Page 37 of The Cowboy's Second Chance Bride

When I’d turned in the previous night, I’d been caught off guard by Sabrina’s loopy and pretty handwriting on my mirror.

Top three reasons you aren’t friend material:

1. You’re too tall.

I smiled at that. She used to like that I was tall. I didn’t really think that was a reason.

2. You call dolled-up coffee “milkshakes.”

The horror.

My smile hitched a tad higher.

3. And oh yeah, that whole “broke my heart” thing.

My smile fell.

When it came down to it, what I’d done had created a barrier the size of the Grand Canyon between us. She might be here, helping me, laughing with my family at dinner, but for her, being here was just a job. The shit-ton of hurt resting in that canyon made traversing our past damn near impossible.

Then I’d gone outside and seen her in the corral with the paint. Sabrina wore dark jeans over turquoise boots and a turquoise shirt tied at the waist—showing off every damn curve—and her hair was up in a long, bouncy ponytail. She was laughing with her friends and teasing the kid Rod. I had a flashback to a time in college when we’d gone back to her ranch to see a new horse her dad had purchased. We’d sat on the fence, our thighs pressed together, my arm around her waist as we watched her dad and the horse get to know each other. Then she’d turned toward me, tucked her face into the curve of my neck, and delivered the softest three kisses along my jawline.

“One because you’re so tall, two for the way you smell, and three for the way you love me,” she’d whispered in my ear. I’d come undone, and had her dad not been there, I would have climbed off that fence, picked her up to straddle me, then showed her right then and there all the ways I did love her.

Seeing her in the corral and having that memory, I did exactly what I said I wasn’t going to do—brought up the note on my mirror.

“Ready?” Cricket called from the ATV.

I looked to Sabrina, who nodded and mounted her horse. I grabbed the reins to my seventeen-hands quarter horse, tall to accommodate my height, and was up and galloping toward Sabrina and the gate in seconds.

Cricket stood up in her seat in the ATV. “How about taking us down toward No Man’s Lake?”

I gave her a thumbs-up and took the lead. As we rode through the woods and the valley that gave way to the mountains, I found the weight of the stress ball that had been sitting on my chest easing. I’d stayed away from the ranch and my family because, in the past, I found that the quiet and slower pace only opened the door to memories and regrets. I loved Jace and his family, but even with them, I had a limit—after two nights, my mood would sour dramatically as I faced the other side of what life had to offer. I didn’t see an option for that side unless I did exactly as my father wanted, including dating and marrying whomever he chose.

I glanced over my shoulder at Sabrina. Her face showed all the pleasure she was experiencing. I’d loved that about her. She’d never been one to hide her feelings if she didn’t have to. This new Sabrina hid more than she showed. Except at the moment. The beauty and wonder of the scenery were mirrored in her expression of awe. She leaned forward and rubbed a hand across her paint’s nose, whispering words that I assumed were filled with love and kindness because that was who she was.

The ATV was everywhere—ahead of us, then pausing to get behind. Cricket did a good job of not getting in our faces. We came around a bend forty minutes after leaving the ranch, and the space opened up to a glacial blue lake with the mountains reflected in the water.

Sabrina gasped. “This is incredible.”

“It’s one of my favorites,” Cricket said. “It’s very popular.”

“Mine too. I won a photography contest once with this scenery. Just stunning,” said Cori. Apparently, she’d known Sabrina since they were kids. That was kind of cool.

“Funny how popular it is and yet how remote it feels.” I shifted in the saddle and let the reins rest across my legs.

Cricket chuckled. “Yeah, in all the years I’ve come out here, I’ve never run into anyone. I think that’s the magic of the lake. Let’s get a few shots here, and I’ll ask a few questions. I’m going to run the article as a behind-the-scenes test of the app.” She winked at me. “And then we can call it a day, and you both can do what you want.”

My eyes swung to Sabrina’s. I liked the idea of alone time, just the two of us.

Sabrina didn’t look at me. “I have a Zoom meeting with the director of that documentary in a few hours, so this is probably as far as I’ll explore today.”

Yeah, I had a meeting this afternoon too. Funny how I’d forgotten that just now.

Cricket shrugged as if to say your loss, then got to directing the photographer on what shots she wanted. “Hey, Cal? I can call you that, right? You haven’t been on a date in how long? This is for the article.”

“Uhh, it’s been awhile. I’m really not sure of the date.” I bent over to check a saddlebag, not the least bit ready to see anyone’s expression or for them to see mine.”

“Was it even this year?” Cricket asked.

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