Page 81 of Double Booked

Emily maintained her professionalism and ignored Ty’s innuendo. “How about you?” she asked Hope.

“I’m Hope, and I’d like to apologize for him,” she said, whipping her hand out and hitting Ty on the arm.

“Ouch!” he complained and rubbed his arm.

Ignoring him, Hope continued. “I have even less riding experience than my sister. The last time I got on a horse was at a 4-H fair, and it was more of a pony.”

They all chuckled.

“Well, that gives me a good idea of which horses to pair you up with. I’ll bring the horses out one at a time, and help you get mounted. Remember, the animals are used to this, so you have nothing to be afraid of.”

“Other than plunging off the side of the mountain to our deaths,” Hope muttered.

Emily was already walking away and if she’d heard, she didn’t give any indication of it.

Hope turned to Ty. “Do you flirt with everyone?”

“No, not dudes.”

She rolled her eyes. “So just the entire female population.”

“How have you two managed to live together without killing each other?” Cole teased.

Ty swung an arm around Hope’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “This is all for show. Deep down, she loves me.”

“You wish,” she said and twisted out of his hold.

Emily came out of the paddock, leading a large, chestnut colored horse. “This is Billy. He’ll take good care of you,” she said to Cole.

“I already have someone for that,” Cole said, and winked at Eden.

“Cheesy,” Ty coughed behind his hand.

Cole put his foot in the stirrup and hoisted himself into the saddle. Once he was settled, Emily handed him the reins.

She went into the paddock and returned with Eden’s horse. “This is Ruby. She’s a gentle girl and shouldn’t give you any trouble.”

“All girls are trouble,” Ty muttered.

Hope swatted him on the arm again.

“Seriously? Ouch.”

Emily stood nearby while Eden mounted her horse. Then she went into the paddock again.

“Are you okay?” Cole asked Eden, noticing her fearful expression.

“Like I said, it’s been a long time since I’ve done this.”

“I won’t let anything bad happen to you. I promise.” He’d been making a lot of promises lately, and he intended to honor every single one.

She smiled and nodded.

Emily returned with a tall, black horse with a patch of white above his nose. “Here you go, Ty. This is Tucker. He’s one of our more spirited horses, but given your experience, you should be able to handle him.”

Cole and Eden exchanged an amused smile. It served Ty right for being so cocky.

“No problem,” Ty said and quickly mounted the horse. The horse swished his head around at the intrusion as Emily handed Ty the reins. Ty struggled to keep Tucker in line while Emily went into the paddock and returned with Hope’s horse.