His gaze settled on her. "Do you think you can remember that route?"

She choked down a sharp response and met his gaze. "Is that the route you recommend?"

A wry smile twisted his lips and the dark eyes reflected humor. "That's the route I'd like you to take."

She nodded. "I'll take it under advisement."

Actually, there was nothing wrong with the route and normally she would have accepted his request without comment. This time Katie's words hung between them. He was demeaning her. She was more familiar with the land than he was. His wasn't the only route and despite his opinion, she was as capable of finding a safe route as he was. Furthermore, she wasn't stupid.

She nudged Princess forward. "I'll meet you at the house. I want to work in the barn for a while."

She left him there and didn't look back until she reached the barn. He was still watching her - probably wondering what he had done to irritate her - maybe even wondering if she was upset or merely busy. It was amazing how someone could be so perceptive at one moment and clueless the next.

She led Princess into a stall and removed the saddle and bridle. Then she threw a leaf of alfalfa hay into her stall. Grabbing a bucket, she headed for what used to be her goat dairy. It had been converted to a tack room but the faucet was handy for watering the horses. Alex had helped her with the conversion She sighed. Katie had her questioning his every motive. She didn't need his help. She could hire someone for that. What she wanted was his direction. What she needed was his companionship. Already she missed him. It wasn't often that they had time to themselves. Why was she allowing Katie to influence her thoughts and actions?

Still, Katie was right to a degree. Unless she stood up to him, she would never learn to run the business. He wanted her to be more independent, but when she tried, he hung on to her. He'd get over these butterflies about letting her run the business when he discovered she could do it without his direction. Until then she would have to run it the way she saw fit.

She carried the water to Princess and then crossed the tack room to the other section of the barn. She left the tack room door open while she stacked the newest delivery of hay. The smell of alfalfa and leather soothed her nerves. Nerves? Maybe Alex was right. Maybe she was letting the stress of the new responsibilities get her down.




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