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His mouth flattened as he shook his head. “Nothing.”

“Good.” Rissa turned her overly innocent expression on Amanda. “Have fun.”

She and Jess headed toward the barn doors, their heads immediately dipping together. A few steps later, they both glanced back. Rissa whispered something, and the two broke into giggles before hurrying outside.

Amanda bit the inside of her cheek as the two headed off together.

So much for subtlety.

Once they were out of earshot, she pivoted to face Grady. “Your daughter is terrible at this.”

“My daughter seems to have lost all sense of shame.”

The exasperation in his voice only amused her more. “I think it’s sweet.”

“You would. You’re not the one she’s meddling with.”

“Pretty sure I am.”

That stopped him, and he shifted his full attention to her. She crossed her arms and tilted her head, waiting for him to dispute it. Instead, one corner of his mouth lifted. “Good point. At least she’s got good taste.”

The unexpected compliment pleased her more than it should have. Grady didn't seem to object to Rissa's choice of woman—just her methods.

After securing Penny’s girth, he stood and turned to Amanda. “You still want to go?”

“Absolutely.”

He slipped Penny’s halter down around her neck, put on the bridle, and then did the same with Hank. After that, he gave Amanda a quick refresher before she mounted. Most of it came back faster than she expected. Once she was seated in the saddle, she adjusted her feet in the stirrups and gathered the reins.

Grady stood beside Penny and looked up at her. “Comfortable?”

“So far.”

“That’ll change.”

She snorted. “You really know how to show a woman a good time.”

Something in his expression changed, the teasing giving way to the same unmistakable interest she’d seen in his eyes more than once over the past few days. “You have no idea.”

The words sent a little thrill through her. Apparently, horseback riding wouldn’t be the only thing testing her self-control today.

He mounted his horse, and they headed out of the barn into the cool April air.

A trail took them past the rear pastures before turning toward the hills. They kept the horses at a walk at first, giving Amanda time to reacquaint herself with the rhythm. It felt awkward for the first few minutes, but old instincts gradually returned.

“You’re doing pretty well for someone who hasn’t ridden since she was a teenager.”

She glanced over at him. “You sound disappointed.”

“I was hoping I might have to rescue you.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

“Keep dreaming, Sheriff.”

He threw his head back and laughed, and she couldn’t help joining him.

The trail was wide enough for them to ride side by side, and their conversation wandered from the ranch to some of Rissa’s favorite animals and eventually to Amanda’s childhood visits. She told him about a few of her favorite adventures with Aunt Edith and the friends she'd made during those summers, although she'd missed the ones she'd left behind in California.

“Six weeks away from your friends at home probably felt like forever at that age,” Grady said.