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understand Aaron and his disorder, so they don’t act like that
man did in the corral. My ex-husband never wanted to talk about it. He wanted
to pretend Aaron was ‘normal.’ I think if people understand Aaron’s quirks it’s
easier for them to accept him. You can ask anything you want.”
    Okay, time to jump in with both
feet.
    “Do
you think Aaron likes me? Did I do something to upset him? I thought we were
getting along pretty well, but I put my arm around his shoulders back at the
campsite and he shrugged me off and stepped away.”
    “I’m
sorry, that’s something I should have told you, Aaron doesn’t like to be
touched. Most of the time he’ll shrug off a touch, even from me.”
    “ Wow, that must be tough.”
    “I’m
used to it now. I won’t say it isn’t hard sometimes. When he is hurt or upset
and I want to hug him, it’s hard to hold back. But he doesn’t get comfort from
touch like most of us do. One of the theories is that autistic children suffer
from sensory overload. They pull away because they feel too much. Sounds are
louder to them, light is brighter, they are sensitive to everything.”
    “That
makes sense. Is that why he said he doesn’t like loud noises?”
    “Yes.
Aaron does best in a calm atmosphere. He doesn’t like loud noises or flashing
lights or even just a lot of people around. That’s why I’m surprised at how
calm he’s been on the ride. I’ve read a lot about ‘horse therapy’ for autism.
Something about riding seems to calm them. Maybe it’s the rocking of the horse
as they walk. I don’t know, but I can certainly see that it seems to work, at
least for Aaron.”
    Their
conversation returned to general topics for the rest of the ride back to the
ranch. Tanner couldn’t keep the smile off his face. This had been one of the
best days he’d had in… well, forever. He had a date with a hot woman. It had been
a relaxing afternoon and he’d met a pretty neat kid. Now if he could just
finagle a phone number out of the lovely Sharon his day would be a complete
success.
    They
arrived back at the RNR shortly after the other riders in the group. The riders
were in the process of dismounting and handing their horses over to the ranch
hands.
    “I
always put up Phantom myself and usually I would insist that my ‘students’ do
the same. But with all the activity going on around here, I think for today we
should let the hands put up Missy and Red. Would you like to set up another
riding lesson for Aaron? I could meet you here one afternoon and give him a
lesson in the arena. Then I could work with him and Missy one on one. He could
gallop.”
    “I
want to gallop. I want to gallop.”
    Sharon
laughed. “I would say that’s a big yes from Aaron.”
    Score! “Give me your phone number, and after I
check my schedule we can set something up.”
    With
Sharon’s phone number secured in his cell phone, Tanner walked with Sharon and
Aaron to her car.
    “Thank
you for a lovely day,” Sharon said. She looked up at him, her beautiful eyes,
framed by the longest lashes he’d ever seen, shined with happiness. He loved
being the one to put that look on her face. He couldn’t help himself, he cupped her cheek and leaned in for a kiss.
    He
kept the kiss brief, just a brushing of the lips. Damn, she was sweet. Now was
definitely not the time or place for more than just this brief contact, but he
couldn’t wait until he could get her alone to explore that glorious mouth
further.
    Sharon blushed a pretty pink, glancing toward Aaron to
see if he noticed the kiss. Aaron was standing next to the passenger door of
her SUV and seemed oblivious to their interaction.
    “Thank
you, for everything. I can’t remember when I’ve had such an enjoyable day.”
    “I’ll
call you soon.”
    Sharon
looked down at her feet, clearing her throat and gave a small nod.
    “Okay.”
    She
stepped away from him and hit the fob on her key chain to unlock the SUV. Tanner
watched as she put the car in