“I do,” he assured her. “And I’m still taking you horseback riding—unless you’d rather continue the house tour.”
“Definitely horseback riding,” Hailey declared. “I pick horseback riding.”
Dillon laughed, nodding. “Good choice. All right, let’s head over to the stables. Are you game to walk over there, or would you rather we drive?” he wanted to know, giving Hailey a choice.
When they approached the property, she hadn’t noticed where the stables were. Since everything on the property appeared to be so sprawling, she didn’t want to bite off more than she could chew right from the beginning.
“Just how far away are the stables?” she tactfully asked.
He thought for a moment. “About a half a mile,” he judged. “Maybe a little more.”
She gave him a look that seemed to ask if he thought she was some sort of fragile flower. She could do that distance with one leg tied behind her back, she thought.
“I’ll try not to be insulted—and we’ll walk,” she informed him.
Dillon’s smile spread across his lips. “Whatever you say,” he told her.
“There’s no sense in letting a beautiful day like today go to waste,” she said, as if that was what had made her decide on walking there.
He grinned. “Ah, a lady after my own heart,” he responded.
Oh, if you only knew.
Like his house, the stable turned out to be massive, as well. So far, it was only half filled with horses. But from what she could see, it looked as if there were no two horses that were alike.
“Are all these yours?” she asked Dillon in awe as she moved around the well-maintained stable.
“Yes,” Dillon answered, “the horses belong to all of us in the family. And we keep some on hand for company.”
Hailey was impressed. That was happening a lot lately, she realized. “Do you ride a different horse every day?”
“I hardly have time to ride every day. In fact, I don’t ride nearly as much as I’d like,” he confessed. “This is actually a treat for me. Nothing makes you forget your troubles faster than being on the back of a horse, feeling the wind in your hair, the sun in your face and, riding with no particular destination in mind, just to enjoy the ride.”
He really sounded as if he meant that, she thought. Apparently there was something that he really enjoyed doing outside of making the structures that he drew on paper come to life. She liked that, she thought. It made him seem more human somehow.
Her eyes fell on the dapple gray stallion. Her heart beating hard, she crossed over to his stall. Because the horse didn’t really know her, Hailey approached the animal slowly. She raised her hand very carefully toward his muzzle, and then, when the stallion didn’t pull back, she petted him. She was really pleased that he didn’t move his head back but accepted the contact.
“So who rides all these other horses?” she wanted to know.
“My brothers and sister. And their friends—or spouses,” Dillon said, correcting himself. He had to admit that at times it was still hard for him to get used to the idea that both Callum and Steven were married now. And Stephanie was engaged and living with Acton on his ranch. Not only that, but Stephanie was ten weeks pregnant, as well. It felt as his life was just galloping passed him.
Dillon focused on his stallion. “I think Rawhide likes you,” he noted with genuine pleasure.
“Of course he does,” Hailey responded, running her hand along Rawhide’s muzzle. “I’m very likeable.”
She wasn’t bragging. She had always made a genuine effort to try to get along with everyone, and felt that her attitude just naturally radiated toward everyone, animals included.
Dillon was standing directly behind her. From his vantage point, he could breathe in the natural fragrance of her hair. Despite the fact that he had promised himself that this outing was going to be purely platonic, there was no denying that standing this close to Hailey stirred him.
His thoughts went beyond just taking a simple ride on his favorite horse with a pleasant companion. Moved, he was exceedingly tempted to slip his arms around Hailey’s waist and hold her against him.
Not the way to go, Dillon. You can’t afford to get involved at this point. Maybe later, when things are all ironed out, but not now. You know that.
For one thing, he wasn’t free to get involved with someone here when all he had been thinking about ever since he had arrived in Rambling Rose seven months ago was getting back to Fort Lauderdale.
He constantly had to remind himself of that when he was around this woman. He looked down at her as she patted Rawhide’s velvety muzzle, imagining those hands on him.
“He’s beautiful,” she said as she looked up at Dillon.
“Handsome,” Dillon corrected her. “I think Rawhide would prefer being called handsome,” he said with a wide grin. “He’s a male.”
“Sorry, boy, didn’t mean to insult your manhood,” Hailey told the stallion, playing along. For his part, Rawhide seemed to accept the apology. Hailey smiled, continuing to pet the horse. “I think he forgives me,” she told Dillon, pleased.
Who wouldn’t?
Dillon wasn’t aware that he’d said the words out loud until Hailey turned around to look at him in surprise.
“That’s a very sweet thing to say,” she told him.
“I didn’t—I mean...” Dillon flushed, his tongue feeling thick and cumbersome as thoughts went shooting through his head with the speed of a comet.
Feeling his best bet was to change the subject, Dillon cleared his throat and asked, “Would you like to meet your mare?”
“I would love to meet her,” Hailey told him. Stepping away from the stallion, she looked around. “Which way to her stall?”
“Delilah is right over here,” Dillon answered, leading Hailey over to another stall. This one was located at the far side of the stables.
The second she saw Delilah, Hailey fell in love.
“Oh, she is beautiful,” she exclaimed in awe. Holding herself in check, Hailey carefully went through the same process
