Hill Country Reunion. Myra Johnson

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      By one o’clock she’d stowed her saddle and other gear in the tack compartment of her dad’s one-horse trailer, already hitched to his pickup. Mona, her copper penny bay mare, looked eager for a change of scenery and pranced into the trailer with her head held high.

      “Hope you settle down before we get there,” Diana said as she clipped the trailer tie to Mona’s halter. “I don’t need any extra drama this weekend.” Seeing Tripp Willoughby walk into her doughnut shop yesterday was about all the drama she could handle for the next, oh, fifty years or so.

      At Serenity Hills, Seth Austin and his stable hands already had several horses saddled and tied to the corral fence. Waving to him as she passed, Diana pulled into a parking area next to the barn.

      As she stepped around to the rear of the horse trailer, Seth ambled over and offered a friendly hug. “Christina said you’d probably join us. Need some help with Mona?”

      “I’m fine.” Diana grinned toward the camp counselors struggling to buckle riding helmets onto the heads of several rambunctious campers. “Anyway, looks like you’ve got your hands full over there.”

      “That’s the truth. Two more hours and we’ll have peace and quiet again.” Seth exaggerated a look of fatigue, but Diana knew how much he enjoyed the arrangement he and his grandparents, Bryan and Marie Peterson, had made with the San Antonio–based philanthropic organization that sponsored Camp Serenity. Besides saving the family from having to sell the guest ranch, the camp provided fun and adventure for kids who might otherwise never have the chance to get out of the city, much less to learn about horses and riding.

      Diana unlatched the trailer door, and Seth gave her a hand lowering the ramp. Sidling into the trailer, Diana clipped a lead rope to Mona’s halter and prepared to back her down the ramp. Apparently, the drive over had only heightened the mare’s excitement. “Easy, girl.”

      “She’s lookin’ kind of feisty.” Seth laid a steadying hand on Mona’s rump.

      “No kidding.” Diana barely got her toe out of the way in time to keep from getting stomped on. “Maybe I’ll take her over to the round pen and see if I can settle her down some.”

      Seth returned to his campers while Diana walked Mona to the round pen. Standing in the center of the fifty-foot-diameter pen, Diana used a lunge whip to send her horse into a trot around the perimeter. When Mona began to settle down after a few circuits, Diana wasn’t quite so concerned about getting tossed on her keister somewhere out on the trail.

      At the horse trailer, she buckled on Mona’s saddle and bridle and mounted up as Seth started her way leading his trail riders. Immediately behind him were Joseph on Spot and Eva riding her new palomino pony.

      One hand gripping the reins and saddle horn, the little girl grinned and waved. “Hey, Miss Diana! You came!”

      “Sure did, hon. Is this Candy? She’s adorable!”

      Eva beamed. “You can ride next to me, okay?”

      “Love to.” Diana prepared to fall in step.

      Then, as she glanced back toward the other riders in the lineup, a familiar pair of crystal-blue eyes locked gazes with her—Tripp.

      She froze, her jaw going slack, while Tripp Willoughby drew closer and closer.

      “Miss Diana,” Eva called, “hurry and catch up.”

      She snapped her mouth shut. Nudging Mona with her boot heels, she reined the horse around and trotted up next to Eva. When she could find her voice, she said, “Hey, Seth, what’s with the, um, new volunteer?”

      Straining to look past her over his shoulder, Seth grinned. “Oh, you mean Doc Ingram’s new partner? He’s just along for the ride. We’re renting him one of the staff cabins.”

      “So he’s...he’s living here?” Her voice climbed an octave. “On your ranch?”

      “Yep. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to introduce you. Remind me when we get back later.”

      Diana grimaced. “That’s okay. We’ve already met.”

      * * *

      Diana was riding with them? Great. And Tripp assumed living out at Serenity Hills would mean fewer unexpected encounters with the woman he’d never gotten out of his heart.

      Could this move to Juniper Bluff get any more complicated?

      Maybe if he made sure to stay at the rear of the line, he could spare them both more discomfort.

      And yet...man, she looked good on the back of a horse! He’d seen Diana in boots and jeans plenty of times, even gone riding with her when they used to spend weekends now and then at his grandparents’ place outside Austin. The passage of time had only made her more beautiful, and though he did miss the long hair, her shorter, perkier ponytail poking out beneath a tan felt Stetson added a certain amount of sass.

      Not that she didn’t have plenty already. The look she’d shot him a few moments ago was one hundred percent sass. Although in that split second of recognition, Tripp had definitely glimpsed something else in her expression, and it looked a whole lot like panic. Considering he’d had the same reaction to their third unplanned meeting in less than two days, he ought to know.

      Noticing his poky old cow horse was falling behind, he gave the beast a gentle kick. “Git up, Tex. No backing out now. Might as well see this through.”

      The trail meandered past a small lake and picnic area, then up a rocky slope shaded by cedars and live oaks. The hills should have been teeming with birds and animals, but with the campers laughing and howling like wild animals themselves, any expectations Tripp had about observing wildlife soon vanished.

      He was too busy watching Diana anyway. And making sure to keep a nice, safe distance between them. Once or twice on the way up the hillside, she scrunched up her shoulders as if she could feel his eyes on her, but she never looked back.

      Soon the trail opened into a meadow tufted with brown grass. Up ahead, Seth angled right, leading the riders in a wide circle as they changed directions for the return to the barn. In another few strides, Diana would be riding directly toward Tripp. His pulse ratcheted up a good twenty beats per minute. Would she say anything? Would she even look at him?

      “Hi, Tripp.” She spoke. Even smiled. At least he thought so. With her face shaded by the hat and a pair of sporty sunglasses, it was hard to be sure. “Enjoying the ride?”

      He had about three seconds before their paths would diverge. “Yeah, can’t beat this weather.”

      “Mmm-hmm.” The quirk of her mouth told him exactly how lame his reply had sounded.

      When she rode on by and he was once again bringing up the rear, he let out a frustrated sigh. Brooke was right—eventually he needed to be honest with Diana about why he’d broken things off. Maybe if she knew the truth, she’d forgive him.

      If only he could count on forgiveness being her only response. The whole point of not telling her in the first place was so she wouldn’t stick by him out of pity or obligation. If they did have any chance of starting over—if Diana would even give him the time of day after how he’d hurt her—he СКАЧАТЬ