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The evening gave way to slightly cooler air as the sun hung lower in the sky.
“Do you want me to put the convertible top down?” Sebastian asked.
Genevieve’s face lit up. “Really?”
“Sure.” He pulled the latch and pressed the button, and Genevieve actually giggled as the top went down behind them.
“I’ve never ridden in a convertible with the top down before?”
“You haven’t?”
“What, like it’s something everyone does?”
He laughed. “I guess not.” He’d been riding in them since he was a teenager. He’d even owned a few. So they were sort of commonplace for him. But seeing the huge smile on her face made it seem exciting and new, like the first time all over again.
She fixed her hair into a bun again as he took off. As they headed down the road, she threw her head back and raised her arms up above her head. “This is so amazing!” she cried.
He couldn’t help laughing at her enthusiasm.
“I’ve always thought it would be fun to ride in one. This is just …” She turned around, waving at a car traveling behind them.
He chuckled.
“Did you ever go on a hayride when you were a kid?” she asked.
“A hayride?” This wasn’t the first time she had jumped from one topic to another in a split second, and it fascinated him how her mind worked.
“Yeah, you know … hay bales stacked in the back of a wagon pulled by a tractor across a field or down a trail?” She was still looking all around them, taking in the sights as if she hadn’t seen them thousands of times before.
“I probably did, but I don’t remember it.”
She looked over at him then. “That’s sad. This reminds me of the way I felt on hayrides.”
He stepped harder on the accelerator. “Except this goes much faster than a tractor.”
She squealed with delight. “I don’t mean the speed. I mean just us, the road ahead, and the sky above. Nothing boxing us in.” She took a deep breath. “Smell that fresh air.”
He took in a breath and smelled nothing but manure from a nearby farm. “It’s fresh all right.”
She started giggling then and did not stop. Her laughter was contagious.
“You have such a great laugh,” he finally said when his own laughter faded.
A few final laughs trickled out of her. “So do you.”
They made eye contact, and his stomach somersaulted from the affectionate look on her face.
“Tell me more about the horse rescue. What kinds of things did you do when you were there?” he asked.
“I helped feed the horses, did any cleaning duties around the barns, whatever they needed. I especially liked spending time with the horses, though. There was one that we called Roman. He was brought there in such horrible condition—skin and bones. It was hard to believe he would survive.” A sadness crossed over her face, and he could see that there were tears forming in her eyes.
He reached across and clasped her hand in his.
She smiled over at him. “But he did survive. I had to leave before he was fully recovered, but one of the employees sent me a picture. By fall, Roman was strong and thriving. It was amazing.”
“What was the job you applied for?”
“Same as what I’m doing now. Fundraising coordinator.”