Page 44 of A Marriage Pact for the Cowboy

Maxwell nodded to the bucket hung over a fence post nearby. “You want to feed her? You can get inside the pen, if you like. Just?—”

“Just move slowly and don’t startle her. Got it.”

“Yeah.”

Effortlessly, Eryn swung over the corral like the experienced farm girl she was. The Ralstons might not have had horses in many years, but she certainly knew animals, all the same. She scooped her hand into the apple bucket then held it out toward the filly. “Who’s a pretty girl? Echo, that’s who. Hey, Echo, want to be friends?”

Weston met Maxwell’s gaze over the filly’s back. His nod was miniscule, but Maxwell cheered inside at his cousin’s approval.

Echo stretched toward Eryn then pulled back. Weston murmured something to the filly.

Sounded like the way Stephanie talked to baby Simon, honestly. The tone of voice, the soothing words, the focus on stillness. And was Maxwell holding his breath, awaiting the outcome? Sure was. He managed a breath or two as he focused on the tableau in front of him.

Weston kept murmuring sweet nothings to Echo, and Eryn said them back. If Maxwell wasn’t so certain of Weston’s adoration of his fiancée, Paisley, he’d have been a little jealous of the way they tag-teamed that filly like they’d been doing it their entire lives.

After a few minutes of the shy dance, Echo nipped a piece of apple from Eryn’s palm. By the third morsel, she allowed Eryn to touch the side of her muzzle.

“Aren’t you soft? Do you like that?”

Maxwell strained to hear her voice, his heart welling at the picture the woman and the horse made together. Once again, his gaze met Weston’s. This time, the wrangler’s approving nod was firmer.

Weston continued in the same sing-song voice he’d been using on Echo. “She likes you. Would you be interested in hanging around with her for a bit most afternoons? You can bring your laptop if you have stuff to do. We’ve got access to the resort Wi-Fi here.”

Eryn’s head snapped up, and Echo shied back, but Weston still held the halter.

“Sorry. I thought Maxwell mentioned that to you?”

“Not precisely.” Eryn shot Maxwell an accusatory glance. “He just mentioned he had someone he wanted me to meet. Someone who needed time and attention.”

“Right?” Weston sounded confused.

One more thing Maxwell had in common with his cousin. “If you’re working on the gift shop proposal, you could do that from here, if you wanted.”

“From where, exactly? It’s October, and it’s not going to get warmer over the next few weeks.”

“Oh! We’ve got a place inside we can set up for you. A space big enough for Echo to hang out nearby.” Weston thumbed toward the stable. “Want to see? But also, if you don’t want to — if you don’t have time — it’s okay. She’ll survive.”

“Survive?” Eryn looked between him and the filly a couple of times. “Show me.”

Maxwell resisted the urge to pump his fist. She might not know it yet, but she’d already agreed.

Weston ushered Eryn in front of him as he led Echo into the stable.

No way was Maxwell being left out of this. He entered via the main doors and waited for a few seconds for his eyes to adjust before following his ears toward Echo’s box stall.

“See, we’ve got her in this one by the office, because she needs all the extra attention we can give her.” Weston rubbed his jaw. “Thing is, neither Darrell nor I sit around in there. We’re too busy for that kind of nonsense.”

Eryn stiffened.

Bad wording, cousin.

“But if your job is already on a computer — Max said you had a research project — then maybe it would work for you?”

Calling the nook an office was a bit of a stretch. If Grandfather had noticed what the facilities were like, he’d have insisted on building a proper, enclosed room where not just anyone could wander into the area.

“I’ll just clear space.” Weston gathered up dusty files and stacked them off to one side. “I can requisition a better chair, too. It’s just that Darrell or I rarely sit here for more than five minutes. Not if we can help it.”

Eryn cast a questioning glance at Maxwell. “We could try it for a few days. I’m working mornings in the kitchen. I might not be super regular here.”

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