fine.â
I stood up and rummaged around in the top drawer of her dresser, then extracted a hairbrush. âHere, Iâll French-braid your hair,â I offered. âThatâll be relaxing.â
âOh, yay, thanks!â She sat up and turned around on the bed, unwinding the towel from her head.
I knelt behind her and began pulling the brush through her wet blond locks. âZach and Stephen and I came up with this plan to keep that one horse Jack brought from the auction mart.â
âThe one whoâd been beaten?â Dana had her eyes closed. âI thought he was some kind of charity case.â
âHe was. I mean, he is.â I updated her on the session with Jack and Rick. âWeâre allowed to try him outâthe pack trip is going to be his big test.â I tugged at a snarl.
âOw! Iâll help you. Just tell me when you want to try him on a trail.â
âAnd . . .â I drew out the word. âIâm going to Garden of the Gods with Stephen in an hour.â My stomach gave a little flip of excitement just saying it. Iâd almost forgotten about the date with all that had happened this morning.
âAww, thatâs so cute,â she said. âIs it a date?â
I frowned, and picked at a tangle. âI donât know. I think so. What do you think?â
âHmm. Is anyone else going?â
âNo. . . .â I set the brush aside and picked up a few locks of hair at the top of her head. âWell, he didnât say if there are. And he said heâd show me this secret trail.â
âAnd he asked you specificallyâlike, âwill you go with meâ?â
I twisted more hair into the braid, admiring the way the lighter strands looked against the darker ones. Blond hair always looked best in a French braid, so much better than brown. âYeah, yesterday, when we were out by the stable.â I braided the last section and wrapped a hair tie around it. âThere, that looks really good.â
Dana sat up and trailed her fingers along the intricate weaving on the back of her head. âYou got it so tightâthank you! Thatâs my favorite way.â She went over to the mirror and looked at the back with a mirror compact. âWell, Iâd say if he asked just you and he wants to show you his favorite secret trail, then thatâs a date. He totally likes you! Arenât you excited?â She turned around and grasped both my hands, pulling me up from the bed. âHe likes you, he likes you, he likes you!â she sang, dancing me around the room.
I collapsed on my bed, giddy now from the dancing and from the heady thought that Stephen might actually like me. Then I jumped up. âI have to decide what to wear!â I flung open my closet and pulled out several options. Dana sat back down on the bed, as serious as an editor at a fashion show.
âOkay, option one.â I pulled on a gray T-shirt that read WINTER JAM . âThis is like the cool girlfriend who wears her boyfriendâs clothes.â
Dana nodded. âCheck. Guys like that.â
âBut maybe a little boring?â
She considered. âMaybe.â
I held up my hand. âNo fear.â I tugged the T-shirt over my head and shimmied into a black tank top. âAlso sporty, but a little cuter. Also a little more girly.â
âHmm, I like that one. And it shows off your tan.â She tapped her fingers on her front teeth. âAny others?â
I riffled through my clothes hangers as if shuffling cards. âJust a last oneâI donât know about the long sleeves, though.â I pulled out a thin western-style shirt with pearl snaps in a soft pink-and-blue plaid. âMy mom bought it for me when I decided to come out here.â
âCute! Put it on,â Dana said, then considered me as I snapped it up. âThat fits great. And you have the whole cowgirl look going, which is adorable.â
I