Page 2 of Fern’s Date with Destiny (Heart Falls Vignette and Novella Collection #4)

Fern stopped a foot away, examining him and the horse with equal interest. “Home, coughing up a lung,” she said with a sympathetic grimace. “Rose called and said Tansy’s down for the count but insisted I come anyway.”

Cody’s mouth worked for a second then settled on a slow, careful smile. “So, you and me today, huh?”

Her grin widened, and she rocked back on her heels. “If you don’t mind. I promise not to talk your ear off. If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.”

Something warm trickled through his chest, a quiet spark that made him feel about five years younger.

“I don’t mind at all,” he said.

It took barely any time to get ready to go as one of the Red Boot ranch hands walked out the big sorrel gelding he’d planned for Tansy to ride.

Cody tied Buttercup to the railing so he could move in to help. “This is Lonesome Charlie. Need a hand up?”

“Please and thank you,” Fern said, already stepping close. He caught her waist, warm and slender, and hoisted her up smooth as silk. She settled as if she belonged there, adjusting her reins with easy competence.

Her eyes were so full of mischief it tugged at the edges of his composure. “See? Destiny’s helping already. If Tansy was here, I’d have had to haul myself up like a spider monkey.”

Cody barked out a laugh. “I somehow doubt you’ve ever looked awkward in your life.”

Her lashes fluttered dramatically. “Flattery from a ranch foreman? Be still my heart.”

He watched her a second longer than necessary before clearing his throat. “You look comfy up there. Ride much?”

Fern shot him a pleased smile. “Not as much as I’d like. Our family’s been friends with the Stone family since way back, so I used to ride with their youngest son, Dustin. My oldest sister married one of the Stone brothers, and I sneak a ride at Silver Stone at times. But not often enough.”

“Well,” Cody said, swinging up onto Princess Buttercup beside her, “we’ll fix that today.”

He led Buttercup forward, careful to keep the horses close but not crowding. Fern adjusted her reins, posture loose and confident. She used the crook of her left arm to pinch the loop while changing the grip on her right. It worked just fine, and Cody relaxed a little more.

Riding always meant being adaptable, and it appeared Fern had things well under control.

“So, Mr. Gabrielle,” she said, voice teasing as they set off with the horses at an easy walk. “How’s life treating you these days? The ranch looks as if it’s still standing. Your brother behaving himself?”

He snorted. “Chance is as happy as a clam, though he’d call me a ‘clueless gobshite’ if I told him that. Ranch is steady. Bosses are good people. No complaints.”

Fern leaned a bit closer. “Any secret ranch gossip to share?”

He snorted. “Wouldn’t be a secret long if I told you, now, would it?”

“Fair enough.” She hummed under her breath, gaze sweeping the open fields as if she was absorbing every square inch. “I like it out here. Quiet, but not lonely, you know?”

He did. More than he could say without sounding like a sap.

She peeked at him sideways. “So. Since I know your brother and my sister are gaga over each other, it seems I should know this next bit. What about you? Are you seeing anyone special?”

The question was light, playful, but it hit a spot he hadn’t expected. Cody considered a moment before answering.

“Seeing someone. Kind of,” he admitted. “She’s out east. Long-distance thing. Not serious yet, but…we’ll see.”

He felt rather than saw the shift beside him. Fern’s energy didn’t dim so much as redirect, pivoting from playful flirt to something brighter and more purely friendly. She laughed lightly, flicking him a grin.

“Well then. Good for you, and good luck. If it’s meant to be, I’m sure all the distance in the world won’t keep you apart. Destiny doesn’t care about your GPS location.”

Cody chuckled despite himself.

They rode another hour through the soft rustle of grass and the hush of wind through pine trees. Fern talked about her sisters, her part-time jobs, and her recent graduation from tech design school.

He told her about the horses, the ranch, and was shocked to find himself mentioning the quiet weight of being the man everyone counted on, even if he didn’t say it quite like that.

He deliberately made sure to say nothing about the hollow spot that had been growing in his chest for months. The one her laugh and lilting voice filled, if only for a while.

When they made it back to the arena, Fern swung down on her own with a triumphant little whoop , landing lightly in the dust.

“Thanks for letting me steal your morning,” she said, patting Lonesome Charlie’s flank with a competent ease. “Not what either of us planned, huh?”

“Nope.” Cody tied off Buttercup and found himself smiling at her. Really smiling, no half-measures. “But I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Fern’s smile sparkled, wide and certain. “Told you. Destiny always knows what she’s doing.”

He didn’t argue. He didn’t dare.

Because maybe destiny really did know best. Which meant maybe he should be fool enough to trust her.

First, though, he had a lot of thinking to do.