Page 8 of Texas Made
When she got to the barn, she found that Marshall had her horse—a gelded paint named Blue—saddled and ready for her. Blue was the horse Damaris had picked out for her, and Jaclyn had to admit, he was the perfect ride for her right now. He was steady, laidback, with a very smooth gait.
Marshall handed her a helmet. She made a face. “Do I have to wear this?”
“You wore it when you rode with Damaris, didn’t you?”
Remembering how that argument had gone, she shrugged. “I thought you might be more reasonable. Besides, you’re not wearing one.”
“You’re a beginner. You wear a helmet.”
She wasn’t exactly a beginner but given how long it had been since she’d ridden very much, she might as well be. Grumbling, she put on the helmet and mounted Blue.
“Where are we going?” Jaclyn asked.
“Out past the far pasture. It’s a nice ride. You’ll like it.”
“Why is my horse named Blue?” she asked, once they left the barn and round pen area.
“He’s a blue roan. Cole named him when he was a kid,” he added, speaking of his oldest brother.
They reached a pasture that held a stallion Marshall called Cappuchino. He was a beautiful horse, a black and white paint. His coat had large patches of white, with one in particular that gave him his name. “He’s got a marking that looks like a coffee cup.”
Marshall smiled. “With that, what else could we name him?”
“Talk about a perfect name.” She looked around the pasture. “What are you looking for out here?”
“First I’m going to check the water level on this pond. After that I’m going to estimate how much fencing Chase will need for the new pasture. He’s going to want a separate one for the bucking horses.”
“Your ranch is huge. I never realized that when I was younger.”
“I wouldn’t call it huge. It’s good-sized, about 3500 acres.” He asked if she wanted to look around the ranch some more. “There’s a pretty stream not too far from here.”
“That sounds nice.”
Once at the stream, they dismounted, leaving the horses ground-tied. Walking along the stream bank, she found it very peaceful. Trees lined the banks, but since it was late winter, going on spring, most of them still had no leaves. Even so, it was pretty. “I was surprised when you asked me to the gala. I figured you’d be dating someone.” She would have thought that if Damaris hadn’t already told her he wasn’t.
“Nope. I haven’t had a girlfriend in quite a while.”
“Why? You haven’t sworn off women or anything, have you?”
He laughed. “No. I like women just fine.”
“Did someone break your heart?”
He shot her a glance. “Why all the questions about my love life or lack thereof?”
“Just curious. Do you mind?”
He shrugged but still didn’t answer. “What about you? Apparently, you’re not dating anyone either.”
“Not now. I was. We broke up a while ago.”
“Did he break your heart?”
She sent him a saucy glance. “I’ll tell you if you tell me.”
He laughed and tipped his hat back. “Deal.”
“You go first.”
