“She drive you crazy?”
Fuck yeah she did. She still is. “Yep.”
Georgia took a long drink of her beer, then laughed. “I know it’s not nice, but I keep picturing her doing chores in her little outfit with the fancy boots and jewelry.”
A smile threatened. “Farmer Barbie.”
Georgia slapped her leg. “Right? She’s so sweet, though. And it was nice of her to be so interested and offer to help. Don’t you think?”
“She wasn’t that much help,” I muttered wryly.
“I wasn’t either when I first got here. You guys used to laugh your asses off at me trying to get on a horse. Remember?”
“Ha. Yes.” But the memory of us laughing together actually made me a little sad. Steph had been there, too. “We thought you were hopeless.”
She reached over and poked my arm. “But I learned.”
“You learned.” I tipped up my beer, thinking about Margot riding a horse. “Actually, I think Margot knows how to ride a horse.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, she said she owned one growing up. She was pretty comfortable with ours today.”
She looked at me, her head cocked. “What do you know, you two have something in common. You should let her ride you while she’s here.”
I almost choked. “What?”
“I said, you should let her ride with you while she’s here. Maybe one day this week.”
“Oh.” Jesus, now the thought of Margot riding me was stuck in my head. I couldn’t get a moment’s fucking peace! “Maybe.”
“She’ll be over tomorrow morning to go over some ideas.” A not-so-subtle suggestion.
“Hmph.”
Georgia sighed and sat back, evidently giving up for now. We drank in companionable silence as the sun went down, slapping at the occasional mosquito and listening to the crickets. When our bottles were empty, she stood.
“Well, I should get back. Thanks for the beer.”
“Anytime. Thanks for bringing dinner.” I rose too. “It’s dark. I’ll walk you back.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Yes, I do.”
She knew better than to argue. If it was dark, I never let a woman walk anywhere alone.
When we reached the house, she gave me a quick hug. “Think about coming tomorrow, OK? Nine o’clock. I’m making the French toast casserole you like.”
I moaned. “With the brown sugar and banana? Now you’re just being mean.”
She laughed and patted my cheek. “Not mean, just smart. Maybe I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Maybe.”
“Night.”
I watched her go inside the house and shut the door before turning around to head back. As I walked through the trees, I remembered Margot falling out of the willow this morning, and shook my head. Now that I knew her a little better, I was amazed she’d even managed to climb it. She must have really wanted that better view. I smiled briefly, wondering what she’d thought once she got an eyeful. Had she liked what she’d seen? Then I wondered what she’d thought of the way I’d dropped to the ground when the branch snapped.