“If you say so.” Ethan ran a hand down Diablo’s glossy neck to calm him. “I thought Zane was having trouble with him?”
“He was earlier in the summer but now’s he’s fine. Not that I’d tell Zane, but I think he prefers a woman’s touch.”
She slipped from the saddle and with Ethan’s help soon had Diablo unsaddled, brushed and back in his corral.
All the while they worked she snuck glances at Ethan from under her lashes. Today he still smelled clean and fresh but also of spice and wood. She smothered the impulse to bury her head against his neck to smell his cologne. His turquoise plaid Western shirt stretched over his wide shoulders and the dark denim of his Wranglers hugged his lean hips. What was her reason for not kissing him again?
As if sharing her thoughts, Ethan’s eyes touched her mouth before he jammed his hands in his jeans pockets. “Zane sent me to find you.”
Bridie fell into step beside Ethan as they left the corral. “Thanks.”
“So ... how have you been?”
It wasn’t a long walk past the stables to the ranch house but somehow their pace had slowed to an amble. “Better. I don’t feel as ... sad but something will remind me of Dad and then I go two steps back.”
Ethan nodded, smile gentle. “That’s only natural.”
“I hope so. So how are those crosswords going?”
“They’re ... going.”
She grinned at the resignation in his voice. “That bad.”
“Yep. Actually you don’t happen to know what a switched-on statue is?”
By now they were barely walking.
“What does it start with?”
“A and it has six letters.”
She stopped and faced him. “What’s my reward if I know the answer?”
“My undying gratitude because then Henry can move on to the last puzzle in his book.”
She pursued her lips. “I’ll settle for this.”
She stood on tiptoe and before Ethan could move away, she ruffled her fingers through the front of his too-neat hair.
He kinked a brow. “So how does that work? You get a reward without solving the crossword clue?”
“That’s very ... astute ... of you.”
He shook his head, blue gaze alight with laughter. “Okay, Miss Outback Cowgirl, you’re too clever for your fancy boots. Guess who’ll be sitting with Henry and doing crosswords from now on?”
“Sorry. Not me. You know I can’t sit still.”
His gaze dipped to her mouth. “Not true. I happen to know of one thing that keeps you still.”
For a heady moment, she thought he was going to kiss her but then he glanced over her shoulder and the intensity of his gaze ebbed. He lifted a hand in a wave. She turned to see a black pickup driving into the ranch, Cordell behind the wheel and a dark-haired and pretty, Payton beside him.
Bridie searched Ethan’s face. Even though they were beside the stables and hidden from the ranch house, they were in clear view of the road. If Ethan was concerned his twin had seen them standing close together he didn’t show it.
“We’d better head in,” he said, walking again, “before Zane sends out a search party for both of us.”
Hair still warm from the blow-dryer, Bridie sectioned off two long curls from the front and twisted them together at the back of her head. She secured them with bobby pins and then slid a white silk flower over the pins. Thoughtful Trinity had left the flower plus pretty floral dress laid out on her bed while she’d been riding. The white dress splashed with sprays of blue flowers was simple and perfect. Trinity had known exactly what style would appeal to Bridie.
She’d applied make up with a light touch and now added a last layer of gloss over her pink lipstick. Her mother had been through so much, not only in the past six months, and she wanted to make an effort for her birthday. Her hair was done, boots wiped free from dust, and she was good to go downstairs to the party.
A knock sounded at her door before Trinity’s soft voice sounded. “Bridie, does the dress fit okay?”
“Yes, it’s perfect.”
Bridie opened the door to see Trinity dressed in a red and white polka-dot sun dress. Bridie could understand why Zane had fallen for the speech therapist. Not only was she beautiful, with her green eyes and glossy brown hair, she also possessed a warm integrity that inspired both trust and confidence.
“Thanks for finding it when you picked up Mom’s cake in town. I should have realized earlier I’d need something to wear other than jeans.”
“Zane will tell you I don’t need any excuse to go shopping. Which is just as well because I don’t think that brother of yours has bought any new clothes for at least a decade.”