The breeze ruffled her hair, and she tucked it shyly behind an ear as they walked. It was still warm enough to be comfortable, but the wind coming down off the mountains had the smell of snow. It wouldn't be long before winter arrived.
Carter leaned against the wooden fence and put his fingers in his mouth. He blew out one long, loud, and clear whistle and was secretly pleased with how Mia's eyebrows raised at the sound. It was childish, but he was rather proud of his ability to whistle.
Five horse heads perked up from the meadow and looked in their direction. Carter whistled again, this time adding in a short burst at the end for emphasis. Four of the horses went back to grazing, but the fifth started to obediently trot over.
Mia watched with wide eyes as his beautiful white mare came to the fence. The mare nuzzled Carter's hands, searching for sugar cubes or treats.
“She's beautiful,” Mia whispered. Carter had to agree.
“You can pet her,” Carter said. He reached up and scratched the mare's soft white neck. “She's very friendly.”
Mia approached the fence slowly, her smile growing as she came closer. “I haven't been around horses since I was young,” she told him.
She walked up to the fence next to Carter and stepped on a loose rock. Her balance wobbled, and she grabbed at the fence. He reached out to steady her, his hand going to the small of her back. Touching her sent heat coursing through his body that he wasn't expecting.
She regained her balance and chuckled, shrugging off the mishap with a smile. He had to force himself to let go of her since his hand didn't want to leave her body. She smiled up at him before reaching out her hand for the horse to smell. The mare presented her soft neck for Mia to touch.
“Her name is Hopeful Dreamer,” he told her as the mare nickered softly and bumped her nose against his shoulder. She still wanted a treat for coming when called. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sugar cube. “Here,” he told Mia. “You can give it to her.”
Mia's face lit up like a little kid's, and again he felt a warmth fill his core. Her excitement was contagious, and he loved getting to share in it. She grinned a little wider and held out her hand for the sugar cube before offering it palm up to Hopeful Dreamer.
Hopeful delicately took the treat like the lady she was. Mia giggled and turned to face him. The wind caught her hair, and she brushed it out of the way, her eyes dancing. Her face was alight with excitement, and the beauty of it took him off guard for a moment. She was stunningly attractive, and cute when she was angry, but when she smiled, she was downright stunning.
“She's beautiful,” Mia told him, her eyes and smile going back to the horse.
“Thank you,” he replied. Hopeful shifted her body parallel to the fence so that Carter could scratch her rump. The horse leaned into his hand as he scratched her white coat.
Mia copied the motion and laughed as Hopeful groaned with pleasure. “She's like a big puppy.”
Carter laughed and moved his hand to a better scratching spot just as Mia did. Their hands collided, sending another jolt of heat straight through him. Mia's cheeks pinked slightly, and he had to look away so that he wouldn't stare.
The pink suited her and made his thoughts drift to other things that would pink her cheeks.
“How did you get into this?” Mia asked, carefully petting the horse again. “Horses, I mean.”
Carter looked out at the mountains, his gaze going distant as he remembered. “When I was about Alexander's age, I got into some trouble. My uncle decided that I needed to learn what hard work was and made me work on his ranch.”
Mia's head cocked slightly as she looked up at him. “This sounds like a familiar story...”
“Maybe a little.” Carter chuckled. “I hated it at first. It was hard work, but then I grew to love it. These animals, they grow on you.”
Mia nodded. “I can believe that.” She laughed as Hopeful moved closer to get more scratches. Mia happily obliged.
Carter smiled. “Hopeful Dreamer is my favorite mare here. She's gentle, smart, and an excellent mother.”
“She's definitely friendly,” Mia agreed. She motioned to the mare's extended belly. “Is she pregnant now?”
Carter nodded. “Due in the next few weeks.”
Mia frowned and Carter had to resist the temptation to reach out and smooth the crease from her brow. He liked her smiling much better than frowning.
“Do horses usually have babies in the fall?”
“No,” Carter said, shaking his head. “Foaling is usually in the spring or summer, so this is pretty late. She had some artificial help.”
Hopeful Dreamer looked at the two of them and made a low huff sound. They'd both stopped scratching her, and she wanted more. Mia laughed and went back to scratching her rump. Hopeful's eyes closed with pleasure.
“I don't know much about horses. I had a few riding lessons as a kid, but...” Mia shrugged. “Do you know if the baby will be a boy or a girl?”