The Patriot A Small Town Romance - Jennifer Millikin Page 0,46
your family. When they’re older, they’ll see that. Right now, she’s just a cool mom.
I pass Ranger as the three of us walk through the stable and give his face a quick rub on my way by. He’s a great horse, but he’s not kid-friendly. I need our oldest mares for my niece and nephew.
After I get them ready, I lead Pumpkin and Priscilla out to the round pen. Charlie needs help getting up, but Peyton has no problem fitting her boot into the stirrup and getting her leg over.
I stand back, watching the gentle mares walk the round pen. Despite my annoyance at Warner’s comment earlier, I’m feeling happy enough to tip my eyes to the sky and appreciate the beginning of a sunset.
“Are you seeing anything good up there?”
My lips curl involuntarily into a smile at the sound of Dakota’s voice, but I tuck it back. She stands a few feet away, a flattened palm over her eyes to shield them from the sun. She comes to stand beside me, propping a foot up on the fence and resting a bent elbow on the top rung. Her chin nestles into her hand and she watches the kids ride. The breeze lifts her hair off her shoulders and swirls it around her face. She laughs at something Peyton says, tipping her head back while her shoulders shake.
I think about the picture we make standing here, limbs propped on the pen. Probably a pretty good one.
Dakota looks over to me. “It’s fun to see you with your family. For years whenever I thought of you, I could only picture you at the lake house. Seeing you here paints a better picture of who you are.”
My thumb runs the length of my jaw. “You thought of me?”
She shoots me a withering look and gently smacks my arm. “Are you telling me you never thought of me?”
“I—”
“Uncle Wes, I’m bored,” Charlie calls.
“Remind me not to take him on a trail ride,” I mutter, hoisting myself over the fence and leading Priscilla to the gate. Charlie hops down with my help. I grab hold of the reins and offer them to Dakota. She shakes her head.
“You scared of horses?” I ask, eyebrows raised. It would be nice to find something that ruffles her feathers. She seems so calm and in control all the time. The opposite of me.
“I’m wearing a dress.” She pinches the fabric above her belly button and pulls it out from her body.
“Right.” I nod. She releases the dress and it floats back to her body.
“You can ride sidesaddle.”
She makes a face and shakes her head. “I think I’ll skip this time.”
Peyton’s horse stops a few feet from me and she dismounts. “I’m done, Uncle Wes.” She keeps a tight grip on the reins and waits for me to give her instructions.
“Here.” I reach for the halter. “I’ll put the horses away. You can go on up to the house.”
“Your grandpa said he was setting up a projector and movie screen in the backyard,” Dakota tells Peyton, pointing over her shoulder toward the house.
“That means ice cream and popcorn.” Peyton smiles at Dakota. To me, she says, “Thanks for putting the horses away.”
I nod and she turns, heading for the house.
“I’ll take one,” Dakota offers, stepping into the round pen and taking Priscilla’s reins. She leads the horse out and stops, waiting for me.
“I take it you’re not scared.” Pumpkin and I walk out of the round pen and I stop to close it before continuing on to the stable.
“Of horses? No.”
“What are you scared of?” I glance at her from the corner of my eye as we walk.
“Not being a good person.”
That’s not what I was expecting her to say, especially because she’s the best person I know. “I think you’re a pretty good person.”
“Was he fun like that when you were a kid?”
I blink, confused by the abrupt subject change. “Who?”
“Your dad. Did he set up projectors for outdoor movies and serve ice cream and popcorn?”
I make a grunting sound in the back of my throat. “Hardly. He worked us. We were up doing chores before school, and our summers weren’t spent traveling, that’s for damn sure.”
“That’s what dads do, you know? Turn soft when they become grandparents.”
“Is that right?” We reach the stable and I walk in ahead of Dakota. I lead Pumpkin into her stall and do the same with Priscilla.
“My dad was really strict when my sister and I were growing up.” Dakota grabs a