“She’ll be one hundred percent safe,” I confirm.
“Alright, just a short ride, though,” Connor says pointedly.
“Yay!” Olivia jumps and gives him a hug. “I wanna ride Spirit!”
As soon as Olivia’s out of hearing range, I whisper, “Didn’t know you were such a softy.” I smirk.
He gives me the slightest smile in return. “Shut up.”
I saddle Spirit, adjust the stirrups for Olivia’s height, then make sure every strap is tight. Olivia watches me with amazement, and I give her details on what I’m doing. She’s as eager as ever, but I give clear instructions so she stays safe.
“Okay, let’s lead her out, and then you can hop on,” I tell her.
“Helmet?” Connor asks.
“Ah, yes of course.” I quickly grab one from the tack room, then secure it on her head. “Alright, now you’re all set.”
Olivia bounces on her feet as we guide Spirit to the middle of the corral.
Connor stands next to me as I show her how to get on a saddle. Since she’s short, I give her a step stool but keep my hands on her at all times. Connor holds Spirit and watches as I help Olivia on.
“There ya go,” I say, making sure she’s comfortable.
“I’m up so high!” she gushes.
“Which means it’d be a hard fall, so hang on tight,” Connor tells her seriously, going back to strict dad mode.
“She’s not gonna fall,” I say.
Though I’ll be leading Spirit, I show Olivia how to hold the horn and reins while tightening her legs.
“You ready?” I ask, taking the rope from Connor.
“Yep! Yeehaw!”
I chuckle as Connor stays by her side.
With him being around horses so often, I wouldn’t think he’d be nervous, but he is.
We walk around the corral, and I love the sound of her laughter. Olivia begs to go faster, but Connor refuses.
“Maybe for your next lesson.” I give her a wink.
After thirty minutes, we go back to the barn, and I help Olivia out of the saddle.
“That was awesome!” She wraps her arms around me and squeezes.
“I’m so happy you had fun.” I hug her back and melt a little more.
“What’d you say to Elizabeth?”
“Thank you, Elle.”
“You’re welcome.” I boop her nose. “Now I’m just gonna take off the gear and brush her real quick.”
“Can I help?” Olivia asks eagerly.
“Of course. Let me grab the stool.”
After I remove the saddle, Connor takes it, and our fingers brush in the exchange. His eyes meet mine and hold me in place.
“I’ll put it back for you,” he says softly, taking it.
“Oh, thanks.” I swallow hard.
Licking my lips, I watch him walk away, enjoying the way his ass looks in jeans.
“Where’s the brush?” Olivia blurts out, forcing me from my trance.
“Let me grab it.”
I show her how much pressure to add and how to go from the front to back of Spirit. Once she gets the hang of it, I let her do it on her own.
“I see a lot of you in her,” I whisper as Connor and I lean against the stall and watch Olivia. “She shares your passion for animals.”
He nods with his arms crossed. “Yeah, she really does. She’s already asked me for a pony, but I don’t have land for that.”
“Well, it’s not like you don’t have friends or anything who own ranches and have barns…” I tease. “I’m sure you could board at one of them.”
He shrugs with amusement. “It wouldn’t be such a bad idea if she was here all the time. She’s already sad every time she has to leave. I can’t imagine how devastated she’d be if a pony were involved.”
I hadn’t realized that, and the thought makes me frown.
“So you don’t get her that much?”
“Holidays and a month in the summer.” He sounds defeated. “Wish it was more, though. Vivian, that’s my ex-wife, decided to move four hours away and enrolled her in school there. So it’s not like we could even do a fifty-fifty split without interrupting her education.”
“That sounds rough. I’m sorry you have to deal with that,” I say sincerely.
We watch as Olivia has the time of her life talking to and petting Spirit.
“It is what it is.” Connor shrugs again. This is the most he’s ever shared with me, and I’m already greedy for more.
“Well, for what it’s worth, she’s an amazing little girl. Very kind and well-mannered for her age.”
He nods. “She really likes you.”
“Yeah?” That makes me stupidly happy to hear.
“She’s talked about you nonstop all week.” He chuckles. “Pretty sure she was ready to trade me in for you.”
“Ha! What a sweetheart. I can only imagine how hard it is to say goodbye to her.”
“It sucks. Every damn time. Never gets any easier.”
I don’t know what to say besides, “Sorry, Connor.” He doesn’t respond, so I continue, “You know, just because you’re my boss doesn’t mean you can’t talk to me. It’s not healthy to bottle up your emotions like that.”