Chapter 4

Daniel heard the knock at his door as he was brushing his teeth. Speeding to finish without gagging, he quickly spat and called out, “Be right there!” He rinsed and wiped the remaining toothpaste off his mouth, then grabbed his water bottle and camera bag and opened the door.

Outside stood Cole and two horses. One was the white-legged horse Cole usually rode, the other was a dappled gray with a black mane. Cole held out a Stetson nearly identical to the one he was wearing.

“Surprise,” Cole said with a sheepishly hopeful smile. He had shaved recently, which made him look five years younger, but hot nonetheless. “I didn’t know if you knew how to ride, but we have a lot of ground to cover and you can’t reach some of it in the truck.”

“No, I can ride. It’s just…the last horse I ever rode had a pole in its back and only ran in circles.”