt out here in the sun.”
He demonstrated how to get into the saddle, then slid off and moved her into position. Claire slipped her sneaker into the stirrup, then pulled and swung her leg over Checkers’ back. Her proud smile was a shot right to his heart. “Look at me! I’m riding a horse!” she exclaimed as soon as she was sitting upright.
“Do you want to try moving?” he teased. This was the Claire he’d first met—full of fun and laughter and high adventure. He’d caught glimpses of her since they’d reconnected, but she was on guard all the time. He understood, but it was hard to see her under such unrelenting pressure. He wanted to give her one afternoon to decompress.
“You mean putting it in gear? Am I ready for that?”
“You saw all my rodeo trophies, right? I’m a professional. Do as I say, and you’ll be fine. First, put Checkers in reverse.”
“What?”
He swung himself onto Major and tugged on the reins. “Give the reins a shake, and Checkers will walk along beside me. If you need him to stop for any reason, pull on the reins, and be sure not to dig your feet into his sides.”
The horses walked out of the barn into the sunshine at a sedate pace while Claire gripped the reins hard enough to turn her knuckles white. “You’re doing great,” he cheered. “Come on, it’s not too far.”
The ice in the cooler had already started to melt, but it had done its job. Chilled fruit salad, BLTs with just the right amount of mayo, and a bottle of iced tea were perfect for lunch. Benton could see layers of stress melting off her as they finally had the chance to be unobserved together. “How’s work?”
“My job at the Hieberts’ is physically tough. That I can handle. I’m getting super frustrated at the lack of progress I’m making on the other thing, though,” Claire complained. “You’re terrific. Everything you’ve done to help me has been exactly right. You’ve gone above and beyond. But I haven’t turned anything up yet, and I’m tired of waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
Benton handed her a cookie. “Can we attack it from another angle?”
“There’s nothing to attack. These guys are too good. My orders are to continue as I have been and to report anything suspicious. They’re working on tracking the stolen equipment from the other end when it shows up again. I’m in a holding pattern for now.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You’re a highlight to this assignment.” Her cheeks got a little redder. Benton couldn’t tell if it was from the heat or something else. “There’s this girl I knew in Alberta—Claire King. She would have given a month’s salary to go on a riding date with a real cowboy. I’ll have to let her know it was worth two.”
“Maybe she and I can have our own riding afternoon once you’ve finished your job here,” he replied, shifting closer.
“She’d love that. A lot.”
He kissed her in the dappled light coming through the poplar tree above them. For a second, everything was perfect. All he could think of was how he wanted that moment to go on forever and what might happen if he and Claire King finally had a chance after her job was done.
He needed to find a way to make her want to stay.