Lynn Patrick - The Long Road Home

“Why would you have a stylus?” asked Aunt Priscilla. “You wouldn’t let me buy you an eReader for Christmas. You said you wanted to read books the old-fashioned way.”

“I always buy things when I see them on sale.” Grams finally looked up from her search, a small green pen-like item in her hand. “I saw these little things were a dollar each at FamilyMart.”

Aunt Priscilla laughed and shook her head. “Honestly, you have everything. I just hope no one ever needs a hand grenade.”

The two women and Mia continued talking as they went downstairs and left the store, Alyssa following. The dorky older guy Aunt Priscilla had introduced as her part-time employee told them to have a good time and continued sweeping the wide floorboards. The store’s interior was meant to look kind of country, yet sophisticated, with light paneling and barrels with butcher block tops to display the many kinds of cheeses for sale, along with some locally made sausage and other products. There were a few small tables and chairs off to one side where customers could taste cheeses or sit down for lunch or snack. Alyssa had to admit the place presented a pleasant atmosphere and the cheese board with crackers and a salad they’d had for lunch had been good. Her aunt obviously knew more about merchandising than she did fashion. Dressed in beige pants with a beige T-shirt and nondescript shoes, her red hair pinned back simply, as if to get it out of the way, Priscilla could easily pass for being ten years older than Alyssa knew she actually was.

Alyssa’s attention returned to her texts as they got in the car, dropped Grams off for some meeting, and headed for the horse ranch. Tish said there was a really hot guy hanging around in the hallway of her building and she got him to say “hi” to her. How could she get him into a longer conversation?

Alyssa was about to text a suggestion as they pulled into the parking lot of the “ranch” with its big, old white barn. A matching farmhouse sat a short way down the road. Suddenly the phone indicated there was no service. “Unbelievable!” Were the hills on either side cutting off reception?

“Wow, look at those horses!” Mia nearly burst out of the car in her enthusiasm.

But it was the young man saddling the mounts in the corral that drew Alyssa’s attention away from her useless phone. Slim but muscular, blondish hair feathering from beneath his straw cowboy hat, the guy had a killer smile and a square jaw. Alyssa loved square jaws.

Alyssa slipped the phone into the case she wore on a chain around her neck. At the moment she didn’t care about reception. Tish could take care of herself. She had her own encounter to enjoy.

“Which one of these horses is most spirited? I want to ride fast,” Mia was saying to the young guy as Alyssa approached.

“Hey, chill out. We’re just going on a trail ride this afternoon,” the guy told her, laughing. Then his smile seemed to freeze as he caught sight of Alyssa.

“Hi.” Alyssa adjusted her sunglasses. She wished she’d had time to freshen her lipstick. She put her hand out for a shake. “I’m Alyssa.”

“My sister,” added Mia with a disgust that Alyssa ignored.

“Logan.” The cute guy took Alyssa’s hand then released it more quickly than she would like. “Sisters. Hey, uh, great...you can both go on the trail ride.”

Alyssa posed carefully, hand on one hip, hoping her big city glamour would affect Logan. “I’m just here to hang out.”

“We don’t really have a hang-out spot around here but you’re welcome to wait until we get back,” Logan told her before turning to Mia. “I think you’ll like Cloud, the Pinto. She’s got a sweet temperament, along with some spice.”

Alyssa asked him, “You’re going on the trail ride, too?”

“I’m leading the group.” Then he walked away to introduce Mia to the spotted horse nearby.

Drat! Alyssa looked down at her beautiful boots. Guess she’d have to take the chance on getting them sweaty after all. “I’ve changed my mind. I need a horse, too.”

She’d had riding lessons for a short time when she was Mia’s age, before she’d lost interest. She could look pretty good on the back of a horse if she wanted to.

If that’s what she had to do to get next to a cute cowboy.

* * *

AT LEAST ALYSSA was enjoying something, Priscilla thought, hanging on to Gold Mine, the pretty Palomino Logan had saddled for her. She could let go of the tension she’d been feeling since the drive to her place from the airport. Her niece might be flirting with the young hand, but Alyssa was little more than a kid, and he was several years too old for her. Thankfully, she noted that Logan remained friendly but professional, nothing more.

Also thankfully, Sam was nowhere around, so she didn’t have to worry about running into him, after all.

“Aren’t you going to get on your horse, Aunt Priscilla?” Mia asked from atop a little Pinto mare named Cloud.

“I’m just waiting until the last minute,” Priscilla hedged. “We’ll be in the saddle long enough as it is.”

Besides, which, she’d only been riding a few times and not since she was a teenager. A far more experienced rider than she, Mia was already walking her mount around the corral adjacent to the barn, turning Cloud this way and that. A few other riders, strangers to Priscilla, were doing the same.

When Alyssa asked Logan, “Aren’t you going to give me a leg up?” Priscilla whipped around to see what was going on.

Logan gave her niece a friendly grin. “If you can’t get off the ground on your own, we do have a mounting block—”

Alyssa made a sound of exasperation. “Never mind!” Then put a foot in the stirrup and bounced right up into the saddle.

Logan looked at Priscilla. “Do you need help, ma’am?”

Priscilla flushed. She couldn’t let her nieces outdo her. She placed her left foot into the stirrup and said, “I’ve got it.”

“Okay.” Logan moved back, probably to get his own horse.

The other riders were all looking at her. Waiting for her to mount Gold Mine. Hanging on to the reins and the horn on the saddle, Priscilla tried to hike herself up. But the saddle seemed to move and her stomach did a flip as she slammed back down on one foot.

“C’mon!” Mia yelled. “You can do it!”

Hands now sweating, face burning, Priscilla tried again and almost made it. Almost. On the third try, a strong pair of hands at her waist gave her a boost. The hands didn’t let go. They felt...too personal. Standing in one stirrup, she turned to ask Logan to let go. But Logan wasn’t hanging on to her. Sam was. Her eyes locked with his familiar gray ones, and her mouth gaped a bit as she got off balance again.

Keeping her from falling back into his arms, Sam grinned at her. “Well, some things don’t change. You’re looking good , Prissy!”

Hearing him call her by her high school nickname, Priscilla was struck nearly speechless. She’d hoped she would be prepared for this meeting, but she couldn’t keep from reacting to him. Yes, Sam was back in Sparrow Lake and still had the same effect on her. He’d been gorgeous as a youth and was equally gorgeous as a man, his handsome face tanned, his dark hair poking out from beneath his black Western hat to brush the collar of the work shirt that showed off some impressive muscles.

She tore her gaze away from him, muttering, “I’m not very athletic.”

“You’re on an easygoing horse, so you don’t have to worry.”

It wasn’t really the horse she was worried about. Heart pounding, she threw her right leg over the saddle and plopped into it.

“Not going to say a proper hello, Prissy?”

She frowned at him. “Sure I’m going to say hello. Why wouldn’t I?”