buckaroo boots covered her calves, spanning up to just below her knees where her smooth, tan skin was exposed. That skin was mesmerizing, her toned thighs seeming somehow longer in those boots and the tiny, ripped-up white shorts she’d paired them with. The outfit was nothing like what I’d seen her in that first day, no fancy dress or belt or designer heels. She was just a girl in a tank top and shorts and boots.
A country girl.
And I hated what seeing her that way did to me.
I swallowed, shoving those thoughts aside and tearing my eyes from her legs as I crossed the space between us. I reached up to pet Tank right under where she did, debating if I was really ready to offer my next statement, because I never had before.
“Wanna ride him?”
Ruby Grace lit up, smile as wide as her face as she turned to me. “Really? You’d let me?”
My chest tightened again, because I’d never let anyone ride Tank — save for the Jensen family who cared for him. But, this was the most relaxed I’d seen Ruby Grace since she barreled back into town, and for some reason, I wanted to keep her like that.
“Yes, really,” I said on a chuckle. “Hang on, let me get her suited up.”
Ruby Grace looked around the barn as I brushed Tank, strapping him up with his riding pad, saddle, girth and bridle next. I checked everything twice, including each and every hoof. I’d been out earlier that week to trim his hooves, but I wanted to be sure they were in good shape to ride. Once I was satisfied with my inspection, I guided Tank out of the barn and into the warm summer night.
“Alright,” I said, patting the saddle before I turned to Ruby Grace, reins still in my hands. “Hop on up.”
I expected her to whine, or scoff, or ask how in the world to you expect me to do that in these shorts? But to my surprise, little miss Ruby Grace didn’t say a single word. She put the toe of her boot in the stirrup, reached one hand up to grab the horn, and heaved her opposite leg up and over, shifting her weight a bit until she was comfortably seated.
She smirked when she saw my face, tossing her long red locks behind her shoulder as she shrugged. “What? Did you think I was too prissy to know how to ride a horse, Noah Becker?”
I put my hands up in a surrendering gesture. “I didn’t say a word.”
“You didn’t have to. That trout mouth of yours said it all,” she said.
“Alright, watch your foot for a second,” I said, ignoring her last remark. She frowned as I handed her the reins, confusion rolling over her as I put my own foot in the stirrup and heaved myself up to sit behind her. When I edged forward, the zipper of my jeans hitting the back pockets of hers, I inhaled a steep breath, looking up to the moon like it would somehow save me from getting a boner once we started riding and that sweet ass was rubbing up against me.
“Oh,” she said, and even from where I sat behind her, I could see her cheeks flushing in the moonlight. “I… I didn’t realize you would be up here, too.”
“You think I was just going to walk alongside while you rode, princess?”
She frowned. “Don’t call me that.”
“Whatever you say, ma’am.”
She growled a little at that, elbowing me in the ribs as I laughed. Then, I grabbed hold of the reins, and away we went.
The moon was full and bright that night, reflecting off the creek as we rode along its edges. For a while, we were both quiet, soaking in the dampness of the night’s humidity, the sounds of the water and insects around us, the smell of the country. I closed my eyes and inhaled a deep breath, finding that peace and comfort I always did on Tank’s back, mixed with a little of something unfamiliar with Ruby Grace being there, too. I wondered what she was thinking, if she was happy to be there, if she was still anxious about what people would say tomorrow.
And they would have something to say.
I couldn’t remember how old I was when I realized that would never change, but that I changed my perspective on it, not giving people the power they wanted with their gossip. I knew I was older than Ruby Grace when it