He leaned down to place the girl safely on the ground, then reached toward a little boy sitting in what looked like a very rugged, high-tech wheelchair. Charlie watched him glance toward a man who stood at the edge of the group, and when the man nodded, Walker scooped up the boy.
Another boy grabbed Walker’s hat and ran off with it, so he chased after the boy, roaring, while the child cradled in his arms shook with hysterical laughter.
Charlie walked over to the man at the edge of the lawn. “Hi. I’m Charlie. Do you know Walker?”
“Charlie,” the man said. “I’m John. A pleasure.” His hand rose as if he’d tip a hat he wasn’t wearing. He seemed to be close to forty, and he had the tan skin and lined eyes that told her he’d spent some time in the saddle. “Walker’s worked with my brother on and off over the years. He came over to say hello.”
“Are you with the kids?”
“Yep. It’s their last full day at the ranch, so we’re having a little party.”
“The ranch?” she asked.
“The Ability Ranch.”
“The what?”
He smiled. “We’ve got a ranch north of town that does equine therapy and lots of work with disabled and traumatized kids and adults. The kids come out and stay for a few weeks at a time.”
“Oh!” Charlie shook her head. “I’ve never heard of it. I’ve only been back in town for a few weeks.”
“It’s a pretty amazing place. And we always need volunteers.” He raised an eyebrow at Charlie.
“Oh, no,” she said, then realized how panicked she sounded. “I mean, I don’t know anything about kids. Or horses. You should talk to Walker.”
“I have. He’s not interested.”
“What?” she gasped, looking back to Walker as he chased the kids with another child slung over his shoulder.
“I know. He should think about it. Hell, he should think about working there. He’s really amazing with the kids. Lots of people feel nervous around children with obvious disabilities.”
Charlie nodded, but she kept her eyes on Walker. Her heart fluttered at the sight of him among all those tiny bodies. He didn’t seem intimidated by them. Strangely, he fit right in. “What kind of jobs do you have there?”
“Well, hell. All kinds. But we’re almost always short an instructor or two.”
Her mind spun. Her pulse picked up. He could be good at this. He already was.
Walker was lowering a boy carefully back into his chair; then he scooped up another kid before he’d even straightened. As he stood, the next shrieking kid balanced on his shoulder, Walker’s eyes swept up to meet Charlie’s gaze. He smiled right at her before swinging the boy around in a big circle.
“Damn you, Walker,” she whispered, feeling her heart start to melt all over her guts. It was going to make a terrible mess in there. Everything was already starting to ache. “Shit.” This was going to be bad.
* * *
“CAN YOU REALLY eat all that?” Walker asked in admiration as Charlie rubbed her hands together over the giant barbecue platter that had just been placed in front of her.
“Let’s find out,” she answered, starting on a piece of brisket.
“You’re an amazing woman,” he said, meaning it. He didn’t know any other woman who’d order a gigantic platter of ribs and barbecue on a first date. Or any date, but Charlie hadn’t even hesitated when she’d ordered.
She finished the first chunk of brisket, then reached for her margarita. Walker set into his own ribs.
“God, this is great,” she groaned. “You can’t get barbecue like this in Tahoe.”
“No? I bet life is a little wilder there than in Jackson, though.”
She froze for a moment, her eyes meeting his, but then she smiled. “Not all that wild. It was pretty quiet.”
“You don’t seem like the quiet type, Charlie. Not anymore. I bet you found trouble when you wanted it.”