Chapter 10
Chapter
Ten
W atch closely. Soon you’ll be tacking up on your own.” Maxwell winked at her.
“Okay.” Eryn bit her lip. Was he brushing her off? She shouldn’t have read so much into his attentiveness so far. Truth was, she wasn’t sure she’d want to ride horseback without him nearby. Or did the other women sometimes go as a group? Would she make the sort of friends here who’d invite her along?
Besides Paisley, that is. Paisley had talked to a bunch more people before Weston had finally dragged her out of the dining hall last night. It had happened again at lunchtime. What must it be like to be so outgoing and confident? Eryn wasn’t likely to ever find out.
Maxwell slipped the bit into Mirage’s mouth and worked the leather over her ears. The mare shook her blond mane, but not as though she were annoyed by the straps.
Was the man crooning to the horse?
Eryn tilted her head to hear better. It sure sounded like the soft humming came from Maxwell. Huh.
He reached for a soft pad and placed it on Mirage’s back then swung a worn-looking saddle over, explaining the placement and adjustment of the bands as he did so.
How was she supposed to remember all these steps? Especially when Maxwell smiled at her like that?
Playing dumb wasn’t in her wheelhouse, though. She’d learn how to do this herself unless the opportunity simply never came up again. That was most likely. She’d be busy in the kitchen while others went out on the trails.
“Okay, remember how to mount up? Left foot here — we’re going to need to get you a pair of boots in Jewel Lake next trip down.”
He stood so close as he held Mirage in place. “Boots? I hardly think I’ll be riding often enough to need them.”
“I should talk to Tate about making new boots part of the official staff clothing issue when newcomers join us.” Maxwell winked at her as though sharing a joke. “This is Montana, after all.”
She tucked her sneaker-clad foot into the stirrup and grabbed onto the saddle horn. As she hesitated, taking a moment to visualize the motion sequence he’d shown her last time, his hands rested lightly on her waist.
“Ready? Up you go.”
She bounced lightly and swung into the saddle. It felt effortless with Maxwell’s assistance.
He looked up at her. “Good job! You did that like a pro, not like someone who’s only ridden once before.”
“Thanks for helping.” She smiled shyly at him as she gathered the reins as he’d shown her in Kansas.
“No problem.” Maxwell still stood beside Mirage’s head, focused on Eryn.
She tore her gaze away. “Which horse are you riding?”
He blinked and stepped back. “Nutmeg.”
“I got her tacked for you, dude.” Weston’s voice came from the alley. “You guys ready to go? Paisley’s itching for a run. She has Enchantment and Ranger out in the corral already.”
“Ready.” Eryn lightly pressed her knees against Mirage’s ribs as Maxwell had explained last time. The mare walked out behind Weston. Behind her, she could hear the creak of Maxwell’s saddle as he mounted up, then the clomp-clomp as his horse came behind her.
Weston opened the gate and Paisley led them through before he closed it and mounted his huge horse with the kind of ease Eryn could never hope for.
This felt more like a real trail ride than at Walker Ridge. There, it had been a reunion activity in which many of her former classmates had participated. Here it was more like… a date. But that was silly. Maxwell was just helping her settle in. Besides, the outing had been Paisley’s idea, not his.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Maxwell spoke from beside her as Paisley and Weston took the lead.
“It really is. There are so many shades of fall colors. They’re so vibrant.”
“I love the smell of the forest, too. The fir trees and spruce.”
Eryn sniffed. “And… vanilla?”
Maxwell brightened. “That’s the sweetgrass the ranch is named for. It grows in low-lying areas like over there near the lake.” He pointed left of the trail.
“I’ve heard of it. It grows in parts of Kansas, too, but not near Gilead that I know of.”
“It blooms in spring, and the fragrance is strongest after rains. Now it’s drying on the stem, and that has its own aroma. The indigenous peoples used it for medicinal and ceremonial purposes.”
“It smells lovely. I can see where it got its name.” Eryn mulled it for a moment. “Is it protected?”
“Protected?” Maxwell shifted in his saddle as he looked at her. “You mean like endangered? Not at all. It’s hardy and grows everywhere. Why?”
“I was just wondering.” Should she tell him her idea? He could only agree or laugh, right? “I thought it might make nice sachets for linen closets.”
“Smart thought!” He looked at her with admiration. “We could sell them in the gift shop.”
“There’s a gift shop?” She’d noticed a sign inside the lodge, but no evidence one actually existed.
“It’s closed over the winter. We’ve never really gotten it going well, though. A local potter has some items there, but honestly, it’s mostly full of leftover trinkets from the ranch’s previous owners.”
“There’s a lot you could do with the Sweet River name. It would just take some brainstorming and creativity.”
He chuckled. “Do I hear a volunteer? Because no one has been inspired thus far.”
Eryn stared at him until he turned to look at her again.
“What are you looking at me like that for?”
“Volunteer?”
He shook his head slightly, clearly not understanding. “We pay a manager, of course, but even that hasn’t been a great fit. You want the job? Tell Tate about your ideas. He’d probably let you run with it.”
“You said volunteer.” She’d probably be too busy working in the kitchen to take on unpaid projects, but that was only part-time for the winter.
“I meant some of our staff kind of pick the area they’d like to work. I didn’t mean it would be gratis on top of your regular job.”
“But I was hired for the kitchen.”
“That’s part-time only and, uh…” Maxwell scratched the back of his neck.
“And what?” she asked suspiciously.
“Aunt Nadine doesn’t really need help, though she’s happy to have it.”
Eryn’s gut clenched. “You hired me for a nonexistent job?”
He grimaced. “Not that exactly. There will be plenty to do, but don’t feel like you need to stay in the kitchen unless you love it there.”
Clarity formed. “You offered me a job because you wanted my dad to come.”
“Well, yes, at first, but?—”
Eryn kneed Mirage’s sides, and the mare shifted into a trot. Eryn clung to the saddle horn at the horse’s jolting stride.
“Whoa.” Hoofbeats came alongside, and Maxwell reached for Mirage’s bridle to slow her. “Easy, girl.”
Eryn glared at Maxwell. “Leave her. I’ll stay on. You don’t need to patronize me.”
“Patronize?” His brows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“I thought you offered me… never mind.” She urged Mirage faster again. Paisley and Weston were just ahead. They couldn’t be too far up the trail.
“Eryn, wait.” Maxwell came up beside her again. “You think I offered you a job so that your father would take over the farming here?”
“That’s what you said.” She shot daggers at him with her eyes.
“That’s backwards.” He shook his head. “I offered him a job so you would come.”
Her body slacked as her mouth gaped. She only realized it when she began to slip off Mirage’s back.
Eryn was sliding in slo-mo, her eyes widening with panic.
Maxwell leaped out of Nutmeg’s saddle to catch her before she tumbled onto the hard trail. Or, more likely, caught her sneaker in the stirrups. She all but fell into his arms.
“Hey, I’ve got you. Are you okay?” He held her while she found her balance.
“Um, yes. I can’t believe I fell off.”
“I was happy to catch you.” He was still holding her, her long blond hair brushing his arms. And not all the vanilla scent came from the sweetgrass. Some of it came from Eryn, but he could manage not to sniff her, right? Barely.
“I’m sorry.” She straightened and stepped aside. “Wow, the horses are still standing right here.”
“Not much fazes them. They’re used to greenhorns.”
“That’s good, I guess.” She dusted off her jeans, not meeting his gaze. “Sorry about that.”
“Eryn.”
She glanced at him then away. “Yes?”
“You seem startled that I want to get to know you.”
“I guess… why?”
He blinked. “Why wouldn’t I want to get to know you? You’re beautiful. You’re strong. You’re smart. You’re?—”
“I’m not Amelia. That was her, not me.”
“I know you’re not Amelia.” How did Eryn mean that, anyway? She and her twin weren’t the least bit alike in looks or personality, so why would she think he’d be confused as to which was which?
“Everyone liked her.” She snuck him a furtive glance. “ You liked her.”
Maxwell scoffed lightly. “When we were 13, but did we ever date? Nope. I never asked her out.”
“But…”
The mares both grazed along the trail and didn’t seem like they were too anxious about this impromptu rest stop. “What kind of ‘but,’ Eryn? I didn’t go out with her or anyone else. I was too focused on finishing high school and getting out of Gilead.” Ugh. That didn’t put him in the greatest light. Still, it was the truth. “I haven’t been involved since then, either. A few casual dates with friends for special events, but my heart has never been involved.”
Until now. But there was no way she was ready to hear that. He was barely ready to acknowledge it to himself. There was something about Eryn Ralston that had snuck past his defenses. He’d pretended he was only helping someone who needed a leg up, but it was more. Way more.
“Never?”
She looked so vulnerable that he wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her. Reassure her.
Maxwell backed up a step. That was an impulse that couldn’t be acted upon. Not yet, not without careful forethought. Making sure he was ready for some sort of commitment.
Making sure she was.
He held her gaze. “I never met anyone I wanted to get to know in that way. Until now.”
Her blue eyes widened. “Me?”
“You.” Maxwell nodded. “I asked you at the reunion if we could get to know each other. That wasn’t a casual line I’d toss out to just anyone. In fact, I had never used it before.”
Eryn shook her head slightly, still meeting his gaze. “But you lived in Montana, and I lived in Kansas. It was… never going to work.” Her voice grew breathless as she finished speaking.
“When I heard about your dad’s situation, I knew I could help, and I wanted to. And the side benefit was that I hoped you’d come, too. So, then we’d both live here, in Montana. On the same ranch.”
She blinked and looked around as though seeing the forest for the first time. “I… this is crazy. I can’t believe I uprooted my entire life and moved over a thousand miles away. I can’t believe Dad did.”
Maxwell wanted to ask her if she’d noticed Keith’s reaction to Weston’s mother, but it might be too early for that kind of speculation, both for the older folks, but also for him and Eryn.
“I don’t think he regrets it,” Maxwell said at last. “He seems happy for the new opportunity.”
“That house is cute, too. Nicer than our house on the farm.”
“It’s been well kept,” Maxwell agreed.
“It’s all so overwhelming.”
He wanted to ask her for a date, but maybe he’d wait a few days before springing that on her. He might have upended his life on a whim several times over, but she was clearly uncomfortable with the big move she and her father had undertaken.
Soon, though.
The sound of hoofbeats coming back down the trail had him reaching for their horses’ reins.
Paisley’s horse skidded to a stop first. “Oh, there you are. We just realized we’d lost sight of you.”
Maxwell stifled a snort. That pair had been so wrapped up in each other’s eyes as they trotted out, he doubted they’d remembered for five seconds that they’d invited him and Eryn along.
“Is everything okay?” Weston asked.
“We’re good. Minor mishap.” Maxwell turned back to Eryn. “Want to keep going?”
She gave him a shy smile. “Sure.”
He boosted her into the saddle, unable to keep the smile off of his own face as he mounted Nutmeg. “Lead on. We’re right behind you this time.”