by Susan Fox
“Yes, please! Then when Kimiko goes home, I’ll ride back to Boots and go to work.”
“What about our usual Saturday afternoon ride?” It was a tradition he’d hate to lose.
“Well, duh. Of course we’ll go. Mom and I worked out my schedule so I have Saturday afternoons off.”
“Good. I love our rides. Besides, Malibu and I haven’t had enough exercise this week.”
“You miss having basketball practice.”
“Kind of.” He volunteered as coach of the high school basketball team; back in the day, he’d been team captain. But basketball season was over, tourist season had begun, and he’d been too busy for much exercise other than taking Merlin for a run once or twice a day.
Thank heaven for Madisun, who was home from university for the summer and had moved ably into her job as assistant manager. Cassidy was proving to be a godsend as well.
On Tuesday, he and Madisun had looked over Cassidy’s resume, Madisun had interviewed her, and they’d hired her. Since then, she had filled in without complaint wherever they needed her. She cleaned rooms as fast as their best chambermaid, she’d taught the regular bartender a few new drinks, and several guests had commented on how helpful she’d been.
Not to mention, she was vivacious, genuine, and fun, with a sparkle that levelheaded Madisun, seven years her junior, lacked. Madisun had learned responsibility early; a tough family life hadn’t bowed her shoulders—it had made them rigid. As for Cassidy, Dave had feared that she might be erratic and unreliable, but so far she’d proved him wrong.
His only complaint—and it was his fault, not hers—was that she distracted him. Her curves really weren’t any different from those of a dozen women he knew, yet they drew his eye when she moved briskly around the Wild Rose. As did her face, with that exotic combination of olive skin and blue-gray eyes framed by a pixie cap of hair. He’d felt sexual attraction to other women and pretty easily tamped it down, yet he couldn’t manage to do that with Cassidy. Why now? Why her?
And what was he going to do about it? Nothing. She was completely the wrong woman for him, not to mention being his employee. Besides, sex without emotion wasn’t his style. And his heart had been shattered by Anita’s death, spilling all the poison of pain, anger, guilt—
“Dad? Dad?”
He shook his head to banish the dark cloud and put on his “I’m fine” face. “What, Rob?”
“You were frowning. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Sorry.” What had they been talking about?
“How about we ask Cassidy to come riding with us?”
“You’ve met Cassidy?”
“She was on the desk today when I came in, and we got to talking. I told her I’d ridden over and she said she was going to book a trail ride at Westward Ho! tomorrow, her day off. But wouldn’t it be fun if she came with us instead? I could give her some pointers, like I did with Ani—” She broke off abruptly, the animation on her face replaced by guilt.
Anita. People knew better than to mention her around Dave. Pretending he hadn’t heard his daughter’s slip, he said, “I don’t think that’s the best idea.”
“Why not?” she asked, a little subdued. “I like Cassidy. Don’t you?”
That was a complicated question. It was hard not to like Cassidy. Hard not to watch Cassidy. She was a nice addition to the Wild Rose’s staff. And that’s all she should be. “Sure. But she’s staff.”
“Madisun hangs out with us and the rest of the family sometimes.”
“She was your mom and Evan’s friend before I hired her.” A couple of years ago, Jessie had worked as the dude wrangler at the Crazy Horse, and Madisun had assisted her. That’s where Evan had met the teen and offered to mentor her, getting her away from an abusive father and helping her attend university in Vancouver, where she studied business and the hospitality industry. When she came back to Caribou Crossing for summer break last year, Dave had hired her. She’d done so well that this summer he’d offered her the job of assistant manager.
“Cassidy’s new in town,” Robin said. “We’re supposed to be friendly here, aren’t we?”
Amused at her blatant attempt at manipulation, he said, “You really want to invite her?” He’d prefer not to share his “Robin time,” but he did like to make his daughter happy. Fortunately, she was good about not taking advantage of his softheartedness, or at least not taking advantage too often.
When she nodded vigorously, he said, “Okay, let’s do it.”
“Cool! Thanks, Dad.” She jumped up and gave him a boisterous hug. “I’ll go ask her.”
As she ran out of the room, Dave shook his head ruefully. The truth was, he wouldn’t mind one bit if Cassidy accepted the invitation. Yes, she was an employee and that was all she’d ever be. But as Robin had said, what was wrong with making a newcomer feel welcome?
When Dave hugged Robin good-bye on Saturday morning, he said, “When you’re at Westward Ho! would you book a gentle horse for Cassidy for this afternoon?” The stable on the outskirts of town organized trail rides for tourists, rented horses to locals who rode occasionally, and stabled horses for several townspeople, like Dave, who owned their own.
“Sure. I’ll see both of you later.”
He settled in for a day’s work, breaking in the early afternoon to eat a ham and Swiss panini at his desk with Merlin dozing on the floor beside him. After, he whipped upstairs to change his shirt, jeans, and boots to well-worn versions of the same and clapped his straw hat on his head. Then he headed back down to collect Merlin, who leaped up in excitement on recognizing the riding clothes.
Dave had arranged to meet Cassidy in the lobby. Given that she’d arrived in town with only a backpack, he guessed she wouldn’t have proper riding gear. So when he saw the profile, backlit by sunshine, of a woman in Western gear and her own straw hat chatting to Nora at the reception desk, he didn’t recognize her. But his dog ran over, and she turned with a bright smile.
Cassidy made one fine-looking cowgirl, he thought as he returned her smile.
“Hey, Merlin.” She patted the poodle’s back and said to Dave, “I’m so excited. It was kind of you and Robin to invite me.”
“You’ll have a great time,” Nora said, darting a considering gaze at Dave.
No doubt she wondered at his atypical behavior. It was on the tip of his tongue to point out that this was Robin’s doing, but that might sound rude. Besides, it’d be a lie. It had been all too easy for his daughter to talk him into it.
“Let’s get going.” He gestured toward the door, and then as Cassidy moved in that direction, he opened it for her.
As she started through, the eager dog got in her way and threw her off balance so she bumped into Dave.
He caught her upper arm to steady her—and that simple touch of his bare palm to her shirt-sleeved arm definitely did not have a steadying effect on his pulse.
They headed down the sidewalk, Merlin on his leash, pacing along with his springy gait. On this summer Saturday afternoon, the main street was an active, cheerful place. Dave nodded a greeting to one of the town’s pharmacists, tipped his hat to the woman who’d taught Robin in third grade, and grinned at a couple of kids licking madly as they tried to keep pace with rapidly melting ice cream cones.
“I didn’t figure you’d have boots and a hat,” he said to Cassidy.
“Maribeth at Days of Your is really nice.”
“She is.” So Cassidy had bought her gear at the thrift shop. That explained the comfortable, broken-in look.
“She wanted to get her hair and nails done for a date, so I looked after the shop on my lunch break yesterday. She gave me the hat and boots as a thank-you.”
“Huh.” That was nice of Cassidy—and enterprising. “Sounds like you’re starting to fit in here.”
She tilted her head up to him, eyes sparkling irresistibly under her hat brim. “It’s a great place. People are so warm and friendly.” She winked. “Guess I can see why you live here.”
He chuckled. “Like I’ve ever had a choice?” That was pretty much the truth, but it was also true that Caribou Crossing was the only place in the world he could imagine living.
An RCMP car pulled up beside them and Karen MacLean rolled down the window. “Hey, Dave.” She was in uniform, her striking features set off by the neatly pulled back brown hair and police cap.
“Hey, Karen.” Amused at the inquisitive expression in his friend’s golden-brown eyes, he stopped and Cassidy did the same. Merlin jumped up to rest his paws against the window frame and collect pats.
“Karen,” he said, “meet the Wild Rose’s newest employee, Cassidy Esperanza. Cassidy, this is Sergeant Karen MacLean, second in command of our RCMP detachment.”
After the two women exchanged smiles and greetings, Dave said, “Cassidy wanted to go riding, and Robin couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give her a few pointers.”
“You couldn’t have a better teacher,” Karen said. Then, to Dave, “Madisun went over the final details with Jamal and me. It’s going to be great.”
“You getting nervous?”
“Just eager. Can’t wait for it to be official. Well, I don’t want to hold you up. Have a great ride. Nice to meet you, Cassidy. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.”
“You bet. If you come over to the Wild Rose when I’m working in the restaurant, I’ll shoot you a complimentary cappuccino.” She winked. “Just don’t tell the boss.”
Dave rolled his eyes.
When Karen had driven away, Cassidy asked, “She’s getting married?”
“Next month. Neither she nor Jamal are church people, so they’re doing it in the town square. Hoping for clear skies, but they’ve got tents on standby. The reception’s at the Wild Rose. And Karen’s family will be staying at the inn, so we want to be extra nice to them.”
“Is Jamal’s family here in town?”
“I gather he doesn’t have family. Or many friends. He’s RCMP as well, and worked undercover for a lot of years. It’s not exactly a stable life.”
“No, I bet it isn’t. Is he still doing it?”
Dave shook his head. “Now he’s head of the Williams Lake RCMP detachment. He and Karen bought a house and a little chunk of land between Caribou Crossing and Williams Lake.”
Before Jamal entered the picture, Dave and Karen used to get together for an occasional dinner or movie, just as friends, but now they only saw each other for lunch every few weeks. He missed her company but was glad she’d found a good guy; she wanted all that home and family stuff and deserved to have it.
He just wished she hadn’t joined the ranks of the females in his life who pushed him to date. How many times had some well-intentioned relative or friend told him he needed to dip his toe in the dating waters, get back in the game, yada yada? He rejected their efforts at matchmaking and suffered through the curious gazes they gave to every female he even spoke to.
Didn’t they get it? He couldn’t imagine ever loving again. Besides, he’d been by Anita’s side from the time she got the diagnosis of terminal brain cancer until the day she died. Never, ever again, would he let himself be vulnerable to the shattering pain of loss. To the bitter anger against the world, himself, even the woman he loved but couldn’t save.
His heart clenched, the ache rose in his throat, and—
“Dave? You okay?” Warm fingers brushed his forearm, bare below the rolled-up sleeve of his lightweight denim shirt.
Cassidy. He breathed in, fresh air cleansing his throat, his chest.
“Yeah, sorry,” he said brusquely. Her voice, her touch had beaten back the darkness.
And now that he was back in the real world, he realized how disconcertingly good those soft fingers felt against his skin.
They’d reached the outskirts of town, which gave him an excuse to raise his arm so that her hand dropped. He pointed ahead. “That’s Westward Ho!—where I keep my horse.” The well-maintained wooden stable housed a couple dozen horses. Beside it was a red-roofed barn, and two white-railed paddocks provided space for the horses to stretch and socialize.
“That’s so cool, that you have your own horse.”
He shrugged. “Can’t imagine my life without a horse.”
“You’ve been riding since you were little?”
“Yeah, though I wasn’t a ranch kid, or into rodeo, like some of my friends. When I married Jessie, horses became a bigger part of life, and Robin lives and breathes them.”
“Handy that you can keep your horse in town.”
“Uh-huh,” he said as they walked into the stable. “I try to get out on Malibu at least every couple of days. When I can’t, Robin or one of the staff here exercises him for me.”
Dave greeted Eddy, the teenage girl whose dad owned the business, and introduced Cassidy. Leaving the two of them to deal with Cassidy’s paperwork, he and Merlin went out to the paddock to call Malibu. The palomino gelding came over, bobbing his head eagerly.
Dave went through the familiar ritual: tie his horse with cross ties, groom him and pick his hooves, then saddle and bridle him. By the time he was finished, Eddy’d got Cassidy up on the back of a pinto mare and given her refresher instructions on how to position her body, hold the reins, and give basic cues to her horse.
“You’re all set,” Eddy said. “Have fun.”
“Absolutely.” Cassidy beamed at the girl, then at Dave. “Lead on.”
Her smile really did have a way of lighting the day. And warming his blood.
They headed out on a quiet dirt road that led out of town, their horses walking side by side with Merlin springing happily along beside them. Cassidy looked relaxed and comfortable in the saddle. Did she fit in this easily wherever she went?
She bent forward to stroke her horse’s neck, the motion snugging her jeans even tighter against her firm butt. “This is Cherry Blossom, if you can believe it,” she said. “Eddy says she prefers to be called Cherry, and I can see why. You said your palomino is Malibu?”
“Yes. Named by the woman who owned him before me.”
“Suits him. Such a pretty boy.” Her gaze skimmed up from his horse to move across Dave’s torso and end up on his face, a hint of suggestive mischief in her eyes.
“Thanks.” He added quickly, to make it clear he wasn’t flirting, “On his behalf.”
Her lips squeezed together like she was holding back a smile. “How long will it take us to get to . . . what did Robin call it? Riders Boot Camp?”
“Yes, that’s the place her mom runs. It’s about ten miles by highway, only eight by the back roads and trails. It usually takes Robin and me about half an hour, but we move fast. Don’t know how much speed you’re up for.” He cocked an eyebrow.
“I’m up for pretty much anything.” Her striking blue-gray eyes danced, and he got the sense she didn’t just mean riding.
“Uh,” he said awkwardly, “we should let the horses warm up first.” The moment he said those words, he wondered if they could be taken sexually too. He was about to clarify, then figured that would only make things worse.
“Sure,” she said. “My muscles could use a little warming up too.”
Riding muscles, right?
Best to change the subject.
Chapter Four
Cassidy gazed at Dave, who looked the total cowboy this afternoon. It was fun getting him flustered, though frustrating trying to sort out his mixed signals.
“You’re settling in okay in Caribou Crossing?” he asked.
So he had retreated to safety, had he? She’d go along. For now. “I sure am.”
She stroked Cherry’s neck again, enjoying the rhythm of the horse’s body under her, the warmth of the sun on her shoulders, the scent of wild roses from a bush growing along a sagging wooden fence. They were out of town now, on a wide dirt track fenced on both sides and dotted with occasional piles of manure, which Merlin neatly avoided. A field of hay blew gently in the breeze on one side, and on the other cattle grazed, a few lifting their heads to wat
ch her, Dave, and the well-behaved black poodle.
Riding, fresh air, gorgeous scenery, these were the reasons she’d come to Caribou Crossing. The handsome man on his pretty horse was an unexpected bonus.
Her old jeans and cotton shirt were comfy and the thrift shop boots fit as if she’d been wearing them for years. The cream straw cowboy hat sat lightly on her head, and its brim shaded her face from the brightest of the sun’s rays. Oh yes, life was good.
Caribou Crossing had been a brilliant choice and she blessed the silver lining of her Monday exhaustion that had landed her on the floor of Dave’s hotel lobby.
“Madisun said you got a room at Ms. Haldenby’s. She’s a, uh, interesting woman.” Dave’s mouth gave a wry twist.
She chuckled, thinking of her white-haired landlady: efficient, brisk, opinionated, yet warmhearted underneath it all. “Very interesting. I hear she was your fourth-grade teacher.” Dave must have been a cute kid. The sandy hair that flopped boyishly over his forehead would have been lighter then. His greenish brown eyes and full mouth would have been carefree rather than, as now, often shadowed by some internal burden.
“Yup. You meet someone in Caribou Crossing between the ages of twenty-five and sixty, chances are she taught them.”
“She has stories,” she teased.
“I hate to think.”
“D’you recall a frog you brought to school to try to scare her? Silly boy, thinking an experienced teacher like her would be frightened by a frog.”
“Actually, it escaped. I didn’t bring it for her; it was for Jessie.”
“Aha! You were trying to scare a cute little girl?” The one he’d later married; Robin’s mom.
He snorted. “You haven’t met Jessie.”
She was curious about his ex-wife. “She wasn’t the typical little girl?”
“She loved nature. Horses and dogs especially, but basically any living thing. I found the frog in the garden at home. It had unusual markings and I figured she’d like it.”