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Grady gave her an exaggerated once-over, taking in everything from the custom hat to the boots she’d gotten at Rock Heritage during filming. His inspection lasted long enough for her to know whatever came next would annoy her.

“You’re still on the horse.”

She narrowed her eyes. “So far.”

“And the horse is still upright.”

Penny flicked an ear toward him and grunted as if she were insulted.

Amanda reached forward and patted the mare’s neck affectionately. “Ignore him. You’re doing just fine.”

She’d been nervous about Penny the first time Grady brought her here, but they’d gone riding a few times since then. With each trip, she’d gotten more comfortable in the saddle and more confident with Penny. Now she trusted the horse enough to relax and enjoy herself instead of wondering whether every shift beneath her meant disaster was imminent.

When she looked over, Grady was watching her with a grin.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Uh-huh.” She faced forward again, refusing to give him the satisfaction of asking twice.

This was what she’d needed today. No cameras. No schedule. No Fen reminding her they had somewhere to be. No one stopping to ask about her show, the musical, or whether she planned to come back to Antelope Rock.

Just Grady, two horses, and several hours in which nobody expected anything from her.

He’d taken the day off just to spend it with her, and Amanda knew enough about Grady by now to understand what a big deal that was. The sheriff’s job didn’t come with many true days off. Of course, his phone was still clipped to his belt, but she could live with that.

Rissa was at school, Edith had made her own plans, and Fen was heading to the airport for his flight. For the next several hours, she had Grady all to herself.

Ahead, the trail split. They usually went right, but this time Grady drew Hank left, where a narrower path climbed between two rocky slopes.

“We’ll go up that way.”

She studied the incline, a bit steeper than she was used to. A few weeks ago, seeing it would probably have made her question whether she really needed horseback riding in her life. Now, it looked more challenging than the trail they’d been following, but not enough to make her nervous.

He waited rather than heading up without her. “You good with it?”

His concern warmed her from the inside. He’d never once pushed her to do more than she was comfortable with. If anything, he had more faith in her ability than she did.

“Yeah, I am.”

He nodded and guided Hank onto the trail. Amanda followed, trusting Penny to carry her safely up the incline—and Grady not to lead her anywhere she had no business going.

The path climbed through stands of pine and stretches of lush grass scattered with spring wildflowers. New leaves filled the branches of aspens and cottonwoods, their green bright against the darker pines. The air smelled of damp earth and vegetation, and somewhere nearby, water rushed over rocks.

Amanda let Penny choose her footing and moved with her, resisting the instinct to interfere whenever the mare navigated around a rock or picked her way over uneven ground. Birds called overhead, and sunlight slipped through the branches in shifting patches as they climbed.

Beyond the steeper section, the trail continued upward at a gentler incline as it wound through the trees. Before long, they heard the sound of rushing water. She had no idea where Grady was taking her, but the farther they rode, the more curious she became.

She was about to ask how much farther they had to go when the trees opened onto a small meadow surrounding a lake. Large rocks and boulders lined much of the water, forming a natural barrier between the lake and the grass.

“Oh, wow.” Pulling back on the reins, she brought Penny to a stop.

At the far end of the meadow, a bare cliff rose above the lake, and a waterfall spilled over its face, cascading into the lake below. Ripples spread across the surface toward the grassy banks.

Grady led Hank along the edge, and Amanda followed, taking in the view. On the opposite side of the lake, the water narrowed into a small river that disappeared between the trees.

There were no sweeping views of the valley, ranches in the distance, or roads cutting across the landscape. Trees and the rocky cliff enclosed the meadow, lake, and waterfall, hiding them from everything beyond.