Page 9 of Hello Handsome
“What were you up to?” she asked.
I picked up the menu, glancing it over. “Took my granddaughter horseback riding earlier. Good way to kick off her summer break.”
“How fun,” she replied. “I’ve always loved horses.”
“Is that so?” There was my opening. My heart rate kicked up again as I tried building up some courage. Why was this so hard?
She nodded. “Horses are so pretty. I would always get more excited than the kids when we saw them alongside the road.”
I chuckled at the mental image that brought up. Aggie pointing out the window while her kids were busy on their phones or with their noses buried in a book. I knew that feeling well. “Why don’t you come over this weekend and I’ll take you for a horseback ride?” I suggested. It sounded nice, the more I thought about it. Atop a horse in the middle of a pasture was the best place to be. Sharing it with Aggie sounded even better.
Her brown eyes lit up, wide and happy. “Really?”
A sense of contentment washed over me at being the one to make her smile like that. I nodded, thinking Deidre was really on to something.
But a sad look replaced her smile and she shook her head, turning away from me to fill a cup with ice. “Actually, that might not be the best idea. I’m pretty heavy. My stepdad wouldn’t let me ride even when I was younger.”
I couldn’t see her face, but I could hear the sadness in her voice. It made me want to go back in time and throttle that mean old bastard. Everyone in town knew her stepdad wasn’t a good guy.
But as kids, it’s hard to believe the people who are supposed to know us best can be wrong.
When she turned back, handing me a glass of iced tea with a lemon on the rim, there was a forced smile on her lips. She might be able to fool other people in the diner, but not me.
“The horses are strong, Ags. It’ll be okay,” I said gently.
She gave me a skeptical look.
“If I can carry you on my back, the horses can too,” I countered, bolder this time.
She snort-laughed, making me smile. “That remains to be seen.”
“Shall we test it?” I countered with a smirk. I got up, squatting down in the gap between the counter and the walkway.
“Oh, Gray.” She swatted a dry rag at me, making me laugh.
“So this weekend—when are you free?” I asked once I stood back up.
She twisted her lips to the side, thinking, as I got back in my chair. “I’m scheduled for doubles the next two weekends, but the Sunday after that I’m free. In the morning.”
I took a sip of my tea and smiled back at her, feeling more excited than I probably should. Especially considering ourouting was still a few weeks away. “Great. Just in time for my kind of church. Do you remember where I live?”
She’d brought chicken soup to the farm a few times over the years when the family got knocked down by the flu or some other virus. “Sure do,” she confirmed.
“Perfect. I’ll see you then.”
5
AGGIE
I must have triedon half a dozen pairs of jeans for my horseback riding... date? with Gray this morning. Picking pants shouldn’t have been so hard, but they had to look good without being too low cut as to show my crack on the back of the horse. I also didn’t want a high waistline digging into my stomach. The legs had to stretch to get my foot up into the stirrup but couldn’t be too worn between my thighs because I’d die of embarrassment if they ripped.
Truly, I was the Goldilocks of denim.
Finally, I settled on a pair of jeggings with plenty of stretch, along with a flowy blouse. Looking at myself in the full-length mirror… I frowned.
In all these years of momming and working, I’d lost so much of my femininity. When I was younger, I’d spend hours getting ready for the day, making sure my hair and makeup were perfectly done.
Now, I just tossed my hair in a ponytail, swiped on some mascara, and called it good.
