you.” She couldn’t remember his name, although from his bright blue eyes he was definitely a Morgan.
“Granny wants to know if you’re coming down for breakfast. Ben’s already here.”
“Can you tell her that I’ll be down in five minutes?”
“Sure thing.”
She went back to her bedroom and lay flat on the floor to wriggle into her jeans, added an off-one-shoulder knitted top, and left her hair loose. She slipped her bare feet into some high-heeled sandals and made her way down the stairs. When she entered the kitchen, there was a man sitting at the table she was fairly certain she hadn’t met before.
“Good morning, Mrs. Morgan. Sorry I’m so late coming down.”
Ruth smiled at her. “There’s no rush, my dear. Ben and I have been catching up on family news while he waited for you.”
The man at the table rose slowly to his feet and looked down at her from his considerable height. “Ma’am.”
He had a tight beard with a hint of red in it, warm brown eyes, and the tanned face of a man who earned his living working outside. All in all, he lived up to what BB Morgan had promised—capable, if capable meant average.
“Hi, Ben.” She held out her hand and looked up at him through her lashes. “I’m Silver. It’s so nice to meet you.”
“Yeah, likewise.” He took her hand in his big, callused one and gently shook it like he thought she might break.
He waited until she seated herself opposite him and then sat back down again. “You ready to go?”
He obviously wasn’t the chatty type, which was perfectly fine with her. “Well, I’ll need to sort out my baggage, but sure!”
* * *
Ben couldn’t quite believe he was sitting opposite Silver Meadows, the girl who had starred in his favorite TV show when he was a kid. She was older now, obviously, but she was still petite, and so fricking perfect that it almost hurt to look at her. When BB had told him about her “problems” and that her family was really worried about her, he’d been skeptical. Seeing her face-to-face literally glowing with health made him doubt them even more, but he’d seen drug addiction up close and personal, and he wasn’t going to make any snap decisions just yet.
Mrs. Morgan slid a plate piled high with bacon, eggs, and skillet potatoes that he hadn’t asked for in front of him.
“Eat it while it’s hot, Ben.” She turned to Silver. “Now, what can I get you, my dear? The same as Ben?”
Silver looked from Ben’s plate to her hostess, her expression horrified. “That’s about a week’s worth of calories for me. Do you have any grain-free granola or acai berries?”
Ruth and Ben shared an equally puzzled look.
“Or an avocado, or some fresh fruit?” Silver looked down at her phone. “That’s what I usually have after my morning workout with my trainer.”
“I can go over to the guest dining room and get you some fruit,” Ben offered. “We thought you’d prefer to stay here away from the other guests.”
“I don’t want to put you out.” Silver put her phone away. “Can I just have one piece of bacon and an egg and save my carb allowance for later?”
Ben frowned. “That’s not going to keep you full until we make our first stop.”
She smiled at him and he almost swallowed his tongue. “I think I’ll be fine, Ben. I know my own body.”
Ben did his best not to look at her body to confirm that fact, and merely dug into his plateful of food while Ruth made small talk with Silver and fed her what she’d asked for. He finished his second breakfast and had another mug of coffee while his companion chewed every dainty mouthful a hundred times.
Ben stood and took the plate over to the sink.
“Thanks, Mrs. Morgan.”
“You’re welcome, Ben.” She patted his arm. “I’m packing you some lunch to take with you and a few extra treats to keep you going.”
“I appreciate it.” He put his rinsed plate in the dishwasher and turned back to the table. “You can ride, right, Ms. Meadows?”
“Please call me Silver.” Her smile lit up the kitchen. “I’ve done a bit, but I wouldn’t say I was good or anything.”
“I’ll get you to try out a couple of horses before we leave so I can match you up right.” He nodded at her plate. “When you’re done and you’re all packed and ready to go, come and find me down at the new barn.”
He retrieved his hat and boots from the mudroom and walked to the gleaming metal-roofed barn down the slope from the house. He’d always loved the old Victorian ranch house with its deep oak planked verandas and delicate lace trim. It was much nicer than his home, although he’d never say that in front of his dad.
His first impression of Silver Meadows was that she was okay. He cracked a smile at his own expense. Yeah, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in the flesh, and she seemed nice, which he hadn’t been expecting. He wasn’t one to notice online gossip, but he had paid attention when she’d been mentioned because she’d been his first crush, and he kind of foolishly wished the best for her.
“Hey!” BB Morgan stuck his head out from a stall. “Calder and the mules are ready to go. Did you decide which horse you were going to give our guest?”
“She’s coming down for some tryouts.” Ben patted Calder’s nose. He’d brought him over the night before and BB had given him a ride back home. “She’s got some riding experience, so who do you suggest?”
“Ladybug or Marilyn would be my best guesses. They’re both easygoing and should get on great with Calder.” He pointed at the mare he was about to lead out. “This is Marilyn.”
“She’s as pretty as her namesake,” Ben remarked as the honey-colored horse with a white mane and tail sashayed past him.
“So, she’ll suit Silver Meadows very well.” BB winked at him as he walked the horse out and tied her up. “Ladybug is smaller and a paint.”
“A paint what?”
Both men turned to see their ranch guest coming toward them. She still wore her jeans and off-the-shoulder top but had added cowboy boots to replace the sandals and tied back her blond hair.
BB was the first to recover his manners. “It’s a type of horse.” He opened up one of the stalls and went inside. “In this case, it’s a white horse that looks like someone threw cans of black or brown paint at it. This is Ladybug.”
Silver stood back as BB brought the black and white mare out into the paddock and tied her up. “She’s adorable. And who’s this?”
“Marilyn.” Ben stepped up his game. “I want to see you ride both of them, and then we’ll decide which one suits you best.”
*
