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Richard.”
    “He’s paying child support, or will. On his salary, it ought to
be plenty generous.”
    “Ah,” Gavin said knowingly.
    “What does that mean?”
    “If your ego was any bigger, it’d swallow you whole.”
    Conner glanced at Dallas, who was quickly approaching and
almost within earshot. “This has nothing to do with my ego.”
    “Right.” Gavin let loose another chuckle.
    Connor cursed under his breath. Once again, his friend’s
insightfulness was right on the mark.
    * * *
    T HEY ENTERED the mountains at one of the trailheads behind Powell Ranch.
For the first twenty minutes, Dallas could hardly sit still. Head swiveling, she
took in the view from her elevated vantage point on the wagon seat.
    “Nice.”
    “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
    They reached the first hill and began their ascent. Conner
clucked to the horses, which leaned into the harness as they pulled their heavy
load.
    Dallas swallowed. “This is steeper than I thought it would
be.”
    “You want to turn back?”
    She dug her fingers into the seat. “Absolutely not!”
    The trail, barely wide enough to accommodate the wagon, curved
sharply. Conner guided the team of horses, talking to them in a calming
tone.
    Dallas told herself he’d promised they’d take the easy routes,
and she trusted him.
    That was until she looked down.
    No one had warned her how different riding in a wagon was from
sitting astride a horse. How much higher it was.
    Large boulders flanked the trail, close enough to clip a wheel.
If that happened, they’d careen over the edge. And what an edge it was. On the
other side of the boulders, the ground gave way, ending far below in an
overgrown gully.
    Perhaps she should have given more consideration to this day
trip.
    “Pretty, huh?” Conner asked.
    “Very.” When she didn’t look down.
    “You’ll appreciate the view even more when we get to the
top.”
    “How, um, reliable is this brake?” She ran her hand over the
smooth handle, finding comfort in its nearness.
    Conner’s hardy chuckle allayed some of Dallas’s worries
    “You don’t have anything to worry about. Once we crest the top,
it’s all downhill from there.”
    “Until the next one.”
    “True. But the second half of the trip is mostly flat,” he
added.
    She let out a sigh of relief.
    “And here I always figured you for having nerves of steel.”
    “I do have nerves of steel.” She lifted her chin. “If I didn’t,
I wouldn’t be here. I’m just more comfortable when I’m in the driver’s
seat.”
    “You want to take over for a while?” He started to pass her the
reins.
    She shook her head. “You’re doing great.”
    “Seriously, if you want to try driving awhile, you can. When we
reach flat ground and the girls are tired out. Less chance of a runaway
then.”
    Her fingers clenched the wagon seat tighter. “What exactly are
our chances of a runaway?”
    “Almost none.” He turned to face her. “Do you think Gavin and
Ethan would have given all those people rides around the park during the Holly
Daze Festival last Christmas if they thought for one second they’d have a
runaway?”
    “I guess not.”
    Conner stared at her. At her mouth. Then his gaze traveled to
her eyes, where it stayed...and stayed. “I wouldn’t do anything to put you in
danger.”
    She melted, inside and out, and let go of the wagon seat.
    “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” he asked.
    “No.” She could, she thought, go anywhere with him. “What was
it like?” she asked after a moment. “Capturing Prince.”
    “Not easy, I can tell you that. He’s a wily one and gave us a
run for our money. Took six of us to herd him into a corner and get a rope
around his neck.”
    “What did you think when you first saw him?”
    “That I’d met my match. I’d never worked with a wild horse
before, much less rounded one up and brought him in.”
    “And now you work with wild horses every day.” Too late, Dallas
realized her slip. He hadn’t worked