toward the horse, consulting each other in whispered tones. Doris had been the more talkative of the twins when their mother had dropped them off. Now both of them had fallen silent as they glanced nervously at Morgan.
“Doris, grab the front strap from underneath the horse and cinch it up,” Alex said.
His prompting seemed to trigger their memory for what they were supposed to do.
Morgan stood beside Alex but spoke to the twins. “Go ahead and run through the steps. I’ll stop you if I see anything incorrect.” Morgan crossed her arms and continued to watch the girls while she leaned in to talk to Alex. “Craig would have gotten the saddle for me eventually. He’s just testing his boundaries.”
“I couldn’t stand to watch it. And I don’t like the way he’s treating you.”
Morgan raised her voice. “Debbie, remember you don’t want any of that strap hanging loose. Hook the stirrup to the saddle horn if that makes it easier to see.” She watched for a moment. “There you go.”
Debbie turned toward Morgan and grinned at her mistake, jerking her shoulders up to her ears while her cheeks turned red.
Alex continued to speak in a hushed tone while he kept his eyes on the twins. “I could find a dozen other kids in town who want this job and wouldn’t be this kind of trouble.”
“You said yourself you want to help him. His conflict is with me.” Morgan grabbed Alex’s wrist. “Please, don’t fire him. I think the money from this job is the only income he and his father have right now. Craig mentioned something this morning about his father losing his janitorial job.”
Alex felt a pang of guilt. He wanted the kid to have a shot at something better than what he had, but Morgan didn’t deserve to be disrespected. “I’m not going to stand by and watch him mess with you like that. He needs to know that’s not right.”
Doris raised her hands in triumph. “We got it.” She turned to her sister for a high five.
“Give him some time,” Morgan said in a low voice before walking over to the girls. “Let’s check the tightness on the front and back strap.” Morgan placed her fingers between the saddle strap and the horse. “Good job—tight enough so it’s not going to fall off, but loose enough so it won’t dig into the horse’s side.”
“I can’t wait to race,” said Debbie.
Morgan laughed. “I appreciate the enthusiasm, but you gotta walk before you run, honey. Alex and I will lead you ladies around the arena and then you can ride on your own in there. Maybe for your second lesson, we’ll hit the trails.” Morgan glanced over at Alex. “Does that work for you?”
Morgan’s dark eyes danced with delight. She had a natural teaching ability. He had a pile of paperwork to deal with, but he would much rather be out here in the warm sun helping someone discover how wonderful riding could be. Being out here with Morgan made it doubly nice. Whatever task was at hand, they worked well together. “Morgan is right. We don’t want to rush anything.”
“Good then,” said Morgan. “Doris, go stand by your horse and Alex will show you how to get on.”
While they led the twins around the outdoor arena, Craig came out of the stable and then disappeared around the side. He returned a few minutes later holding a gas can.
Wonder what he’s up to.
He needed to let go of his suspicions. If Morgan was willing to be patient with the boy, he could be, too.
Morgan’s laughter pulled him from his thoughts. She handed the reins up to Debbie. “I think you’re ready for a little solo. Remember not to hold the reins too tight.”
Alex saw fear flash across Doris’s face. “Just a gentle walk around the arena. We’ll be right here watching,” he reassured.
“Remember what I said. The horses are very sensitive to your signals.” Morgan stepped backward without turning away from the twins.
Doris nodded and pressed her heels into the horse’s belly. Debbie took off a moment later. They bounced in the saddle, not matching their movements to the rhythm of the horse.
Morgan leaned back against the fence close to where Alex stood. Her proximity reminded him of that initial flush of attraction he’d felt at the horse sale.
“We should be seeing it any minute,” Alex said as he watched the girls circle the arena.
“See what?” She leaned even closer to him.
“The smile.” He tilted his head toward Debbie. “Wait for it.” Debbie’s features compressed into a look of extreme concentration. She circled the arena several more times. With each round, her stiff posture relaxed as did the tightness of her expression. By her third time around the arena, a smile formed on her face. He’d seen it a thousand times.
“Favorite part of my job,” he said.
“You have a teacher’s heart.” Morgan pressed her back against the fence and propped a leg up on a lower rung.
The look of contentment he saw on her face made him smile. He wanted to know her better. “Did you have any brothers and sisters when you were growing up in Wyoming?”
She pushed herself off the fence, the delight melting from her countenance. “Alex, you have to stop. I’m happy to answer any question that relates to this job, but don’t pry into my personal life.”
Her voice was like the cold edge of a knife slicing through him. The question had risen from natural curiosity. That’s how friendships grew, by getting to know more about a person. “I didn’t mean to step out of bounds.”
Her words were softer than before. “Maybe we should just focus on the work that we have to do here.” Her eyes held a pleading quality, as though she wanted to say more.
A dozen theories floated through his head about why she was such a fortress. He could entertain all sorts of speculations about who Morgan Smith was. None of it helped him to get to know her better. She wasn’t interested in sharing about herself. The bottom line was she didn’t want anything but a professional relationship with him. “I wasn’t intending to be nosy.” He held out his hand to her. “Truce.”
She shook his hand. Her fingers feathered lightly over his calloused palm. “Truce.”
Heat rose up his neck in response to her touch. “Back to work for both of us.”
She pulled free of his grip. “I need to get these girls off the horses in time for their mom’s return. I’ve got four horses yet that need to be exercised.”
“Four?” Exercising four horses would be a full day for one person. Craig’s duties didn’t extend to riding the horses.
“Yes, Bluebell hasn’t been ridden for a couple of days. I’ve taken her out as often as I can. I have yet to meet Bluebell’s owner. Does he or she ever come out to ride that beautiful animal?”
“Bluebell belongs to a woman named Stephanie. She’s boarded the horse for six months. I think I’ve seen her half a dozen times.” He turned back toward the guesthouse.
“She’s
