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“Ah,” Beau said with a chuckle as he spotted the dark brown horse. “A cat-horse.”
She burst out laughing, and Beau sure did like that. He wished he could reach over and take her hand in his, but they both needed both hands on their horses to maneuver. “We’ll need to work together again,” Charlotte said, her eyes sparkling with challenge.
“We’re pretty good at that,” Beau said. “Right?”
“Seem to be.” She gave him a grin he hadn’t seen all week either, and that gave his heart some courage. “You bring those dogs. They’re incredible.”
“And you thought they just existed to keep my feet warm at night.”
She turned her horse as she giggled, and Beau went with her. “Come on, Pepper. Ruby. Spots and Garfield, let’s go. We’ve got a horse back here.” He rode toward the fence, the four dogs trotting alongside his horse.
Charlotte expertly moved to the left, and Beau guided his horse to the right. The runaway horse had pinned itself against a fence, and he’d have to go back toward the facility. He’d want to anyway, as Brynn took great care of her horses.
Charlotte reached him first, and she spoke softly, her words barely audible over the breeze, calming the horse. Beau watched her for a moment, then took his cue to slowly edge closer, offering a hand that the horse sniffed cautiously.
“Let’s go, bud,” Charlotte said. “Time to go home.” She turned back toward the facility and simply walked away, clearly expecting the errant horse to follow her. As horses were herd animals and thrived with groups of their own kind, Beau was only kind of awed that the darker horse put his head down and simply went.
“All right, guys,” Beau said. “Looks like we’re just goin’ back.” His phone chimed, and he checked it, as he’d had to do so plenty of times while in the saddle. “Oh, Pete needs you guys over on the west side.”
Beau looked that way, and he found a few mounted riders out that way. “Let’s go.” He swung his horse that way and called to Charlotte, “They need the dogs over there. I’m gonna go help.”
“Okay,” she said, waving as she did. He didn’t want to ride away from her, but duty called, and Beau had become really good at fulfilling his duty over the years.
With so many out to help now, and the dogs being amazing herders, it didn’t take long for Brynn to get all of her horses back behind sturdy fences. Beau returned to the stable, took care of his horse, and put him away.
“You okay, Kenny?” He didn’t see Charlotte anywhere, but the horse she’d been riding had already been put away.
“We’re good,” he said. “Thanks, boss.”
Beau stifled a cough as he headed home. He exited the stable and turned right, and when his house came into view, he found the lovely Charlotte sitting on the steps, seemingly waiting for him.
Oh, this was so much better than climbing those steps alone and entering a dark, silent, empty house. So much better.
She smiled when she saw him, and she lifted her hand in a silent hello. Beau climbed the steps and sat on the top one with her, a sigh escaping his mouth as he did. He’d forgotten to text around for the breakfast ingredients he needed, and he pulled out his phone to do that.
“I just need a few minutes to get what I need for dinner.”
“You don’t need to cook.”
He looked over to her. “We have to eat, and I’m too tired to drive to town.”
She linked her arm through his and leaned into his shoulder. Oh, he liked that, and he leaned his head against hers. “Charlotte, I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
“Of falling in love with you and having my heart ripped out.” Beau realized how ridiculous it sounded when he said it out loud. “So I’ve been a little flirtier this week. Less serious. And it’s not what I want.”
She said nothing, and that only made Beau’s nerves vibrate with more tension. Then annoyance. “Are you going to say anything?”
Chapter Twenty
Charlotte wanted to get closer to Beau, but she didn’t know how. “Yeah, I’m going to say something.” As soon as she figured out what. Or how to make the things she felt in her heart turn into words she could utter.
Beau waited, because he was one of the most patient people on the planet. Except for this afternoon, though he had told her three times she needed to be done before he called her training session.
“I’ve been a little distant this week too,” she said.
“You don’t say.”
