Page 25 of The Cowboy's Christmas
“There was a grouse involved.”
“You got dumped.”
“No. I was on the ground, the grouse flew up, and Pete took off.” He grimaced as he took in the broken reins. “I’ll replace those.”
“I have lots of reins.” Savannah lifted the rope attached to Pete’s halter. “Want me to lead you back?”
“Right,” he said before tying the broken leather strips into a knot on top of the horse’s neck. He took the rope from her and swung up into the saddle, only this time Pete did his signature evasive move to the side, making Savannah feel slightly vindicated. The old gelding was an equal opportunity sidestepper after all.
She turned Rose toward the trampled snow leading back to the ranch. A few miles on horseback, then Quinn would head back to town, and she could relax—although she did need to offer to feed him. It was customary when one helped with the cattle.
“You’re good with a halter rope,” she commented after the gelding tried to break into a trot and Quinn instantly brought him back to a walk. “But you should know that Old Pete is kind of notorious for wanting to go home fast.” She gave him a sideways look. “He might get harder to handle as we get closer to the ranch.”
He caught her drift immediately. “I refuse to be led. Stop trying.”
Savannah laughed, then brought her gaze back to the distant ranch buildings and the black dots in the field, which were her cattle happily munching on alfalfa rather than digging through the snow for forage. So much safer than focusing on the guy riding next to her.
They rode in silence past the granite boulders where Quinn had pointed out the Christmas trees, and she noticed him giving them another long look. Apparently, even after an embarrassing mishap that he had no intention of talking about, he still had Christmas trees on the brain. He glanced her way, and she shook her head. She was going with artificial.
He replied with a suit-yourself shrug.
“Would you like to come to dinner?”
“I—”
“It’ll probably beSpaghettiOs.”
“That’s hard to pass up, but I think I will.”
“I won’t twist your arm, but I do operate a mean can opener. And I have salad out of a bag, too.”
“It’s hard to say no.”
“But, no?”
Funny, but what had started as an obligatory offer began to feel a teensy bit like a rejection. Savannah gave herself a mental shake. She’d offeredSpaghettiOs, for Pete’s sake. Of course he’d refused. She’d set it up so he would, and it was illogical to feel disappointed.
When they got back to the barn, Quinn unsaddled his horse, carried the gear to the tack room, then took the time to curry the gelding, hitting all the itchy spots. When he was done, and after they’d released the horses into the corral to dive into their meal, Quinn walked with Savannah as far as the front gate.
“Thanks for the help. I’m, uh, glad you weren’t hurt today.”
He frowned at her. “It’s hard to get hurt standing on the ground.”
She replied with a yeah-sure smile.
“You’re messing with my pride,” he warned. “I was not dumped.”
“Doesn’t hurt to get a wrinkle in one’s pride every now and again.”
Quinn’s cheeks creased in a ridiculously sexy way. “So says the person who didn’t get their pride wrinkled.” She smiled instead of replying, and the look he gave her in return made her cheeks go warm.
This guy…
They weren’t flirting.
They were just having a little fun. Repartee. Yes. That’s what it was. Austin was a fun guy, and his brother was, too.
“TheSpaghettiOsoffer stands,” she said conversationally. “Any time you’d like to escape the excellent eateries in Marietta, just say the word.”
