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“I’m fine.”
“That wasn’t the question.”
She looked at me sideways. “A little.”
“There’s a blanket behind the seat.”
“You seem to have a solution for everything.”
I looked ahead at the horses. “Not everything.”
She didn’t reply, and I didn’t explain. We made the wide turn at the end of Main and headed out the county road back toward the grounds. Once we had open pavement in front of us, I held out the lines.
“You want to try?”
Her head turned fast. “Hank and Gus?”
“That’s usually who pulls the wagon.”
“Really? I was hoping you had two smaller horses hidden somewhere.”
“They know the route.” I shrugged. “And I’m sitting right here.”
She looked at the lines, then at the two broad backs in front of us. “How bad could I mess this up?”
“You won’t know until you try,” I teased.
She rolled her eyes as she slid closer. Her first grip was too tight, and I put my hands over hers to loosen it. She went still.
“Relax your fingers,” I said.
“I am relaxed.”
“You’re trying to strangle leather.”
“I’m responsible for two tons of horse.”
“They’re responsible for themselves. You’re just asking them where to go.”
She eased her grip. “And if I ask the wrong way?”
“Then I’ve got you.”
She turned her head. For a second, neither of us paid much attention to the road.
“Okay,” she said, her voice softer than it had been all night.
I left my hands over hers while I showed her how to give the team a little more line. Her shoulder rested against my chest. There wasn’t a reason to keep my hands there once she had the grip, but I kept them there a few more seconds anyway.
When I let go, Hank and Gus barely noticed, which was the whole point.
“I’m doing it,” she said after a while.
“You’re doing great.”
She drove almost half a mile before she handed the lines back. Some of the tension had gone out of her shoulders, and she looked pretty pleased with herself. I liked seeing that side of her, but I wouldn’t admit it out loud.
The last of the daylight slipped behind the mountains. Caroline pulled the blanket higher over her lap.
