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Henry yelped and spun to face Athena as she lifted her eyes upward. Slowly, she brought her gaze down to meet his, one brow quirked. “Were you looking at my window?”
“No,” he stammered.
“Really? Because it sure seems like it.”
Henry crossed his arms. “Don’t blame me for wondering where you were when you not only avoided me for dinner last night, but you were also late this morning.”
A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “I wasn’t aware that I could be late. Do I have an official job title now?”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” he fumbled over his words again. “It’s just that we’ve created a sort of routine, and I didn’t know if I should get going on what I was planning today.”
“Oh?” She moved a little closer to him—enough that he caught a whiff of her scent. It was probably just the shampoo that was in the bathroom they shared, but today it felt different. She tilted her head, her smile growing. “What do we have planned for today?”
Henry couldn’t put a finger on it, but something was different about her. It was as if she’d finally decided to let down all the defenses she’d put in place—every single last one of them. That didn’t mean she was inviting him to get closer to her, but it could mean that something was changing—for both of them.
He swallowed at the lump in his throat. “I have to retrieve a few of the cows that slipped out through a broken fence line into a different pasture. There are two cows and one calf. It would be easier if I had someone come with me.”
Athena’s smile faded. “You want me to go with you…” she hedged. “On a horse?”
“Sure.”
“Sure?” she squeaked. “What do you mean? You realize that I’ve never actually ridden a horse, right?”
Henry did his best to hide the amusement he got from her nerves. “You’re great with Beast.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t mean I’d be great with another horse. Beast… he and I connect on a level even I don’t understand. There’s no guarantee that I’d have that same connection with any other horse you guys have.”
Henry moved close enough that he could take her hands in his. “Have a little faith, would you?” His soft words must have caught her off guard because she froze and stared at him like he’d told her he wanted her to go cliff jumping.
“Faith?”
“Yes, faith. If you get in the saddle and you feel like it’s not going to work out, then climb down and that will be the end of it.” Henry cocked his head, his gaze penetrating her as he attempted to read every nuance of her body language.
She pulled her lower lip into her mouth and chewed on it like she hadn’t been fed in years. Her eyes darted all over the place, never landing on anything long enough for her to actually see it. When she finally brought them to meet his, she heaved a sigh. “One condition.”
“What’s that?”
“I ride Beast.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “I can’t let you do that. You’ve seen the way he reacts when we put a saddle on him.”
“So?”
“So…” he drawled, “I won’t be the one responsible if you snap your neck.”
“Then I’m not going.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” Henry motioned to the barn. “That horse in there will buck you the first second he gets.”
Athena shook her head, defiance returning to her eyes. “You’re the one who keeps saying I have a talent and that I need to remember that. You keep saying that I should work with Beast so he can get ready for competition. Well, what better way to work with him than taking a ride.”
“You don’t understand. This is a ride out to a place he’s not familiar with. We’re going to be bringing back cattle—something he also hasn’t been introduced to as far as I know.”
“Then I’ll stay.”
“What you’re requesting, it’s dangerous. I swear, you’re not going to want to—”
“Will you just let me try? That’s all I’m asking. If he won’t settle down enough for me to climb into the saddle, then you can put me with whatever horse you think is appropriate.”
