Page 7 of A Marriage Pact for the Cowboy

Who here has done any riding?” The owner of Walker Ridge Ranch surveyed the group.

Maxwell stuck up his hand and glanced around him. A bit over half of his former classmates owned up to at least a little familiarity. Not Eryn, though.

“Okay, those with some experience, please pair up with someone who hasn’t, and we’ll get through this next part more quickly. The horses are saddled up, as you can see. They’re all used to greenhorns, so don’t worry about that. No one’s getting bucked off today. You need to get out to Colorado or Wyoming if you’re looking to ride a bronc.”

Or Montana or Texas. Not that Maxwell would correct the rancher out loud, because he wasn’t completely wrong.

Around him, his former classmates started pairing off with friends, but Eryn stood alone along the edge, looking down at her tennis shoes.

In a few strides, he was at her side. “Hey, want to ride with me?”

She looked up, her blue eyes wide. “Are you sure?”

“Why not?” He shrugged and grinned at her. “Just following directions.”

Was that a hint of dismay on her face? “I’ve never ridden. I probably shouldn’t be here today, either. I?—”

He touched her arm as she pivoted away. “But you are here, so enjoy it?”

“I don’t want to be a bother.”

“You’re not. More than a third of our class doesn’t ride, by the looks of it. You’re far from the only one.”

“I suppose.” She bit her lip.

Pairs lined up to enter the corral where a long row of saddled horses stood, reins looped to the posts. Everyone was chatting and laughing as they awaited their turn. Several helpers kept the line moving.

“Come on. Promise I won’t bite.”

“Sorry. I’m being silly about this. It’s just I’m not very athletic.”

“You don’t need to be.” Maxwell grinned at her. “The horse does most of the work. I should warn you, though, you’ll feel muscles tomorrow you didn’t know you had.”

Eryn wrinkled her nose.

She was kind of cute when she relaxed a little. Not that he could fault her for being reticent. She’d never been the outgoing twin, at least, not that he remembered. But it must still seem strange to do things solo when she’d always had Amelia in her life until just two years ago. They’d probably been very close.

Maxwell rested his hand on the small of Eryn’s back to guide her to the end of the line. She was a nice height — not too tall and not too short — and where had that thought come from? They were going horseback riding for an hour or two, and after the banquet tonight, he’d probably never see her again.

Eryn flashed him a smile over her shoulder as she stopped behind the Brandts and the Reeders.

Still, would it be so terrible to keep in touch?

Yes, it would. He lived in Montana, and she’d barely left Gilead in her entire life, if she hadn’t been misleading him last night. Why would she have fibbed? To make him feel sorry for her? Nah, she wouldn’t do that. It must be true.

Either she didn’t want to travel, or she hadn’t had the opportunity. Which was it? Maxwell glanced at her profile as she looked out over the gently rolling landscape. A winding strip of green revealed where the river ran through Gilead and beyond. A few small ponds and dugouts dotted the farmland.

Where was the Ralston farm again? Over there, next to the Bed of Greens Truck Farm, which was a new addition since he’d been a kid. It looked like a going concern from this vantage point.

“Hey, our turn.” He touched her back again.

She seemed startled as she moved forward.

“Hi, Mr. Walker. I’m Maxwell Sullivan, and this is Eryn Ralston. I’ve done quite a bit of riding, but Eryn hasn’t. What have you got for us?”

“Sullivan, eh?” The man nodded. “Heard your old man bought a ranch out west.”

“My grandfather, yes.”

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