She smiled down at him and Cody. “Not too bad, how about yours?”
“Great,” Cody said. “It’s Friday!”
Noah jumped onto the fence with excitement brimming in his eyes. “Cody said he’d teach me to ride a horse. Can I?”
“You want to learn to ride?”
“Yes, please. So, can I? Britt already said it was okay—she’ll supervise.”
That was reassuring, and Noah’s enthusiasm was impossible to deny. “I’ll double check with her later, but it sounds like you two already have it covered.”
They took off for the barn with whoops of joy. She watched, wishing Cody could teach her as well. She smiled at the thought of taking lessons from a seven-year-old. The sound of hoof beats brought her around. Colton approached, his horse at a full run.
She was ready to scramble off the fence when suddenly the animal sat back, sliding as it came to a halt amidst a spray of dirt and a cloud of dust. When her eyes met Colton’s, her heart thumped in her chest, though she was unsure if it was the horse…or him.
“Hi.” Her greeting came out breathless, and she wanted to groan.
He squinted through the dust while the horse pranced with excess energy underneath him. “All done with the stalls?”
“All three barns.” The surprised lift of his eyebrows pleased her. “What’s next?”
He looked down at his watch. “Tell you what. I have plans tonight that I wouldn’t mind leaving early for. You can take off the rest of the afternoon. I’ll bring in the horses now, and if you feed at seven, then I can get out of here.”
Where was he all fired-up to go? Then she remembered it was a Friday night. He probably had some tall blonde just waiting for him to arrive. A twinge of unwelcome emotion made her want to say no just for spite. Don’t be stupid, Kendra. Especially since it wasn’t like she had anything better to do.
“Sure, I can do that.”
“Great, thanks. I’ll be in shortly.”
She watched him ride away before heading into the barn to ask Cody which horse was the easiest to handle. It was time she showed Colton she could do more than feed and scoop manure.
Cody pointed out a bay mare named Ginger and Kendra was pretty proud of herself when she managed to hook the lead rope, lead the horse from the paddock and shut the gate, all without incident.
Colton watched her every move with a frown. She lifted her chin and held firmly to the mare’s lead. Let him yell; she could do this. Surprisingly though, he said nothing. He followed them inside with his gray trailing behind.
In the barn, the bay mare pulled against the lead rope, and Kendra struggled to get her into the stall. After a few hair-raising moments, she was finally able to slide the wooden door closed.
Colton was shaking his head in disapproval when she faced him.
“Cody told me which one to start with,” she defended. “He said Ginger was the gentlest.”
“And look at the trouble you had with her,” he shot back. “Don’t handle the horses until you’re supervised.”
“So supervise me,” she exclaimed with exasperation. “That’s your job—isn’t it?”
Her response seemed to catch him off guard. But only for a moment. “A greenhorn like you has no business with the horses in an unsecured area. If one got loose, you, or the horse, or one of the kids could be injured.”
When she opened her mouth to argue, he held up a hand. “You want to learn, it’ll be in an enclosed arena with me until I determine you’ve got enough horse sense to
be trusted.” His brows knit together and he waved his raised hand in a shooing motion. “Go. Go and study up. I don’t have time now.”
Study up. So he’d figured out her book was all about horses and their care. Still, a thrill of satisfaction could not be denied. She grinned at her small victory as he walked away
Chapter Eight
Kendra entered the guest house shortly before eight p.m. and stopped in the kitchen to wash her hands. She’d check in on Noah quick, and then anticipated a long, relaxing soak in the tub. Might as well enjoy the evening without Colton hovering about.
“Ken? Is that you?”