Page 39 of Wine Whiskey & Lipstick

“I thought you’d be here at six.” He sounded irritated. “Not five.”

“Good morning to you too,” Dillyn said with as much cheer as she could muster while holding back a biting response.The man and his mood swings!Mostly to herself, she said, “Not a morning person, huh?”

“What?” he asked as he walked into the stable.

I hope he snaps out of this.“Nothing. Um.” Dillyn thought if she were helpful, maybe Ben wouldn’t mind sharing his space. “You said we ride out at six, right?”

“Yep.”

Dillyn placed her hands on her hips as she glanced around. “That means you must do something for an hour until you gallop out of here.” Everything in the place looked foreign. “What can I help you with?”

Ben wasn’t a hundred percent sure Dillyn was even going to show up. He especially didn’t expect her to come this early. He used this time to gather himself, and he especially needed it today. Ben hadn’t slept a wink. It was impossible. He was more irritated with himself than Dillyn for inviting her into his space. It seemed the right thing to do at the time. Now he was rethinking the whole Gandhi approach. His voice was gruff. “You can muck out the stalls.”

Dillyn was confused. “Muck out?”

Ben grabbed a shovel, which hung on the wall, and held it out to her. “Yep. Scoop up the shit and toss it over there.”

“Oh.” Dillyn wasn’t dressed to shovel shit, so she was a bit hesitant as she reached for the shovel. “Sure. No problem.”

She didn’t turn tail and run in her designer clothes.For the most part, Dillyn accepted his request without putting up too much of a fuss. He knew damn well her pretty little self didn’t even know what to do.

Dillyn stood rooted to the floor staring at the shovel. Confusion was written all over her.

“Never mind, I’ll do it.” He moved to take it back. “Wouldn’t want you to mess up your new boots.”

Why is he being such a jerk, again?For some reason, Dillyn didn’t want Ben to think she was soft or that she was useless. She decided to stick it out. “Wait.” She reminded herself that whatever was eating him had nothing to do with her. “If you show me how to do it once or twice, I’ll get it.”

Ben stared at her for a long moment as if contemplating something. “Are you serious?”

“I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t serious.” Ben was giving Dillyn whiplash. “It’s what you asked, right?”

“A city girl like you is willing to clean up horse shit?”

Dillyn’s patience was quickly running out. Her lips tightened.I got up early for this?“You’re acting like the Ben I met on Saturday and not the dude I spoke with yesterday. And, for the record, that’s the second time you’ve called me a city girl. A . . . I’m a woman and B . . . Do you have something against women from the city?”

Ben was taking his frustrations out on Dillyn. He had invited her for a ride. It wasn’t the other way around. He shouldn’t have been directing his bad attitude at her.

He took a deep breath as he scratched his forehead with his thumb. “Look, I’ve been told I’m not a morning person.”

Dillyn placed a hand on her hip. “Clearly, you are not. Anyway, is that your version of an apology?”

“Something like that.” His head tilted slightly. “You accept?”

Dillyn thought about it for a second. “I don’t know. Maybe if you promise to stop being hot one damn minute and cold the next.”

“Okay.”

“And . . . answer a question for me.”

Ben wasn’t up to answering any questions but figured he owed it to her. “Okay.”

“What do you have against city women?”

Dillyn had no idea why that question was a powder keg. He wouldn’t maintain eye contact. “I don’t.”

Dillyn didn’t believe him. “Yeah, you do. Contrary to what you may think, we are the same as any other woman.”

He half snorted and laughed. “No. You’re definitely not.”

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