“I hope you don’t mind spectators, because I definitely wouldn’t mind watching that again.”
“We love spectators. Feel free to come by whenever you have a chance.”
After that, we rode by another barn. “Duke runs that barn. They give riding lessons and board horses. It’s also where the horses Harper uses for equine therapy live. We can stop if you want, but there’s probably no one there right now.”
“We can stop by another day,” I said. “What’s next?”
“The ponds and walking trails.”
Dice drove toward the wooded area, past rolling hills and several large fields. When we reached the trees, he steered the golf cart onto a well-worn path. Several minutes later, we came to a clearing where a large pond was nestled.
“Wow,” I breathed. “This is beautiful.”
“It is. Not many people come out here since it’s so far from everything else,” Dice said as we came to a stop.
“That’s exactly why I’d want to come out here.”
We got out of the cart and walked to the water’s edge. It was so quiet and peaceful. “Are there any fish in the pond?”
Dice shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
We casually strolled around to the other side of the water. I turned to thank him for giving me a tour of the farm, as well as everything else he’d done for me, but the words died in my throat when our eyes met. He held my gaze for several beats before he took a step forward and closed the distance between us. My stomach flipped when his eyes flicked to my lips as he leaned forward. His lips had barely touched mine when the sound of a loud splash caused us both to quickly turn toward the water.
“Diablo! What are you doing?” I yelled at my usually well-behaved dog, who was happily swimming through the pond.
Diablo looked back at me for a moment before he continued swimming across the water. I exhaled in annoyance and placed my hands on my hips.
Dice laughed. “You didn’t tell him to get out or come back. You only asked him what he was doing, and he answered you.”
“I swear. I love him with my whole heart, but sometimes I think he’s too smart.” I sighed and shook my head. “He’s going to freeze on the way back while getting both of us wet.”
“There might be a blanket underneath one of the seats,” Dice said. He jogged back to the golf cart and proudly returned with a blanket a few moments later.
“Are you sure Ink won’t mind?”
Dice waved his hand dismissively. “I doubt he has any sentimental feelings about a blanket he keeps in his golf cart, but we can wash it before returning it if that will make you feel better.”
“Washing it is a must. Sentimental or not, I can’t return a blanket that smells like a wet dog.”
We walked around the pond to meet Diablo, who realized what we were doing and turned around to swim to the other side.
“Diablo,” I scolded. “Get your butt out of that water right now.”
To his credit, he did pick up the pace, but he continued swimming to the opposite side of the pond, causing Dice to laugh hysterically while I rounded the water yet again to catch my wayward dog.
“If you shake water all over me, we are going to have serious problems today,” I said to Diablo when he exited the pond. He looked at me and took a few steps away before he shook. “Thank you,” I said and held the blanket open for him. He ran into it headfirst, and I dried him off as best as I could. When he was as dry as I could get him, which wasn’t very dry at all, we walkedback toward the golf cart. “I guess we should head back to your house so I can give him a bath.”
“We were going to have to go back soon anyway for the grocery delivery.”
I ushered Diablo into the golf cart and wrapped him in the blanket before Dice and I took our seats. We hadn’t even made it out of the wooded area before Diablo started shivering. “That’s what happens when you go for a swim in the middle of fall, you big goober.”
“He just wanted to have some fun,” Dice said.
“I’m honestly surprised he did that. I mean, he loves the water, but he hasn’t gotten into the lake since it started getting cooler.”
“Do you have a hard time keeping him out of the water at home?”
“It was hell when we first moved there. Every time he went out to do his business, he tried to go for a swim. Between the muddy paw prints on the floor and the wet dog smell, I seriously considered moving somewhere else, but we got it under control after the newness wore off. And thank goodness for that, because giving him a bath every day wasn’t good for my back or his skin.”