Tempted By The Movie Star. Anna DePalo
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warmed right up to Geena, though, leaning into her hand as she scratched his neck the way Cade had shown her.
Herb came over to stand next to Matt. “She seems to be having a good time.”
“Yep.”
“That incident with Briana is unfortunate and I wish it had never happened, but at least it brought us Geena.”
“True.” It brought us Geena. Like she was a gift. He was beginning to think she was.
“I like her, son. She’s welcome anytime.”
“I’m sure she’ll appreciate knowing that.” So did he. Over the years, he’d learned to trust his dad’s instincts regarding people. His mom was no slouch in that department, either. Many times in the three years he’d lived in LA he’d wished one or both of them had been on hand to size up a situation.
Geena finished loving on Hematite, and she and Cade started back down the barn aisle. “Cade says it’s time to turn them out into the pasture but he thinks I should meet Navarre and Isabeau first.”
“Absolutely.” Matt glanced at his dad. “Do you want to do the honors of introducing them?”
“You go ahead. In fact, if you and Geena could turn out all the horses when you’re finished, that would be a big help. Cade and I have to go fiddle with the automatic watering system.”
“Cade’s going to help you?” Matt wondered if this was a joke. His brother had many talents, but dealing with mechanical malfunctions wasn’t one of them.
“I know it sounds crazy,” Cade said, “but I’ve developed a basic understanding of this pain-in-the-ass watering system.”
“That said, I’m still planning to replace it.” Herb grimaced. “Darn thing is always acting up. If you decide to put one in over at your new place, don’t get this brand.”
Matt laughed. “Okay. But I’m a long way from installing a watering system in the barn. I haven’t bought a horse, yet.”
“Just warning you in advance that this outfit manufactures lemons. Come on, Cade, maybe you can jerry-rig that confounded hose one more time.” Herb started toward the back of the barn.
“I’m at your service.” With a tip of his hat to Matt and Geena, Cade followed Herb.
“You’ll have a horse on your ranch?” Geena’s eyes lit up.
“At least two.” Now that his brother and his dad were at the other end of the barn, he felt more comfortable putting his arm around her as they walked over to Navarre’s stall.
“You must be planning to take people out riding. That sounds like fun.” Her comment sounded wistful, as if she’d like that.
“You’re invited anytime.”
“I’ll remember that.”
“But, to be totally honest, that’s not the main reason I’d buy two. Horses get nervous if there’s only one of them. They’re herd animals.” He stopped in front of Navarre’s stall and clucked to the dark chestnut. “Hey, boy. Come on over and meet Geena.”
“Look at you, Navarre,” she crooned. “You’re a handsome guy, just like your namesake.” She reached out to stroke the nose that Navarre poked over the stall door.
“I take it your mom owned Ladyhawke, too.”
“She did, but I bought my own copy. I watch it every year or two. Now when I do, I’ll think of this beautiful horse.”
He hoped she’d think of him, too. No guarantees on that, though. A crisis had thrown them into close contact, but once the crisis was over, who knew what would happen? Maybe she’d fall in love with Wyoming and want to spend more time here with him, and maybe she wouldn’t.
He gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Ready to meet Isabeau?”
“Sure. And there she is, right there waiting for us.” She moved closer to the stall door. “Hi, Isabeau, sweetheart.” She stroked the mare’s glossy neck. “You’re a dainty girl, aren’t you?” She looked up at Matt. “Why aren’t they in the same stall?”
“I doubt they’d want that.” He tried not to smile because she was adorably serious with that question.
“Navarre and Isabeau don’t like each other?”
“They do, but that doesn’t mean they want to share a stall. As you can see, that would be close quarters. They enjoy having their own space.”
“Were they ever in the same stall?”
“Truthfully, I doubt it. They might not mirror the Ladyhawke movie script, but they like each other. I’d go so far as to say they’re devoted to each other. They’re a good choice to take out for a two-person trail ride. If there’s time, maybe we could...oh, wait. Lexi offered to give you a lesson. That’s probably a better idea, to start with her. She’s an excellent teacher and I want you to have a good experience.”
“Are you offering to take me on a trail ride?”
“I was, but then I remembered about Lexi. And I’m sure your time here is limited. When do you fly back?”
“When we’ve figured out how to deal with Briana.”
He stared at her as he processed the meaning of that statement. “You didn’t buy a round-trip ticket?”
“Nope. We need a game plan and I don’t see the point in flying home without one. I can’t predict how long it will take to come up with something, so I didn’t buy a return ticket yet.”
“That makes no sense. You have other clients. You can’t hang out with me in Wyoming and ignore them.”
“I won’t ignore them. I’ll check in with Larissa on a regular basis. She’s in charge while I’m gone, but I intend to keep tabs on things by phone and email. She’ll let me know if anything major happens.”
“I suppose most things can be handled that way.”
“Most things.” She gazed at him. “But not this issue.”
“Because I turned off my phone. I’m surprised you haven’t yelled at me for doing that.”
“How could I? You turned it off because I wasn’t being helpful. Cutting off communication forced me to dig a little deeper and figure out why you didn’t want to talk to me. I knew we had to work it out in person, so here I am. The more time we can spend doing that, the sooner I can get back.”
Now, there was a challenging puzzle. The more they were together, the less time she’d be here. “So a trail ride with me would suit you?”
“I’d love it, especially if I can take my phone to keep tabs on the office.”
“Absolutely.”
“You were right about horses being incredible animals. There’s no doubt Lexi has a lot to teach me, but I’ll bet I could sit on a gentle horse and ride down the trail without falling off.”
“I’m sure you could. I want to put in some time cleaning cabins first thing today, but we might be able to pack a lunch and go out around noon.”
“I’ll help with the cabins. We can brainstorm while we’re cleaning.”
“Yeah, no.” Laughing, he shook his head. “Not happening.”
“Why not? Scrubbing and thinking go great together.”
“I could be wrong, but I don’t think my mom’s going to let you muck out cabins. Just a guess.”
“I know how to clean. My nanny, Beatrice, used to let me help her. It was fun, although Beatrice made me swear I wouldn’t tell my mother.”
“I’m sure you’re amazing with a mop, but you’re a guest.”