Page 3 of Fern's Date with Destiny
Today’s ride was supposed to be a break from all that.Tansy was a hoot, and from what Rose had assured him, even though Tansy had bid on Cody at the bachelor auction, she had zero interest in romance.
Perfect.No expectations.No awkwardness.Just a couple hours winding along trails under tall pine trees.Talking about everything and nothing.
As he rounded the last bend to the main arena, Cody pulled Princess Buttercup up short.Parked in the section clearly markedVisitorswas a beat-up old Ford pickup that definitely hadn’t been there at sunrise.
Before he could swing a leg over to dismount, the driver’s door flew open and out popped… Not Tansy Fields.
FernFields.
He knew her.Sort of.Mostly in the way everyone in Heart Falls knew the Fields family.Salt of the earth and loyal as border collies.They’d met at a few community events, Fern flitting around like a sunbeam.Always smiling.Always moving.
Right now, she bounced on the balls of her feet as if she might launch into orbit.Her curly black hair bobbed in a halo around her head as she moved, the deep tan brown of her skin warm in the morning sunlight.
“Hey, Cody!”she called brightly, waving her bare, short left arm as she approached slowly.No prosthesis today.He’d noticed she wore or didn’t wear it with about even timing.He respected that.
“Hey yourself.Where’s Tansy?”he asked, scanning behind her as if Tansy might leap from the truck bed with a shout.
Fern stopped a foot away, examining him and the horse with equal interest.“Home, coughing up a lung,” she said with a sympathetic grimace.“Rose called and said Tansy’s down for the count but insisted I come anyway.”
Cody’s mouth worked for a second then settled on a slow, careful smile.“So, you and me today, huh?”
Her grin widened, and she rocked back on her heels.“If you don’t mind.I promise not to talk your ear off.If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.”
Something warm trickled through his chest, a quiet spark that made him feel about five years younger.
“I don’t mind at all,” he said.
It took barely any time to get ready to go as one of the Red Boot ranch hands walked out the big sorrel gelding he’d planned for Tansy to ride.
Cody tied Buttercup to the railing so he could move in to help.“This is Lonesome Charlie.Need a hand up?”
“Please and thank you,” Fern said, already stepping close.He caught her waist, warm and slender, and hoisted her up smooth as silk.She settled as if she belonged there, adjusting her reins with easy competence.
Her eyes were so full of mischief it tugged at the edges of his composure.“See?Destiny’s helping already.If Tansy was here, I’d have had to haul myself up like a spider monkey.”
Cody barked out a laugh.“I somehow doubt you’ve ever looked awkward in your life.”
Her lashes fluttered dramatically.“Flattery from a ranch foreman?Be still my heart.”
He watched her a second longer than necessary before clearing his throat.“You look comfy up there.Ride much?”
Fern shot him a pleased smile.“Not as much as I’d like.Our family’s been friends with the Stone family since way back, so I used to ride with their youngest son, Dustin.My oldest sister married one of the Stone brothers, and I sneak a ride at Silver Stone at times.But not often enough.”
“Well,” Cody said, swinging up onto Princess Buttercup beside her, “we’ll fix that today.”
He led Buttercup forward, careful to keep the horses close but not crowding.Fern adjusted her reins, posture loose and confident.She used the crook of her left arm to pinch the loop while changing the grip on her right.It worked just fine, and Cody relaxed a little more.
Riding always meant being adaptable, and it appeared Fern had things well under control.
“So, Mr.Gabrielle,” she said, voice teasing as they set off with the horses at an easy walk.“How’s life treating you these days?The ranch looks as if it’s still standing.Your brother behaving himself?”
He snorted.“Chance is as happy as a clam, though he’d call me a ‘clueless gobshite’ if I told him that.Ranch is steady.Bosses are good people.No complaints.”
Fern leaned a bit closer.“Any secret ranch gossip to share?”
He snorted.“Wouldn’t be a secret long if I told you, now, would it?”
“Fair enough.”She hummed under her breath, gaze sweeping the open fields as if she was absorbing every square inch.“I like it out here.Quiet, but not lonely, you know?”
