Page 36 of The CEO and the Mountain Man

“I need seconds,” he declared, standing. “You want anything?” he asked River.

River fingered the handle on his untouched mug of coffee. “Maybe some of those little creamers?”

Miguel winked. “You got it.”

Clark reached over and squeezed my leg. I know it was just because he was excited to see River come back to life a little, but it sent a thrill deep into my core for him to put his hands on me. In any capacity.

Pathetic.

Miguel returned not a minute later, a big pile of food on his plate and a fresh mug of coffee. He set the coffee down in front of River, then tossed out a mix of tiny buckets of creamer and packets of sugar in front of him as well. River hadn’t asked for the sugar, yet when he fixed his coffee, he added two packets.

I thought Clark was going to vibrate out of his skin.

It seemed like such a small thing, but if I’d watched my own son choke down black coffee for six months, seeing him reach for something he enjoyed instead would probably feel like a Super Bowl victory.

Or a Rugby World Cup final, since he was a fan.

Pathetic squared.

A few minutes later, the blonde twins, Connor and Cynthia, left their family’s table and joined us. Both enjoyed the horses, and they brought River into the conversation.

“How much horse-riding experience have you had?” Cynthia asked, leaning forward.

“Beau taught me how not to fall off a horse a couple days ago.” River shrugged, sending a crooked smile in my direction. “That’s about the extent of things.”

That made me unreasonably proud. Not just for the grin, which felt like a miracle. But for the way Clark squeezed my thigh.

We finished breakfast and headed to the main barn with the teenagers. The family from cabin six was already there: two dads and a fourteen-year-old girl named Stevie. One dad looked like a ranch hand. The other looked like a business exec and shared Stevie’s pretty amber eyes. Stevie was already comfortable with the horses, so I wondered if I should invite her to help with today’s demonstration.

I spent a few minutes explaining that the things we were going to do today were meant to prepare us for the overnight trail ride next Wednesday. As much as I tried to focus on the day’s schedule, I couldn’t help but wonder if Clark and River would still be here for the trail ride.

I hoped so.

During my intro, I’d said Miguel was my right-hand man, that he would be helping us with the trail ride. That’s not the first time I’d said that, but something about today made him stand upa little taller. For all his showiness with the hair and the earrings and the nails, he didn’t have the best family life and occasionally struggled with self-acceptance.

Watching him bloom over the last year had been incredibly satisfying. And as much shit as I’d given him last night for marking up River’s neck like a hungry piranha, that was actually the first time I’ve ever seen him show interest in someone.

Jake worked his magic, finding the horses that matched the riders’ personalities. All Snow Creek’s horses were well-trained and gentle, and even though we didn’t make a big deal of it, the first event of the day was walking them from the barn to the larger riding area.

Of course, they were walking alongside trusted adults, but showing these teens that they could manage over a thousand pounds of horse was always a special moment. So many felt like they had no control over their world, and this walk always showed them how much power they actually had.

River trailed after Miguel as he carried the mounting block over. I had to admit, they were a cute couple in an opposites-attract sorta way. Like a raven and a peacock.

The kids and dads hung out along the fence while we set up barrels and low jumps. Stevie’s corporate dad gestured me over.

“She’s shy about saying so,” he whispered in his soft Texas accent, “but she’s a gold medal barrel racer and works at a dude ranch near our place. She’d be tickled pink if you asked her to help.”

Called it.She’d walked Shorty, one of our feistier geldings, over without a hint of trouble.

“You sure she won’t be bored?” I asked, wondering to myself why they’d even come all the way out here if they’ve got access to a dude ranch back home.

Her dad shook his head. “She’s been begging me to come here for an age. Been looking forward to today and, of course,the trail ride.” He groaned, gesturing to himself with an eye roll. “She thinks it’s hilarious that Mr. Three-Thousand-Count Bedsheets here is gonna be sleeping in a tent.”

I did some quick mental calculations, risk vs. reward, and could see where she’d be helpful. “Do you think she’d wanna show off after the activities? Do a coupla barrel runs?”

Her dad laughed. “She’dloveit.”

I asked her to help me with the kids and let Miguel take over with the teens. Stevie was excellent with the young ones, and when one of them balked at getting up on the horse, she steadied him, zero judgment. By the end of the morning, all of her charges were confidently riding their horses around the paddock.