she’s pretty.” Gracie looked back at Evan. “Daddy, is it okay to ride her?”
Evan knew his daughter was far from an expert rider. Brian came up beside the horse. “She’s real gentle. I saddle-broke her myself.”
“That’s reassuring, but I’ll be close by to make sure everything will be okay,” Evan said.
Brian smiled. “I would do the same if Gracie were mine. Your horse is Diego.” He nodded toward a large black gelding. “He’ll give you speed if you want, but he’s also good on the trail.”
“Did you break this one, too?” Evan asked, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
“I’ve worked pretty much every horse on this place.”
After Evan checked his horse, he found the foreman watching him.
“Since you’re wondering,” Brian began, “Yes, Jenny and I dated a while back. We’re still friends and I care about what happens to her.” His gaze locked with Evan. “I wouldn’t want to see her hurt. Her family has done enough taking advantage of her, so her friends look out for her.”
The meaning was clear and Evan nodded. “Too bad you blew your chance.”
After a long stare, the man walked off to help the other riders. Evan let out a breath. Where had that come from? He walked around the animal and checked the cinch. “Hell, I don’t have the time or energy to care,” he muttered.
Hearing laughter, he glanced at the pretty blonde on her horse. His body stirred as Jenny turned to him and smiled.
“Get moving, Rafferty,” she called. “We have places to go.” He suddenly realized that everyone was waiting for him.
Gracie waved him on. “Yeah, Daddy, hurry up.”
He mounted the horse and moved up with the group. “Okay, what are we waiting for?”
Gracie grinned at him. “It’s going to be so much fun.”
He felt his chest tighten, realizing his daughter hadn’t had much to smile about for a long time. He glanced at Jenny. Maybe he needed some help with that, after all.
About twenty minutes later, they arrived at a creek. The sound of rushing water took them to an ancient oak tree arched over the water’s edge, forming a natural canopy. Large rocks and boulders were piled on either side along the winding stream.
Jenny had only been here once before, but she’d never forgotten it. She also knew that this was a special place for Alex and Allison. She glanced at the couple who were whispering between themselves.
She got the funny feeling that she was intruding, remembering all the stumbling blocks that the two had gone through to get to a happy ending. And they were obviously happy.
Would it ever be that way for her? She glanced at Evan. He was helping the girls down, but he caught her gaze. There was definitely something there. Did he feel it, too? No! This was not the man for her. Besides, it was too soon for him, and definitely not the time or place for her.
“Come on, Jenny,” Gracie called. “We’re going to eat.”
She climbed down and walked to the clearing where Allison had spread out a blanket on the ground. Alex brought over two cloth bags that had been tied to his saddle.
“I wonder what Tilda packed for us,” he said.
Tilda Emerson had been adopted into the Casali family years ago. The one-time housekeeper and bookkeeper was now Alex’s partner in Cherry’s Camp for disabled children. Best of all, she was a great cook.
Gracie and Cherry sat down on the blanket. Alex handed a bag to each girl. They found chicken salad and peanut butter sandwiches along with chips, fruit and soft drinks.
Everyone chose a shady spot among the rocks. Jenny watched as they all paired off, leaving her with Evan.
“Relax,” Evan said. “I won’t bite.”
Jenny wasn’t sure about that as she took the spot next to him. It was quiet while everyone concentrated on food. The girls giggled over silly things, Alex and Evan talked, trying to skirt any business topics but not doing too well.
“I hear you’re still running a cow/calf operation,” Alex said.
Evan shrugged. “My plans changed when my brother came back from the army. We’re partners for now. He’s started a cattle-transport business, too. My main focus is still the vineyard.”
“Are you ever going to produce your own label?”
Evan nodded. “Someday.”
Jenny could hear the pride in his voice.
Finally Allison stepped in. “Whoa, guys. There’s no business, remember?”
Soon the girls finished their sandwiches, then asked permission to go and walk along the edge of the creek.
“Just keep in eyeshot, Cherry,” her father said.
Once the girls took off, Alex removed his hat and laid his head on his wife’s lap. “This is the life,” he sighed.
Listening to the soothing sound of the water, Jenny thought she wouldn’t mind a nap, too. She stole a glance at Evan. He wasn’t relaxed at all. She wanted to reach out and help ease the tension from his back.
He turned to her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Soon Alex stood up and reached for his wife’s hand. “I think we’ll go for a walk.” He nodded toward the girls. “We’ll be close by.”
The couple walked off, but Jenny wanted to call them back. She had a feeling that her friends had planned their departure so she’d be alone with Evan.
“How do you like the view?” she asked.
Evan finally looked at her. “It’s nice. Everything about the A Bar A is nice. Of course, when you have money you can have a showplace.”
She laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“If you only knew where Alex came from.”
“I hear he has family in Italy.”
“His mother was American, but she wasn’t around much for her twin sons, Alex and Angelo. They pretty much lived on the streets. Alex has gone hungry enough to appreciate the good life. And now he has Allison and the kids.”
Evan glanced out at the stream. “Hard work is easy when you have someone to share it with.”
Jenny hugged her knees to her chest, hearing the distant tone in Evan’s voice. Was he thinking about Megan? Of course he was. They’d loved each other. “It has to be hard to move on after losing the one you shared your dreams with.”
He
