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“I thought I’d follow you.”
“You wanted to check the route.”
“I can do that from my car.”
“You can see where the wagon goes from your car, but you can’t feel what it does.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Are you challenging me to ride with you?”
I held out a hand. “Come on.”
She looked at the step before she put her boot on it. “Are you sure you fixed this?”
“I told you I would.”
She took my hand and climbed up next to me. The bench had room for two, but not enough for me to forget she was there. Her thigh brushed mine while she settled, and this time she didn’t move away.
I gave Hank and Gus the cue, and the wagon rolled forward. The wheels rumbled over packed dirt and then pavement, the harness hardware clicking with every step. Caroline didn’t say anything for the first few minutes, just watched the route from somewhere other than a map.
At the first turn she leaned forward. “That’s tighter than it looked yesterday.”
“Needs another five feet.”
She pulled out her phone and made the note. “That’s going to eat into the viewing area.”
“People can stand farther back, but the wagon can’t turn smaller.”
“True.” She entered it without arguing. Caroline had opinions about almost everything, but she didn’t hang on to a bad plan just because it was hers. I knew plenty of people who would rather make everybody else work around their mistake.
Main Street was starting to light up as the sun dropped. A kid on a bike yelled my name while his mother pulled him back from the curb, and I lifted a hand.
Caroline looked over. “Do you know everyone?”
“It’s a small town.”
“That’s the eighth person who’s waved at you.”
“I didn’t realize you were counting.”
The Mercantile door opened as we got closer. Ruby stepped out with a box in her arms, took one look at Caroline sitting next to me, and grinned.
“Keep going,” Caroline said.
“I wasn’t planning on stopping.”
Ruby lifted a hand. “Looking good!”
Caroline waved back with a lot less enthusiasm.
I waited until we were past the store. “Do you think she meant the horses?”
“Don’t.”
I laughed.
Caroline tucked her hands into her jacket pockets.
“Are you cold?”
