Page 59 of On His Ranch

She wrinkled her nose at him. “Thereisno reason for a snack. That’s why it’s called a snack.”

“Hmm, I’ll remember that. In any case, the horses, just like us ranch hands, have to earn their food.”

Just when she was about to let him have it and call him a big meanie, he offered his open hand to the mare whose attention was diverted by the large carrot in his palm. “Hey! I thought there were rules about that sort of thing!”

Chase’s eyes glittered at her. “What thing?”

“Lying!” she exclaimed, indignant.

He chuckled. “I like to think of it as teasin’. ‘Course, a naughty little girl like you probably hasn’t been taught the difference.” Piper’s mouth dropped open but before she could protest further, he said, “Wanna go for a ride?”

“Yes,” she said grudgingly.

“Well, if you’re goin’ to pout, you can just stay here.”

That made her shake off the sour face real quick and it wasn’t until they were both saddled up and trotting that she broached the subject again. “So, you don’t really see anything wrong with it?”

“Wrong with what?”

“Double standards.”

He cut her a look. “I don’t have any double standards, Piper. You should know better by now.”

“But earlier you said—”

Chase pulled his horse to a stop, blocking her path and forcing her mare to do the same. He gave her a quelling look. “Piper, I was kiddin’ about snacks, not tellin’ tales about where I come from or who I am.” He arched a brow and it struck her that he was saying something significant.

“What… You mean, you think I’m not being honest with you?”

He shrugged. “It happens. Still, I want you to drop it, understand?”

It happens. The words reverberated through her and she couldn’t quite figure out why it seemed significant. Then, unbidden, Patti’s words from the other day came to mind. She’d asked about Chase’s previous relationships, and the older woman had said,you better ask my son about it.

That means something… right? Or maybe cryptic answers are just a family trait.

Before she could even think of how to ask, Chase said, “While we’re ridin’, there are a couple rules for you to follow.”

“Of course there are,” she muttered before she could think better of it.

“Unless, of course, you’d like to go pick up sticks and rocks? There’s a whole other field we need to spray, too. I was gonna save it for tomorrow, but—”

“No, thank you! What are the rules, sir?”

He gave her ayoung ladystare, but the corners of his mouth quirked, betraying his amusement. “Just two, and pretty simple: I need you to stay close, and I need you to listen to my orders. Got it?”

“Got it,” she echoed, nodding solemnly.

Chase’s expression made it clear he had his doubts, but he pulled his horse around and they resumed trotting.

After a few minutes, he picked up the pace and her own mare automatically followed suit.Okay, he was right. This is definitely the best thing we’ve done since I’ve been here… the best chore, anyway!

The sun had felt hot and oppressive while they were working, but with a horse moving beneath her, it suddenly felt like a blissfully cool day. Piper spread her arms wide and tilted her face to the sky, pretending she was flying—until Chase spoiled her fun by telling her to grab the reins.

Still, it was a lot of fun, even riding with the party pooper. They stopped at a shaded, grassy knoll by a creek and she had the pleasure of feeding several carrots to each horse before they wandered off to graze. Then Piper joined Chase where he was sitting beneath a large tree.

“Thanks for this,” she said, unable to contain her large smile. “It was fun.”

“Well, nothin’ beats baling hay in my book, but it’s not bad.”

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