Page 10 of Cowboy's Christmas Girlfriend

“Hey, Will.” She flashed him a sheepish grin. “Who knew ice was slippery? Not this girl, I guess.”

Will smiled back, speechless, torn between relief and a mounting sense of dread.

4

“Ready for inspection, Drill Sergeant.” Suzanna marched down the porch steps like a soldier on parade early the next morning, only to shriek as a shelf of snow slid off the eaves, plumping down on her head with an audible plop.

“Looking good, Private.” Will brushed snow from her shoulders. “Hat, check. Mitts, check. Long johns, I’ll take your word for it, but—”

“I didn’t have long johns, but I thought these might work.” Suzanna pulled up her jacket and pushed down her jeans, just far enough to reveal her rainbow leggings. “They’re thermal,” she said. “All fuzzy inside.”

“Cheerful and practical.” Was it her imagination, or had Will’s cheeks gone pink? He turned away quickly, before she could be sure. She liked thinking she had some impact on him, especially after their kiss. “Our first stop’s the stables. Sarah’ll meet us there, and we’re going to groom some horses.”

“Horses, I can’t wait.” Suzanna fished out her phone and swiped it to life. First, an overview of the ranch—that blazing mountain sunrise would play great on TikTok—then she’d get Will to shoot her with a horse.

“Who lives in those other houses?” She gestured down the hill, where a cluster of smaller houses stood overlooking a frozen pond.

“That’s Mom and Dad’s place, off on the left. The one by the oak trees is the original homestead, from before the big house was built. It used to be Uncle Herb’s, but he retired a few months ago and moved to Florida. For now, it’s a guest house, but someone in the family will probably move in eventually. You coming, or what?” Will had jumped in his truck, and was patting the seat next to him. Suzanna jammed her phone in her pocket.

“Sorry about that. It’s just so gorgeous out here.”

“Yeah, it is.” Will’s expression turned wistful. “You forget it sometimes, working the land every day. But then there’ll be a sunset or a perfect spring day, and you see it all fresh.”

Suzanna knew what he meant. She felt the same way about the ocean, the white stretch of beach outside her front door.

“Hey, Will, Suzanna.” Sarah jogged up to meet them as Will parked the truck. Will hopped down to greet her.

“Hey, Chickadee.”

Sarah’s expression tightened, just for an instant. Then she smiled at Suzanna and offered her a hand. “It’s icy out here, so watch your step.”

“Thanks for the heads-up,” she said, and scrambled down with all the grace she could muster. The world, she reflected, wasn’t built for short people. You were always jumping down, climbing up, standing on tiptoe to reach something.

“I thought we’d start with Jenny,” said Sarah. “She’s our calm girl, won’t flip out if you rub her wrong.”

“Not Apple?” Suzanna was disappointed. She’d been looking forward to meeting Apple, after commiserating with Will through her bout of equine flu.

“Apple’s a grumpy old lady,” said Will. “She knows what she likes, and she kicks off if she doesn’t get it. We’ll work our way round to her once you’ve learned the ropes.”

Suzanna had to admit that sounded fair. She dug in her pocket and pulled out her phone. “Could you film me while we’re working? Try to make me look good?”

“Uh...” Will took the phone with a frown. “I could try, I guess. But I’ll warn you in advance, I’m no Steven Spielberg.”

“He kept his old flip phone till it broke in half,” said Sarah. “Now, here, take the currycomb and go down Jenny’s sides. Start at her neck, and—nope, not like that.”

Jenny let out a disgruntled whicker. Suzanna jumped back as though she’d been stung. “Oh God, did I hurt her?”

Sarah shook her head. “She’s not made of glass. But you don’t need to dig in like that. Just do little circles, nice and easy.”

Suzanna rubbed gentle circles down the mare’s glossy shoulder. Jenny made a happy sound. Her tail quit its twitching, slowed to a lazy swing.

“Stay off her legs,” said Will. “She’s too tickly there. Same goes for her face, and along her spine.”

Suzanna nodded, absorbed in her task. It was sort of relaxing, the rise and fall of Jenny’s breathing, the sweet smell of hay. She worked her way past her belly, along her taut, rippling flank, and started behind her to get the other side.

“Whoa, where’re you going?” Will caught Suzanna by the arm and pulled her back against him. She gasped, startled. “Horses don’t see too well, in the rear view. Go walking behind her and she’s apt to kick.”

“Oh.” She’d known that—of course she had. But Jenny had been so calm, and she’d just...she’d forgotten.

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