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then quickly looked back just in time to see the cowboy go flying off the back of the horse. Evan was stunned; sure the man was injured and wondering why no one was rushing to help him.
    To his surprise, the man picked himself up out of the dirt, wiped the dust from his pants and shook his head, smiling as he made his way back to the others as the horse continued to run along the far side of the corral.
    "That's insane." Evan turned back to Travis. "Don't they get hurt?"
    Travis shook his head. "Think we had one break an arm about ten years ago. You learn how to fall. Besides a few bruises and a crushed ego, he will be fine."
    "You don't let Jason ride those do you?" He watched as another cowboy caught the horse and led it back over to where the others were.
    "Oh, no. He loves to watch them work with the horses, but he has his own horse for riding." He nodded his head toward another corral. "Come on, I'll show you."
    Evan followed Travis across the yard, trying not to notice how his muscled body pressed against the pale green t-shirt he had changed into. Once to the corral, they both leaned up against the rails and Travis whistled.
    Three horses came running toward them. Evan pushed back, taking a step away as they neared.
    "No reason to worry with these three. They are tame. This is Tiko. She is Jason's." He reached out and ran his hand down the nose of the palomino. "I gave him his choice of two of these, he picked her. I would trust any of these three with him, but this guy is mine." He brushed his cheek against the horses head. "This is Fire."
    Evan moved back to the horses, lifting his hand to caress Tiko. "Do you guys ride often?"
    Travis nodded. "A few times a week. When I have something to check, Jason will ride out with me. He's learning fast how to handle a horse. The first couple times I made him ride with me, but now, with a horse as good as Tiko, he can ride alone. Tiko just follows me, so it's not like Jason could get lost." Travis smiled at him. "You can join us one night if you like, see how well he does."
    Evan wasn't supposed to get involved this way. His job was to watch, investigate and give his report. Participating in the family's daily life was not part of that, but part of him longed to join them and enjoy a nice ride one evening. He shook his head. "I haven't been on a horse in years. Might not be such a good idea."
    Travis turned, resting his back against the bars and lifting one foot up on the bottom rung, his arms spread out at his sides against the top one. "What better way to show you that Jason is safe? If you can handle these horses, he should be able to, right?"
    Evan didn't miss the playful challenge in Travis's deep brown eyes. He brushed his hand through his light brown hair, meeting Travis's gaze straight on. His pulse skipped and he swallowed hard. "That is true." He glanced back at the horses. "I really shouldn't. I'm not sure it's proper for me to get that involved in a case."
    Travis nodded. "Well, then how about unofficially? You can come out when you're not working and go for a ride with us. There is an area to the south where the deer come down in the evenings. I thought I would take Jason out there and let him see them. You could join us one night this week if you want."
    This was a mistake. He could get in a lot of trouble by spending unofficial time with someone he was supposed to be investigating. He hardly knew Travis and Jason, and it was crazy to trust anyone when he was working on a case, but he did. He trusted Travis and believed that so far everything he had heard was the truth. "You sure I wouldn't be in the way?"
    Travis shook his head as one of the horses laid its head over his shoulder and nudged him. "Not at all. To be honest, you would be doing me a favor. I love Jason and all, but it would be nice to have some adult conversation on the ride. I can only talk about the newest Lego set or his favorite cartoon so much. We could pack a few sandwiches or something and eat