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mind helping to keep an eye on Aaron. My sister, Jasmine has two
children. Her oldest, Josh, is nine and Annabelle is four, so they could all
play together.”
    Tanner
held his breath waiting for Sharon to make up her mind. He really wanted her to
be his date. He needed an excuse to get her in his arms as soon as possible.
He’d never felt so instantly attracted to a woman before. There was just
something about her that drew him. She seemed to like him, too. He never lacked
for female company, but some of the locals still had a problem with a half-breed . Sharon didn’t seem to care.
At least he hoped she didn’t.
    Sharon
stared straight into his eyes and he held her gaze. He wondered if she could
read the thoughts running through his head on his face.
    “Please
be my date?” He entreated, giving her his best puppy dog eyes.
    “It
would be my pleasure, thank you.” That beautiful blush spread across her
features again and Tanner wondered just how far the flush traveled. Would the
pink spread across the creamy skin of her breasts? He began to harden just at
the thought.
    He
took the empty plate from her hands, setting it beside him on the ground. He
brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm.
    “Thank
you.”
    He
stood and picked up their plates.
    “Grab
the rest of our trash, Aaron. There are trash barrels over by the chuck wagon.
It looks like everyone is finishing up and we’ll be heading back soon.”
    As
they were disposing of their garbage, Tammy stepped to the front of the chuck
wagon and announced, “Everybody mount up. We’re ready to ride.”
    That
was perfect timing. Tanner put his arm around Aaron’s shoulders to lead him
back to the horses. Aaron shrugged his arm off and took a step away from him, but,
continued to walk beside him. Hmm, that is
strange. I thought the kid liked me. Oh well, time will tell.
    Sharon
had already walked over to the horses and they joined her.
    “Aaron,
would you like to try tightening up Missy’s cinch?” Tanner asked.
    “Yes,
sir.”
    Tanner
held onto Missy’s reins and directed Aaron.
    “Hook
the stirrup onto the saddle horn to get it out of the way. That’s right. Now
tighten the leather strap until it is good and snug. Put the strap over your
shoulder and lift with your legs, that will give you
the leverage you need to get it tight.”
    Aaron
did as instructed. Tanner checked the tension and gave a nod.
    “Good
job. Now lower the stirrup, but don’t drop it. You don’t want it to bounce into
her side and spook her. Here, take the reins and I’ll give you a leg up.”
    Aaron
mounted like a pro. Tanner gave his leg a pat and once again the kid seemed to
shrink from his touch.
    On
the trail headed home, Aaron had once again pulled ahead of them. Tanner
broached the subject with Sharon. He didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.
But he wanted to understand. Did Aaron not like him, or was it something else?
    “Do
you think Aaron is enjoying himself?” he asked.
    “Oh,
yes! I think he’s having the time of his life. He’s dreamed of this for a long
time. I haven’t seen him so content in ages. He isn’t even doing his repetitive
behaviors. His stress level is really low right now. It’s quite amazing,
actually.”
    “Repetitive
behaviors? Like what?”
    “When
his stress level is high he has to do
things to feel in control. He sometimes rocks or paces. He does things in multiples
of three, like locking the door and then unlocking it and re-locking it, or
turning the lights on and off. Always three times. That’s his number .”
    “Oh.
Is that a symptom of his autism?”
    “Yes
and no. Autistic children do have repetitive behaviors, but Asperger’s Syndrome is a little different. A common side effect is Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder, and Aaron is a little OCD.”
    “I
know a little about all of this stuff from my EMT training, but I don’t have
any real experience. Does it bother you if I ask questions?”
    “Not
at all. I want people to