“Yeah?”
“Sure, why not. It’s the least I can do.”
Eli smiled. “Any time a woman says she’ll cook for me, I’m not gonna tell her no.”
The resulting blush that crept into Sarah’s cheeks had been unintentional, but it was welcome nonetheless. It added a nice tone to her normally pale skin. Eli got into the truck and waited as Sarah followed. They’d at least found some sort of rhythm that afternoon, even if it had some awkward moments here and there.
As soon as Sarah had her door shut, Eli licked her lips. “Know how to drive a stick?”
“No.”
“Want to learn?”
“Yes!” Sarah’s eyes lit up with excitement.
“Then scoot over. You can drive us back to the house.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope.” Eli jumped out of the truck and rounded the hood. When Sarah hadn’t budged, she made a scooting motion with her hands. “Come on, you’ll never learn if you don’t get behind the wheel.”
With hesitation, Sarah slipped over to the side Eli had just vacated. It may have taken them three times as long to get back to the house, but the lighthearted laughter every time Sarah stalled the engine was well worth it.
Chapter 11
It wasmid-afternoon when Sarah glanced out the front window and saw Eli doing something with two horses by the front deck. Excitement and fear entwined together in her belly, her anxiety reaching full force when Eli looked up and caught Sarah’s gaze, grinning.
When she came in the front door she’d left her boots on, which Sarah slowly realized was odd. But Eli stopped short just inside the door. When she didn’t come closer, Sarah stepped toward her, her blunt nails digging into the palms of her hands before she made them relax, and wiped the sweat on her worn jeans.
“I thought maybe I could take you on a trail ride today.”
“A what?” Sarah’s eyebrow rose in curiosity.
“A trail ride. We take the horses, go out into the fields and such, ride around. It’s really rather simple.”
“You want me to ride a horse.”
“I do.” Eli grinned, the dimple that ran deep in her cheek coming on full force.
Sarah’s stomach twisted every time she saw it. “Okay.”
“That’s it? Just okay?”
“Yeah. I mean…yeah. I’ve ridden a horse before.”
“Have you really?” Eli shook her head. “And here I thought I was giving you the full round of new experiences.”
Sarah smirked. She wasn’t about to tell Eli that the horse she rode was at the circus when she was a small child and was probably actually a pony and not a horse. She’d leave that to Eli’s imagination.
After she got her boots and a light jacket on, Sarah met Eli on the deck. The horses looked far larger than what she remembered, so she was pretty sure the horse she had ridden as a kid was a pony in disguise. She swallowed as she stared the horses down.
Eli grabbed her hand and placed a small brown thing in it. “Keep your hand flat.”
Taking Sarah’s hand, she offered it to one of the horses, who nibbled the treat off her palm and snorted in delight. Sarah grinned.
“This one will be yours. She’s better behaved. Her name is Mercy. She’s a well-broken mare, trust me.”
“I do,” Sarah answered on a whisper, suddenly realizing how true that was.