I was barely able to get four full sentences out of my mouth before Riley was totally on board with the horseback riding idea.

Sid and I took her to a summer camp once where she was taught to ride, and she seemed to enjoy that. She'd been ten at the time, but do you really grow out of a love for ponies? I think not.

It wasn't the promise of ponies that did it, though. Being the tech-savvy dad that I am, I googled "Morrison NFL" before I brought the idea to Riley. It wasn't hard to find Jake's brother, Travis, but it was hard to find a headline that wasn't some sensationalized nonsense about a sex tape. Not something I clicked on, thank you very much. I don't care if he was a celebrity and always in the public eye, his business is his own.

But all it took was one mention of the name "Travis Morrison" and her eyes lit up. I haven't seen her that excited about anything in ages, and it made the rest of the week pass in a tranquil sort of peace because she was too focused on that to do her normal broody teenager thing.

Now that Saturday's come around, though, she's up before the dawn and ready to roll despite the fact that we aren't meeting Mr. Morrison—Jake—until nine. I make us some breakfast, resisting the urge to just head over to Gracie's Place for one of Eric's amazing omelettes, and Riley beats me to the car when it's finally time to leave.

Punching the address into my phone, I manage to find the ranch without too much trouble. The signal stutters out here, so there was a stretch of time where the GPS had no idea where I was, but thanks to Riley's excitement, we're still early.

I kill the engine and step out of the car, admiring the cozy farmhouse and the rolling green hills beyond. My quiet serenity is immediately interrupted by the sound of hell-hounds screaming into the ether.

Or a donkey braying. That's probably more likely, since there's one ambling up to us.

"Oh, how cute!" Riley says, immediately reaching out to pet it.

I have no idea if donkeys can be aggressive, but the only aggression this one seems to display is an aggressive need for ear scratches. Even I pet him, stroking his long neck and earning a few flicks of a tail for my trouble.

"I see you've met the welcoming committee," a man calls, appearing from the stable leading a golden horse.

Not Jake's brother, since he looks nothing like him. This must be the friend, then?

"I think he was trying to tell us we're way too early," I say, noticing a distinct lack of Jake or any other kids.

"Jake should be here any minute," the man reassures me. He stops the horse, then comes over and offers his hand. "You must be David? I'm Shane."

I shake his hand, grateful that everybody around here at least seems friendly. "I am, and this is my daughter Riley."

"Ah, the football star," Shane says with a grin, extending his hand to her. "Travis'll be out soon. He's excited to meet you."

"I guess that's kinda rude, huh?" she asks of her own volition, actually seeming chagrined. "I'm looking forward to riding, too. Been a while since I've been on a horse."

Our host laughs. "Believe me, I'm not offended. I need to get the other horses out, but it was good to meet you both."

Riley and I watch as he goes back into the stables and brings another horse out, this one a chestnut mare. She snorts once she's beside the golden stallion, but aside from a bit of hoof stamping, the two massive beasts keep calm.

Riley is another story.

She's trying to play it cool—I can tell she is. But she's practically vibrating with anticipation, and when a man in jeans and a t-shirt steps out of the farmhouse, I hear her make a noise that almost sounds like a squeak.

"Holy shit, I think that's him."

I squint, trying to get a better look at him. "Hard to tell. I didn't memorize his backside."

Her cheeks go beet red, and I know what's coming. "Dad!"

I feign innocence, then decide to make amends by breaking the ice and talking to him first. Before I can, I hear gravel crunching as a truck pulls up onto the property. Jake's driving, with one kid riding shotgun and two more in the backseat of the cab.

"Hey, I'm glad you could make it!" he greets us.

He smiles in an easy way that brings out the slightest hint of a dimple in his left cheek. It's such a silly thing to notice and feel weird about, but I do, and I'm glad when the kids pile out of the truck, giving me something else to focus on.

All three of them are around Riley's age, though maybe a year or two older.

"Gang, I want you to meet Riley and her dad. Riley, David, this is Julie, Robbie, and Curt. All three of them suffered through my class, so you should have a lot in common," he says with a grin.

"Oh, cool. So I can get the answers to all the tests, right?"

I'm not surprised at Riley's sense of humor—she gets it from me, unfortunately—but I do wonder how it'll be taken. Jake just laughs, and Julie smiles.

"Good luck with that," she says, so soft-spoken I can barely hear her. "He changes them every year, and locks up the answer keys."

"Wow. Harsh."

Jake just shrugs. "Making my students' lives miserable is one of the perks of being a teacher." Pausing only a beat, he looks to me and asks, "Did you get a chance to meet Travis yet?"

"Not yet. I think he's helping with the horses."

That sounds right, and it is. Shane and Travis both leave the stable a few moments later, leading horses one after the other. They share some words, then Shane goes back in while Travis walks up to greet us.

"Hey, sorry I didn't come out to meet you earlier. Still a little groggy."

To his credit, he does look like he just rolled out of bed. The stars in my daughter's eyes seem to indicate it doesn't matter, though.

"I can't believe you can sleep in on a ranch," Jake remarks. "Do I need to start doing a wakeup call?"

"I already had a wakeup call," Travis says, flashing his brother a grin. "That's why I'm late."

How would he…? Oh. But the only other person I've seen here is—Oh. Oh. Travis and Shane must be—Right. That's great! And now I'm glad I didn't have enough time to put my foot in my mouth before figuring it out.

"More than I needed to know, thanks," Jake says, clapping his brother on the shoulder. "Trav, I want you to meet David Frazier and his daughter, Riley. Riley played football for her last high school."

"That's what I heard!" Travis says with a big grin. "What position?"

"Quarterback," Riley manages, and I can tell she's fighting down nerves.

I want to be in her corner; help prop her up. Maybe boast about her a little. But I know absolutely nothing about football. The best I could do would be along the lines of, "My daughter did the thing with the ball, yay."

I'm pretty sure I'd reach pariah status for that one.

Fortunately, Riley doesn't need my help. She and Travis talk football, bandying words I've never heard back and forth. I glance to Jake and he gives me a knowing smile and a small shrug, as if to say it's all Greek to him, too.

My kid seems over the moon, though, and that's enough for me.

Shane brings the rest of the horses out, cutting their conversation a little short. He takes the reins of the chestnut mare and leads her closer.

"Julie, I know you usually ride Gloria, but do you think you could spare her for one day?"

"Sure," Julie says, offering a shy smile to Riley. "I can show you how to put her tack on if you want?"

My daughter nods, and I watch for a few minutes as she's given a crash course in horse riding. My heart stops when she puts her foot in the stirrup, but once she's safely in the saddle, it calms down.

Then I realize I'm going to have to do the same.

"Don't worry," Jake says, leaning close to me. "I'll distract them if you mess up. That way you'll have a chance to recover with your pride intact."

I can't help but laugh, even if his breath on my skin has sent gooseflesh rippling across my neck. "I appreciate it."

Somehow I manage to get up into the saddle of a calm gelding named Rico. I don't think I made an ass of myself—though everyone on the ranch probably got a good view of my ass as I tried to lift myself up using the stirrup.

Once I'm on the gelding's back, I realize just how high off the ground I am. No turning back now, though. My thighs clench around the horse's sides and I grip the reins for dear life as Shane leads us off the ranch.

Every step my horse makes bounces me in the saddle, to the point where I can practically feel my teeth rattling. The saddle sores are real; my thighs are already rubbing against the leather. It's not all that hot out, but somehow I'm still sweating.

It's a good thing I love my kid, because I'm not sure I'd ever voluntarily do this on my own.

And oh, it gets worse.

"Are you thinking of trying out for the team?" I hear Travis ask, continuing his conversation with Riley who seems way more at ease on a horse than me.

"Does GSHS have a girls' team?" I ask tentatively.

"Just JV and varsity," Travis says, "but I'd love to have you try out if you're interested, Riley."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea…" I begin. "There's a big difference between powderpuff football and a regular high school team."

I know how it sounds. And I instantly know it definitely sounds that way to everyone involved, because I get a whole round of "You didn't really just say that, did you?" looks from the peanut gallery. Even my horse seems to disdain me for that comment.

But I just can't imagine a world where Riley wouldn't get hurt playing on a team full of boys. Hormonal teenage boys who at best will consider it a pissing match and try to do everything in their power to make her quit, and at worst…

I don't want to think about at worst. There are enough statistics to paint a very vivid picture of what "at worst" entails, and it ends up with me in prison for murdering a teenage boy.

"I never understood why they call it that. Powderpuff, I mean," Julie muses, almost to herself. It breaks the very thin ice, at least. "It seems so…"

"Sexist? Like, really fucking sexist?" Riley supplies.

"Yeah. That."

"But I guess my dad doesn't think I can actually compete on the level that the boys can, so here we are."

My mouth just hangs open uselessly as she nudges her horse onward. Not totally away from the group, but well away from me. I see Julie frown and go up with her, and Shane eases up, too, so there's not much of a gap in the group anymore.

Meanwhile I'm left back here in the place reserved for fathers who don't know when to keep their mouths shut.

And to my surprise, Jake is hanging back with me. "Sooo… that was a bit of a trainwreck."

"Yes. Yes, it was."

He gives me a sympathetic look. "You're worried about her safety, right?"

"Of course I am," I say, letting out a sigh. "I know she's good enough to run circles around anyone she chooses, I just…"

He reaches out and touches my arm in a gesture I'm pretty sure is meant to comfort me. And it does, but I also feel oddly energized. My senses come alive, the same way they did when he shook my hand for the first time.

I don't know what to make of it, but it at least keeps my mind off composing my acceptance speech the award for World's Worst Dad.

"Trav wouldn't let anything happen to her, I promise."

I give him a half-hearted smile. "You both seem like good guys, but I can't bank my daughter's well-being on the hope that he'll always be around to stop anything that happens."

"Maybe I'm getting the wrong read here, but I'm pretty sure Riley can take care of herself," Jake says.

He's not wrong. But I don't want her to have to kick some asshole in the junk because he's getting too handsy in the locker room. I don't want her to be in that situation in the first place.

"I know this is the second time I've asked you to think about something, but I really think you should. Having something to focus her energy on, something she can use as an outlet for what she's feeling… I think it could be good for her."

He's trying to help, and some part of me appreciates that. The rest of me is bristling at the fact that this stranger thinks he knows how to help my daughter better than me.

I do my best to tamp those thoughts down and provide some kind of civil answer. "We'll see."

Jake hangs back, letting me have my space. Before giving up the goat completely though, he adds, "Gracie's Place, Wednesday night?"

"What?" My horse just completely stops, apparently swayed by my lack of awareness. I slam forward and try not to curse everything to do with horses.

"You said you were open to meeting up regularly. Talking about Riley's progress, strategizing. So let's do it."

I figured it would be at school, but I guess he can't give up his free period all the time just to satisfy my need to helicopter parent. Plus, I'm not sure I can say no to another excuse to go to Gracie's.

"You're not going to change my mind on this, if that's your angle."

He just smiles at me, his green eyes practically sparkling. "We'll see."