Free Bridleton by Becky Barker Page B

for the weekend. Today they’re opening the horse competition to adults so it’ll get more rowdy.”
    “Mind if I tag along?” She surprised them all with her impulsive request.
    Noah gave her a long, considering glance.
    “Unless you have a date,” she qualified.
    “No date but I have to leave in a few minutes.”
    “I can eat on the way to town.”
    “You can’t go like that.” He nodded toward her shorts and tee shirt. “Not if you want to help me in the arena.”
    She hadn’t thought about helping him but her spirits lifted at the idea. Suddenly the day looked very promising.
    “Give me ten minutes,” she said, setting down her cup before brushing past him and hurrying down the hallway toward the stairs.
    “Only five, I’m running late,” he yelled after her. “I’ll pull my truck around front.”
    She couldn’t reply with a mouth full of bagel but she rushed up the stairs. As soon as she stepped into her bedroom she shed her clothes. Knowing they’d be in the sun all day, she dressed much like Noah in boots, jeans and a long-sleeved red shirt over a sleeveless white tank top. She grabbed her sunscreen and a stretchy for her hair, sliding it on her wrist before heading back down the stairs. Trace met her at the front door with a travel mug of coffee.
    “You’re a prince among men,” she said after swallowing the last bite of bagel. “I gobbled that so fast I need to wash it down.”
    Noah pulled his pickup to a stop near the front porch as the two of them exited the house. The sight of his truck gave her pause. She’d helped him pick it out when they’d still been wildly in love. He’d chosen the style, she’d chosen the color. Blue again because it suited him so well. She remembered how proud he’d been to purchase his first brand-new vehicle. It still looked good.
    Trace walked with her, opened the passenger door and helped her climb into the cab. She gave him a smile of thanks. “Are you going with us?”
    “Not now but I might wander in there after a while.”
    Noah revved the motor and put the truck in gear.
    “Okay, see you later!” She slammed the door and they were on their way.
    “Seat belt,” he reminded.
    Andrea dropped the sunscreen on the seat and handed him the coffee mug while she found and secured her belt. She glanced back at him in time to see him swallow a big gulp of her coffee.
    “Hey! That’s mine.”
    He handed it back to her. “You gave it to me.”
    “For safekeeping.”
    “Then you should have said so.”
    Andrea stared at him a minute, wondering at how easily they’d fallen back into the good-natured bickering that had been so much a part of their relationship in the early days. Somewhere during their long week she’d realized staying angry with him wasted too much energy. She’d never forgive him for past sins but she respected his work ethic and she’d gotten tired of the open hostility.
    Her hair hung heavily down her back. The early morning temperature crept toward seventy degrees, so she wanted it off her shoulders. After taking a big swig of coffee she gave the cup back to him.
    “Here, you can finish it. I need to braid my hair.”
    A heavy silence fell between them as he drove over several miles of Bridleton roads to access the main highway. Andrea slowly wove her hair into a French plait then wrapped the ends in a bun and secured it to the nape of her neck.
    “I forgot a hat.”
    “You can buy one at the fairgrounds.”
    She made a face. “I forgot to bring any money.”
    “Then I’ll buy it and you can owe me.”
    Her frown deepened. The Bartells already owed him too much. Hopefully they could remedy that soon but she hated being dependent on him all day for cash. She didn’t even have her debit card.
    He shot her a glance. “It’s no big deal.”
    “I didn’t say it was.”
    “But you’re thinking it.”
    “You’re reading minds now too?” she taunted.
    “When you forget to be snooty and prim, your face is pretty