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When she paused and looked over her shoulder at him, he repressed a groan. He'd had better luck handling her when she was crying.
“What should I wear?” she asked.
“Just, uh. Jeans and sneakers for today. We’ll go get you proper riding boots and gear another time,” he answered.
He waited for her to get ready and then led her to the barn, grinning as she cooed over the horses. He gave her some sugar cubes to feed them. Some of the childlike wonder returned to her eyes. Her demeanor slowly became more like he’d become used to of late.
He chose an older chestnut mare named Aislyn for Ashleigh. The mare had been in the family for years, and he knew she would take care of Ashleigh. The mare hardly ever started at anything, and even Shiloh rode her by himself.
His heartstrings tugged as h
