Summer Day Dreams

by Verity Norton

  “It’s fine,” he mumbled. “I’ll show you how to ride.”

  “Wow, how could I pass up that enthusiastic offer?” Sophie was even more determined to catch Skye before she left. But when she looked up at the horse, she wanted to be sitting in that saddle so badly that she snatched the reins back. “But if you insist.”

  Sean climbed into his saddle. Sophie watched him carefully, placing her foot in the stirrup the way Skye had shown her. She tried to raise herself into the saddle, but the mare moved just enough to throw her off balance. The only saving grace was that she landed on both feet.

  “Need help?” Sean asked.

  “No thanks.” She was determined to get it right this time, even without Skye there to keep the mare still. When she landed in the saddle on the third try, she blurted out, “I did it!”

  Sean laughed. “Yeah, you did.” He’d never seen anyone get so excited about making it into a saddle, and so enchanting—not a word he used often. He forced himself to look at anything but her face. “Nice jeans. Look just like a pair my sister has with a hole in the knee—exact same spot.”

  She didn’t respond, but when he looked at her face, there was a slight hint of pink crawling up her cheeks.

  “Nice T-shirt and boots too.”

  “So, what do I do now?” she asked, ignoring him.

  “You mean we’re starting from scratch here?”

  ”Pretty much. Second time on a horse. First time was a few minutes ago when Skye showed me how to get on.”

  Sean guided his horse alongside of hers, took the reins out of her hand and led her around the corral to let her get used to sitting in the saddle. After a few minutes, he said, “Okay, you didn’t fall off, so it looks like we can move on.”

  “Really?” She looked elated.

  “You did want to learn to ride, didn’t you?”

  “Are you kidding? Of course!” She took the reins he handed her and sat up straighter in the saddle.

  He wondered how someone could look naïve and so damned sexy at the same time. He forced himself to focus on the naïve aspect. Why couldn’t Skye have given her something to wear besides that damned T-shirt that was a size too small to say nothing of the jeans that fit her like a glove?

  “So?”

  “Oh, sorry. Got distracted.” Sean quickly looked away to regain his equanimity.

  He taught her how to sit properly in the saddle and how to hold the reins and communicate to the horse with her legs. After another fifteen minutes, he almost asked her if she really had never ridden a horse before but caught himself just in time. The last thing he wanted to do was pay her a compliment.

  Sophie looked over at him, anxious to know how she was doing but afraid to ask. “If I’d known how incredible this was, I would have taken horseback riding lessons a long time ago.” She would have been content to stay on the back of the horse until the sun went down, but she knew Sean had not come here to teach a beginner to ride. “You probably want to go out on the trails. I don’t want to hold you back.”

  Sean glanced down at his watch. He needed to take care of some things at the farm. “It’s okay. We can ride for another fifteen minutes or so. Then I need to get going. Unless you’re ready to stop.”

  “No! Fifteen more minutes is great!”

  They rode side by side and Sean kept his eyes straight ahead except when her horse started to veer off to the side and he had to tell her what to do.

  “I’ll take care of the horses,” he told her when they were done. “You can wait for me in the truck.”

  “Can’t I help?” she asked.

  “You want to?”

  “Of course.”

  Was this the city girl his cousin was planning to marry? Hopefully they would be heading back to San Francisco soon. Today would be good.

  They walked side by side in the hot summer sun, leading the horses toward the stables. “Thank you, Sean. That was really amazing.”

  “No problem,” he mumbled, determined not to look at her. Ever again.

  “I’m sorry you didn’t get to ride out on the trails.”

  “It’s okay,” he mumbled again, anxious to unsaddle the horses and groom them so he could get the hell out of there.

  Sophie watched him as he unbuckled and dismantled the harness and whatever the other things were called and took the saddle off his horse. “I can get yours too,” he told her.

  “I can do it.” She started to walk behind the mare to the other side.

  “What the hell!” Sean yelled, pulling her back before the startled horse could kick her.

  She fell against his chest and he pushed her away as abruptly as he had grabbed her.

  “What did I do?”

  “You really don’t know anything about animals, do you?” he said in disgust. “You never walk behind an animal this large without letting it know you’re there.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “You should be. She was about to kick.”

  “But I just rode her. She knows me, doesn’t she?” Her voice was quivering, and Sean pushed aside the guilt that was building inside. Better this than torment, he decided.

  “Are you really that stupid? She wouldn’t stop to think, ‘oh, it’s the person who just rode me so I guess I shouldn’t kick her.’ They just react and kick, especially when they’re startled.”

  “Okay. I’ve got it. I won’t do it again. Now that I know.”

  “Damned right,” he grumbled at her, continuing to remove the mare’s tack.

  Sophie swallowed hard against the sting of Sean’s harsh words and faced him full on. “As I tell my students, ignorance and stupidity are two entirely different things. Ignorance is not having learned something. Stupidity is not wanting to learn it or putting another person down for not knowing it.” She turned on her heel and walked out of the stables.

  “You’ve decided not to help after all?”

  She turned and glared at him. “What? And give you the pleasure of witnessing my incompetence again? You know, not everyone is so fortunate to have grown up with all this.” She motioned toward the land and animals. “Not everyone gets to grow up on the back of a horse.”

  “Yeah, well it might be fun for a week, playing farmer or rancher. But this is the real world, honey, and it’s damned hard work. We live and breathe it. We don’t go home to our luxury condo overlooking the Bay at the end of the day.”

  Sophie stared at him, biting back the words that she wanted to fling at him. He wasn’t worth the effort. And here she’d thought he had such beautiful eyes the first time she’d met him. And that he was actually starting to be nice to her after all. How wrong could she be? Grateful that Skye’s boots fit her perfectly, she turned and walked into the fresh air and away from Sean McCullough. It shouldn’t be too difficult to find her way back to town and the ranch pickup, she thought, grateful there were trees to provide shade most of the way.

  But before she reached the edge of the property, a grey pickup pulled up alongside her. She glanced up, hoping it was anyone but Sean. No such luck. She groaned and quickened her pace.

  “Please get in.”

  “And risk closing the door wrong?”

  “Can’t you give a guy a break here?”

  Her pace slowed slightly or was it his hopeful imagination? “Why would I want to do that?”

  “Because you’re a nice person?”

  “Not feeling so nice right now.”

  “You’ll have blisters on every toe before you make it to town.”

  “Blisters aren’t so bad, considering the alternative.”

  Smack. She knew how to hurt a guy. “I’m sorry, Sophie.”

  “Hmm. Sorry or just worried that one of the McCulloughs will see me on the road and the news will spread like Canden Valley wildfire, and your entire family will know that you were mean—rude—unpleasant to me? Sounds like an opportunity not to be missed.”

  “Please, Sophie. Just get in.”

  “Shhh. Don’t interrupt.”
/>   “Interrupt what?”

  “I’m imagining Skye yelling at you.”

  Sean groaned. She was more stubborn than he’d given her credit for. She was going to hike all the way to town if he didn’t say the right thing. If only he knew the right thing. Okay, so maybe he did. “You won’t be able to ride anymore with blisters on your feet.”

  She turned and glared at him, obviously trying to determine if that was true or not. He could almost see her toes wriggling inside his sister’s boots. She started walking again.

  Okay, so he was going to have to say the other right thing. “Sophie, I’m really sorry. I’ve been an ass. It has nothing to do with you.”

  “Could have fooled me.” She continued staring straight ahead.

  “It’s me,” he said, staring down at the steering wheel. “All me. And I took it out on you.” He stopped the truck, calling her bluff.

  The sad look in her eyes tugged at his guilt strings. Her kind heart did not belong here, in this truck, with him, and especially not with his Cousin Alex.

  She opened the door and climbed in. Sean left the truck in park, resting his hands on the steering wheel. He wanted to tell her to get out, to run as far and as fast as she could from this place and from the McCullough men.

  “I’m sorry that you think I’m not good enough for your cousin.”

  He felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach. “Like I said. It’s not about you. It’s me.”

  She fastened her seatbelt and looked over at him. “I love him, you know.”

  Now he was having trouble breathing. He blinked hard against the pain and put the truck in gear, first glancing up to see the gentle look in her eyes that told him she was sincere and that he was forgiven. “I have to check on something at the farm,” he stammered. “It will only take a minute.” He turned the truck around and headed back down the driveway.

  “Why is yours called a farm and Alex’s is a ranch?” she asked, once again enamored with country life.

  “The ranch started as a small horse ranch. There are other animals but it’s predominantly horses. Aunt Nan enlarged and developed the horse facility so now it’s a highly successful boarding and training facility. At our place we just have a few horses for our own use. Our main business is the crops.”

  “What kind of crops?”

  “Organic. Carrots, beets, broccoli, a lot of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers . “ He made the mistake of glancing over at her and seeing the excitement on her face. She was easily impressed.

  “Can I see it?”

  “It’s where we’re headed.” He drove the short distance and pulled over next to his father’s truck.

  Nigel McCullough greeted them. Sophie remembered him from the picnic. He was easy to notice with the distinctive McCullough dark hair and blue eyes.

  “I just finished giving Sophie a horseback riding lesson since Skye bailed on her,” Sean explained. “Can you look after her while I check on the lettuce?”

  Sophie took umbrage at that, scowling at Sean. “I don’t need looking after.”

  Nigel laughed. If that was Sophie being angry, he wondered what her friendly looks were like. “I’ll keep her entertained, son.” He motioned for Sophie to follow him over to the nursery where he took her on a quick tour.

  “Maybe I could come back and see it again,” she told him. “When I have more time. And see the farm too.”

  “Of course, anytime,” Nigel said. “Sean should be back in a minute. I just needed him to take care of something. We didn’t want to leave it until morning.”

  “He works here too?” she asked. “I thought he worked at the store.”

  “Both. But if you ask him why he gave up his job in the Bay Area, he’ll tell you it was to help his grandfather out. He needed him at the store when he was ill.”

  “Wasn’t there anyone else who could help? With all these cousins in the family?”

  Nigel laughed. “Precisely. Truth is he missed it here. Missed the farm, the animals, and I’d like to think, the family. And I needed him, but he tends to leave that out of the equation.”

  “You needed him? To help on the farm?”

  “Put it this way. No one is as good at convincing organic lettuce to grow as Sean is.”

  “Impressed?” Sean said, walking toward them.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “And a lot of work.”

  “I’m sure it is,” Sophie said.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to the house,” Nigel said. “Stop by anytime, Sophie. You’re always welcome here.”

  “Thank you.” She watched him head off to his truck. “Is that an herb garden over there?”

  Sean followed her gaze and the direction she was quickly moving. “Yep.”

  “It’s gorgeous.” She encircled the garden of herbs he had planted. “Lavender. Parsley. Is that sage? Rosemary. Garlic? You have garlic? Oh and basil. Mmm. Lemon basil?”

  “Okay, so now I’m the one who’s impressed.” Sean squatted down beside her as she inhaled the scent of the herbs.

  “It just goes to show, you can’t judge a book by its cover. And it’s good to know I’m not completely pathetic and useless.”

  Hardly. According to Alex, she insisted on doing her own cooking, cleaning, sewing, laundry, ironing, baking, plus she taught school. Hell, she even made her own gift cards. But she was a city girl. She acted as though she’d never touched a dog, let alone a horse.

  “So, how is it that a city girl knows about herbs?”

  “Because I have an herb garden.”

  “I thought you had shacked up with Alex.” He bit his tongue, immediately regretting his crassness.

  “Yes, I’ve moved into the condo.” She enunciated every word in pointed retaliation for his choice of words. “But we do have a small patio, large enough for a few potted plants and herbs.” And a small dog, she thought.

  Again, as hard as he tried not to be, he was impressed.

  She inhaled one last whiff of the lavender and headed for his truck. “I thought you were going to be nice,” she said.

  “I’m trying.”

  “Sorry I’m so hard to be nice to.”

  “You’re not. It’s just you’re— You’re not. I’m sorry. Really. It’s just—Never mind. It won’t happen again.”

  “Good.”

  “Or what?” He laughed, hearing the threat in her voice. “You’ll sic Skye on me?”

  “Yep.”

  “Okay, so how can I make it up to you?”

  “That scared of your little sister, are you?”

  “Damned right. She packs a mean left hook. And she has a fondness for slapping men upside the head, McCullough men in particular.”

  Sophie couldn’t help laughing at the image of a five-foot, four-inch woman knocking out this over six-foot tall man, twice her weight.

  “So, how can I make it up to you? Buy you a chocolate soda with two large scoops of chocolate chip ice cream?”

  Sophie considered his proposal for well over a minute. Let him sweat, she thought. Then she smiled and said, “It’s a start.”

  “Just a start?”

  “Yep, just a start.”

  “So, what else do you have in mind? Extra whipped cream and jimmies?”

  “That too. And your help with a little matter.”

  “What kind of help? What little matter?” He pulled up outside of the book café.

  “I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow when I stop in for my chocolate soda. Right now, I need to get back to the house to help with dinner. What time will you be at the store tomorrow?”

  Sean groaned inwardly. “Afternoon. I have to do some work at the farm in the morning.”

  “See you then.” She was smiling as she hopped down from his truck and slammed the door just a little harder than was necessary.

  Bloody hell! Now what had he done? There was no way out. He was going to have to see her again—twirling around on one of the ice cream fountain barstools. He just hope
d to hell she was wearing something loose and baggy with something to cover those beautiful soulful eyes. Otherwise he was doomed. Maybe he was anyway.

  Chapter 8

  “Okay, I admit it,” Alex responded to Matt’s prodding. “It does feel good to get my hands dirty again.” He finished hammering the last nail and turned to face his cousin. “But it doesn’t mean I’m quitting the law business and moving back here to build houses with you.”

  “It was worth a shot.”

  “Don’t you think you owe me a beer for doing your work for you?”

  “Yeah, right. Fine.” Matt put his tools away and they headed toward their vehicles. “Here in Winslow though. I want to get home to the kids. I promised we’d finish our eternal game of monopoly tonight.”

  Alex followed him to the Dunedin Inn just outside of town on the Canden Valley highway. It had a restaurant and a bar. Matt ordered two bottles of Anchor Steam, a shared favorite on hot days.

  “So, how did it go last night? Did Sophie send you off to the hound dog compound?”

  Alex grimaced. “I told you. It’s not how she is. She was very understanding.”

  Matt sipped his beer in silence. He wasn’t going to contradict his cousin. He wasn’t going to tell him she might be acting the part, but no one, not even Sophie, is hit head-on with a blast from the past in the form of her fiancé’s first love and takes it casually. “So you didn’t discuss it?”

  “She didn’t bring it up.”

  Matt was even more convinced that she was upset. She was just better at disguising it than most people. “Have you seen her again?”

  “Sophie?” Alex asked, playing obtuse.

  “You know who I mean. Cassie.”

  “No.” Alex stared straight ahead into the mirror behind the bar and took a long sip of his beer and motioned for the bartender to bring them two more.

  “Are you going to?”

  “How the hell should I know? We’re here for two weeks. It’s probable I’ll run into her again.”

  “Touchy subject?”

  Alex glared at him. “I’m engaged, remember? I don’t want to be thinking about another woman.”