She gave the girth a tug, cinched it under the horse’s belly, and adjusted the bit in his mouth. With much of the stable staff out of town at a horseshow, the trails were all hers. A rare treat. “Ready?” She scratched the side of the buckskin’s long neck. Admiral rubbed his nose against her shoulder. A soft whinny followed. “All right, then, let’s get going.” As she reached for the horse’s halter to unhook the cross ties she noticed a person trudging downhill from the direction of the main pasture. He led a horse behind him. She raised up on tiptoes for a better view over Admiral’s back and squinted. Oh, no. Cedar Lake’s ranch hand, Rusty. She sank back on her heels and took a deep breath. If she’d known he would be here running the place, she’d have skipped yet another weekend with Admiral. On her last few visits, Rusty had been acting a little too familiar. He’d brought her cans of cold soda and tried to help with Admiral. He’d even requested that she accompany him to a local rodeo.
