Wyoming Sweethearts by Jillian Hart Page B

the pack of supplies in his free hand. Every step he took past Eloise, he wanted to look at her. He wanted to grin at her over the top of the stall gate and know what she was thinking by the set of her expressive eyes. He wished he could see the uptilt of her mouth without remembering what it had been like to almost kiss her.
    He let the bag slide down to the floor in the feed room. Tucked out of sight from the breezeway, he didn’t need to look up to know who was coming down the aisle in his direction. He recognized Eloise’s gait and the faint tap of her cane on the concrete. He straightened up, and the melted caramel feeling in his chest increased as she approached.
    “Oh, hi.” She appeared startled to see him. “I’m leaving for the day.”
    “I guess it’s quitting time already.” He stood as still as stone. Not a muscle quivered. “Are you going back to the festival?”
    “Not tonight.” She took a step, hating that the palm of her hand had gone damp against her cane.
    “Meeting someone?” He stepped into the aisle to call after her.
    “You could say that.” She didn’t turn around. If she did, she would have to face him. “I’m having dinner again.”
    “Not another blind date?”
    “Yes.” She feared he saw her the way she saw herself—as someone with her best years behind her. Sean clearly was carried away when he’d tried to kiss her, but that didn’t change the situation. Blushing, she took another step, painfully aware of the drag of her leg. Herlimp would always be a part of her. She could not wish it away.
    “Have a good evening, Sean,” she called over her shoulder and kept going.
    “I never thought that boy would leave,” Frank quipped as he poured sparkling water into two crystal glasses.
    “I think he’s sweet on Eloise.” Cady leaned forward on the blanket set in the soft green grasses in the shade of the stable to take one of the glasses.
    “And then some.” Frank grinned. He was sweet on Cady.
    She was elegance in motion. Every little movement she made was graceful as if timed to music as she lifted the glass to her lips and sipped. The wind blew her soft brown hair against the side of her face and she brushed it away with her free hand before he could put down the bottle and do it for her.
    “That’s why I suggested they ride the horses to town to test them out.” Cady traded her glass for her fork and daintily pierced a bow-tie pasta with the tines. “I thought the time together would do them good.”
    “Agreed. I think they need a push.” He set down the bottle, making sure it didn’t tip over in the uneven grass. He’d also liked Cady’s suggestion they stay close to the horses instead of heading into town so the employee in charge of the barn could take a dinner break. He liked everything about her, especially her sensitivity to others. “Sean’s been hurt, so he’s holding back.”
    “Eloise, too.”
    “I know how that is.” He took hold of his fork and loaded up. The meaty tomato sauce on the pasta was tasty and he ate so he didn’t have to elaborate.
    “Everyone knows what that’s like.” Cady’s fork hovered in midair. “How long do you think it will be before he asks her out?”
    “Probably not as long as it took me to ask you,” he joked. He was always lighthearted with his Cady. He thought of her as his these days, not that he’d told her so yet. They had been having dinner and going riding for the past three months and each outing had gone well. Every time he was with her, he cared about her more. After being a widower for seventeen years, it was comforting to have someone to spend time with. Reassuring to know someone cared for him in return.
    “You did take a long time.” She laughed, nibbling on the pasta. She may have been a respected personal-injury attorney when she’d lived in New York, but he knew the reason she had been so successful was the quiet strength and steady kindness that shone from within her. It was easy to spot