Page 83 of A Jilted Bride for the Cowboy

Was that respect glimmering in Weston’s eyes? Possibly humor, but that couldn’t be, because the cowboy had no funny bone.

“Go inside and talk to him for a bit. See what you think.”

“Okay.” Graham’s knees quaked.

“He likes carrots.”

Graham paused in the doorway of the stable to allow his eyes to adjust. He was early since he hadn’t been certain there’d be a horse for him, so he had time to get to know Ranger.

Or time to chicken out.

He glanced over his shoulder, but Weston had disappeared. Graham pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked social media.

There he was, all focused on the computer screen with a little frown on his face. Was this truly the best shot Cadence had taken? Was this what he looked like to her, all serious and focused and… But that’s who he was. He couldn’t help it.

His eyes swept the hashtags. Most were familiar, but his heart hammered when he found the ones unique to this post. #thebrainsbehindSRR #geeksRgreat #swoon #isittruelove

Wait. What?

Graham’s feet all but welded to the stone floor of the stable’s alleyway. Was Cadence saying what it sounded like she was saying? He scanned them again as all of time seemed to stand still, right down to the flecks of dust in the sunbeams stretching in front of him.

Hashtag is it true love? Was she declaring herself to him? Via social media?

He hadn’t given her a chance to do it in person, but she hadn’t tried. Even an hour ago, she’d been in his office. They’d been alone, at least until Grandfather barged in. Graham would like to think he’d have followed through with the declaration he’d begun. ‘I love you’ had been on the tip of his tongue. It had even half been spoken before Grandfather burst in.

Suddenly, Graham felt twelve feet tall, almost too colossal to ride teeny-tiny Ranger without his knees dragging on the trail. He could absolutely manage that puny horse. He could tackle a mountain lion and tear it apart with his bare hands like King David had purported to do in his youth.

If it turned out Cadence wasn’t riding this afternoon, after all, that was fine. Graham would conquer his giants one at a time. First came the horse, then her. Now, where was the basket of carrots Weston kept on hand?

* * *

Instead of riding, Cadence should track Graham down. She’d stopped by the office, but Mr. Sullivan only said Graham had taken the afternoon off.

That was unusual. Unheard of, really.

Since she couldn’t spot him anywhere around the lodge or the grounds, she’d go riding as she’d planned. That would give him time to find her post.

That was the feeling of unease in her gut. She shouldn’t have put her heart out there for the whole world to see, or at least the thousands of followers they’d amassed over the summer. Some of whom were right here on the property.

But what choice had she had when he shut her down every time she came nearby? Though he’d started a sentence that sounded suspiciously like ‘I love you’ before the boss had entered the office and wrecked the moment. And then she’d run like the chicken she was.

Cadence rolled her eyes as she headed up Pegasus Lane to where Weston and Tyler were already pairing up riders and mounts. Today’s adventurers had all ridden before. She knew, because she’d been taking their photos.

Movement at the stable doorway caught her attention, and she focused in that direction only to see Graham leading Ranger out.

She blinked. Looked again. She wasn’t imagining things. Graham was here of his own free will? But he wasn’t an experienced or confident rider, and Ranger was a handful, even for Weston.

Weston ran his hands over Ranger’s tack as he chatted with Graham, then he nodded and stepped back.

Graham swung up to the saddle more smoothly than she expected. And that’s when he noticed her standing there and staring at him with her mouth agape.

She snapped it shut, offered a thumbs-up, and shot off a few photos, in case she needed proof later. Then she entered the stable and found Enchantment and his tack. In only a few minutes, she led her mount out to the corral, too.

Tyrel nodded at her. “All right if I lead the group, and you bring up the rear?”

“Weston’s not going?”

“Not today.”

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