Page 3 of About Time You Noticed

She led the way and called over her shoulder. "To what do I owe this visit to my stables? Thought you couldn't stand the smell and the flies."

His low, rumbling chuckle warmed her insides. "You make me sound like a wuss."

"Yeah, all those muscles are for show." She faced the tin sheds, her cheeks heating. They were friends, and she shouldn't have studied him for so long she could sketch every line of his strong jaw and the crevices of his thick neck.

Oh, dear Lord. You need to kill my desires. Why can't I stop? He's not my man.

"These muscles keep me tracking with a pack of teenagers, six hours a day, period after period. If I don’t show some enthusiasm, I've got no chance of maintaining control of my classes."

"Fair enough. But horses aren't as scary as teens."

"Not as smelly either. You're right. I need to toughen up. Face my fears."

She guided Trixi into the stall and grabbed a brush from the hook. "I could teach you to ride." She gestured to the buckle at the saddle. "First lesson. Let her sniff your hand, then unlatch her saddle for me."

His smile widened. "Why do you want me to learn so much? Can't horseback riding be the one sport I'm not good at?"

Sarah smoothed the brush over her horsehide canvas. Trixi was like a masterpiece painting. God's masterpiece. The fine hair glistened in the trickle of light coming from the doorway.

"Maybe I want my best friend to love these creatures like I do." She glanced at the mountains in the distance. "What a perfect night for a sunset ride."

Tommy laughed. "Sounds romantic."

Sarah hid her face, her ponytail slapping her into reality. Exactly. The idea of romance between her and Tommy was a joke.

"Why are you here this early?” Her tone came out clipped. “The pool game isn’t for another two hours."

The flicks of the leather strap filled the moment of silence. "Thought we could grab a bite to eat first. Did you have other plans?"

She let out a sarcastic laugh. "Me? Yeah, I have a hot date. Now I’ll have to cancel."

Tommy’s eyes popped like an owl.

Sarah gave a regretful smile. "What? I’m joking."

"Why do you do that, Sarah?" His lips thinned.

"Do what?"

"Put yourself down."

She flung her arm wide. “It's not like I have a line of men waiting for my attention."

"That's where you're wrong." He removed the saddle and placed it on the shelf.

Sarah blinked, and her breath caught. Did he mean—?

"Do you remember meeting the science teacher from my school last week?"

Sarah scrunched her brows. "I have a lot of support workers coming through."

"Maxine usually accompanies your client, Sophie. Edward brought her instead."

"I remember him. What are you implying? He’s interested?” Sarah brushed the horse's mane faster as her heart picked up speed. “I don't believe it."

"Edward asked about you."

A fly buzzed about her face, and she shooed it away. "Mentioning me doesn't mean he’s hankering for a date. I said my friend works at the same school, and we got to talking."

---