Page 19 of Samuel

“This is Jasper. He was a gift to me from my dad the year before he passed.” Sam ran his hand up and down the horse’s neck. Jasper rewarded him with a shove against his hand and a pointed exhale.

“Yeah, old man, I know what you want.” He pointed to a bucket near Evie’s feet. “You want to feed him a carrot?”

“Is that okay?”

“He’s the most gentle horse we have. I don’t think he’ll give you too hard of a time.”

“I’m a little nervous, but I’ll give it a try.” He could see her enthusiasm in the way her eyes were sparkling.

“Here’s a little cowboy secret,” he said, running his handdown Jasper’s neck. “The horses can sense your emotions. You feel calm and confident, and they’ll go easy on you. Think you can do that?”

He watched as Evie squared her shoulders, a determined pinch flattening her lips. “Yes.”

“Good. Here you go.” Sam handed a carrot to her. “You’ll want to hold it in the palm of your hand, nice and flat. Don’t be scared if you feel his teeth graze you, he shouldn’t bite.”

“Like this?”

“That’s perfect. Alright, hold it up to him. Don’t make me regret giving you an extra treat, Jasper.”

The horse nibbled the carrot gently before deciding to snatch it from her hand.

“Wow, that was amazing.”

“Run your hand over the bridge of his nose. Just be careful around his muzzle. They can be sensitive.”

“You’re such a gentle giant, aren’t you? Oh, I think I could really fall in love with you, fast. Maybe one day when there isn’t a baby in my belly, I can take you out for a ride. If your dad here will let me, of course.”

“You would want to do that?”

“I want to learn every aspect of this ranch. I know riding is a pretty important part of day-to-day life around here.”

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“Oh!” She gasped, her hands lifting off of Jasper, only to have it land on her belly. He was beside her in two strides, bracing her arm with his hand.

“What’s going on? You okay?”

“Sorry.” She looked up at him with a big smile, and Sam knew in that moment he was absolutely fucked when it came to Evie. He hadn’t convinced his heart to let her go. Not one fucking bit. Her citrus perfume swallowed him up as he waited for her to explain what the hell had just happened. “Jellybean just really gave me a good kick. Must be she likes Jasper a lot, too.”

Of course the baby had a cute nickname. Sam stifled a groan. “Jellybean, huh?”

“It’s silly, I know. I just haven’t been able to settle on a name for her yet, and the first time I saw her heartbeat on an ultrasound, she was the size of a jellybean. It sort of just stuck.”

“I like it. You haven’t felt her kick before?” He looked at her belly, still small but noticeably growing since she got to the ranch. Was it normal to feel the baby kick before then? He couldn’t figure out why something so simple was giving him so much anxiety.

“I have, but this was a foot directly into my stomach and I guess it just took me by surprise.”

Jasper nudged Sam’s shoulder. “I think the old man is jealous little Jellybean stole the show.”

Evie bent down to the bucket and grabbed another carrot. “No need to be jealous, handsome boy. I have a feeling you and I are going to become the best of friends.”

“Oh, Evie! I’m so glad I caught you!” Sylvie waved as Evie got out of her car. “Do you have plans for dinner?”

Evie looked down at the bags in her hand, exhaustion washing over her. She had absolutely no desire to cook anything she’d gotten from the grocery store.

“I was just going to throw together a sandwich and call it a night.”

“Oh, no. The baby needs something heartier than that! Come up to the house and have dinner with us.”

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