I tell him every day. But I’m determined not to be a disappointment.” He winked, his easygoing humor only making him more attractive. He gave off the aura of a man confident of his masculinity so he didn’t need to flaunt it.
“I wasn’t talking about your work, I was wondering why you turned down the chance for more schooling? Why would you choose to live in Wild Horse?”
“Why not? What’s not to like?” Dimples flirted with the corners of his chiseled mouth. “Clean air, more freedom than a guy knows what to do with and I get to ride my horse every day all day. There’s nothing better than that.”
“You are highlighting only the good parts.” Why was she smiling? She simply could not seem to stop. His grin was infectious and, to make matters worse, sweet little bubbles began effervescing in her stomach. “It’s an hour drive to see a movie or shop in a mall. Nothing ever happens here. Everyone knows your business.”
“I don’t mind all that one bit.” His baby blues twinkled charmingly and made the pops in her stomach multiply.
She wasn’t attracted to the man, was she? Goodness. She shook her head, determined to keep that from happening. “Then you are right where you should be. I’m currently suffering from urban withdrawal, but it’s slowly getting better.”
“Urban? Where?” He tilted his head a notch, leaning a fraction closer to her as if he were interested in her answer.
“Seattle.” She took a swipe of ice cream before it melted and tumbled off the cone. “Where did you go to school?”
“Seattle Christian University.” He chuckled. “I can’t believe we used to live in the same city. Cheyenne should have mentioned it.”
“She’s had a lot on her mind going to vet school.” Intrigued, Eloise forgot about the tingles in her tummy and the fact that the man’s handsomeness pulled at her with all the gravitational force of a black hole. “Where did you live?”
“In an apartment just off Fremont Avenue. How about you?”
“I rented a house with some friends a few blocks off 45th.”
“Not far away at all, not really, and we didn’t even know it. How about that?” Sean leaned back, a deliberately casual movement and yet the power of his gaze remained locked on hers and made the world fade away. The distant clomp, clomp of Chloe’s skates, the nicker from one of the ponies, the sun’s heat and the whine of the car’s struggling air conditioning all turned to silence.
An electronic ring shattered the moment, time rolled forward and the sounds of the hot May day returned. Chloe clomped up on her skates. “Oops. I saw you two across the lot exchanging cones. Did I make a mistake?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Sean said breezily as he tugged a cell from his pocket.
The girls on ponies rode leisurely by, licking icecream cones. A diesel truck rumbled along on the street behind her and a second electronic chime came from the phone she didn’t even remember tossing onto the passenger seat. Right next to her cane.
Her cane. She stared at the snazzy pink length of metal—she’d gone for the bright, cheerful color hoping to jazz up the fact of her disability—and the fizz evaporated from her stomach. The smile died on her lips. She knew full well Sean Granger hadn’t spotted her cane in her car or he never would have taken the time to talk with her. This she knew from personal experience.
She glanced at the screen, where the text her boss had sent her was overlaid by Cheyenne’s cell number. She considered answering it, but then she would wind up saying where she was and what she was doing, and it would be impossible not to mention the handsome man chatting amicably on his phone a few feet away. No, best to hit the ignore button and get back to her friend later.
“Well, duty calls.” Sean pushed away and offered her a dashing grin, making time stand still. Again. Her neurons forgot how to fire. Again. She sat captivated by the wholesome goodness of the man as he tipped his hat to her. “I’ll see you around, Eloise Tipple.”
“Bbb—” The closest thing she could manage to goodbye, but he didn’t seem to notice her jumbled attempt at speech. He loped away with a relaxed, confident stride and hopped into his truck.
“Do you think he was mad at me?” Chloe spoke up, startling Eloise completely. The phone tumbled out of her grip and hit the floor. The teenager scrunched her face up with worry. “Are you? I couldn’t believe I got your ice-cream cone wrong. My manager is right. One order at a time. I’m no good with two.”
“It’s not a big deal.” As the truck motored away and took Sean with it, her neurons began to fire normally. Her vocabulary returned. “Have a good day, Chloe.”
“I will, now the lunch rush is nearly over. Bye!”
It wasn’t until Eloise had pulled onto the street heading away from town that it struck her. Sean Granger had remembered her name.
Chapter Two
Find homeless horses, Eloise scribbled onto her to-do list. This was her new assignment, added to all the others. Her desk at the inn was tucked a few steps down the hallway from the front desk. Her only window gazed out at the new rose gardens and gave a peek at the new stable. Cady wanted to offer horses for the guests to ride and that meant someone had to find the appropriate animals. That someone was her. Eloise took a sip of bottled water and smiled at the text message shining on her phone’s luminous screen.
Aunt Cady, you promised to get your horses from the shelter. You have to save their lives so they can have a home and be loved.
Eloise sighed. Cady’s little goddaughter’s message was too cute, but how did one go about finding homeless horses? Did the county humane society take them in? There was only one way to find out. She grabbed the yellow pages out of her bottom desk drawer and began leafing through it. If the phone book doesn’t help, then Lord please send a hint or two to guide me.
The bell above the front door chimed and the telltale snap of sandals on the polished hardwood had her rising to her feet. She grabbed her cane and tapped around the corner, expecting to see the Neilsons, who were yet to arrive for their reservation. So when she saw a tall, slender young woman with auburn hair and smiling eyes wearing a Washington State University shirt and denim cutoffs, she let out a surprised squeal. “Cheyenne!”
“It wouldn’t have been a surprise if you checked the message I left you.” She threw out her arms wide for a welcoming hug then stepped back, squinting. “You look good. Really good. How’s the pain level?”
“Better. How does it feel to finally be a vet?” Eloise led the way toward the comfortable sitting area near the front desk.
“I start working for Nate next Monday, and I still can’t believe this is really happening. You would have thought graduation might have made it clear to me.” She shook her head, bouncing along, full of exuberance. “I’m jazzed. I can’t wait to start.”
“When did you get back in town?”
“Last night much later than I’d meant to. What are you doing after work?”
“Nothing exciting.”
“Want to grab dinner at Clem’s?”
The phone rang before she could answer, so Eloise grabbed it at the front desk. The Neilsons had landed at the airport one town away and wanted to verify their directions. Simple enough to make sure they were heading the right way. Eloise got their cell number in case they didn’t show up in an hour, kept the cordless phone with her and leaned on her cane. “Want an iced latte?”
“Do you have to ask?”
They changed directions and headed for the dining room, which was nearly empty. The lunch crowd had gone and the early diners wouldn’t start showing up for a few hours. Pleasant clinks and clanks from the kitchen rang like discordant music.
“So,