“You ready?” he asks.
“As I’ll ever be.”
I’m wearing gloves, so my hands won’t slip when I reach up and grab ahold of the pommel. He helps me, hoisting me up, and before I know it, I’m sitting in the saddle. It feels like I’m about a million miles off the ground.
Funny, since Paxton’s horse is even taller than mine. The sleek black horse, who now looks eager to get a move on. Paxton has more patience.
“Now, we’ll take it slow. When you want to move, press your heels against her flanks. She’ll know what to do.”
At least one of us will. I do as he said, touching my heels to the horse’s sides, and she takes off at a steady walk. Even that seems too fast for me right now, and I can’t help but squeal in surprise.
Paxton chuckles. “See? You’re a natural.”
“You’re lying, but thank you.”
We share a laugh as he falls in step beside me. We let the horses walk for a while until I feel a little more comfortable before picking up the pace ever so slightly.
“Up ahead, over in that direction, is Preston’s house.” Paxton points toward the right, where I can just make out a building on the horizon. He then points toward the left. “And that’s where my other brother Porter lives with his wife and their twins.”
“It really is nice that you all live so close to each other. As an only child, when I was young, I used to dream about having brothers and sisters.”
“Meanwhile, I used to sometimes wish I were the only child,” he confesses. “It wasn’t easy, being the oldest with those two tagging along and making life miserable.”
“Isn’t that what little brothers are supposed to do? It’s, like, their job or something, right?”
“It would seem that way.”
“You get along now?”
“For the most part. We all have fairly strong personalities, so it’s not always easy. I’m sure if Mama were still around, she would knock our heads together and tan our hides. We would probably even deserve it.”
It’s clear, the affection in his voice when he speaks of his family. All families have difficulties, I know.
“Do you work together? I mean, like, on the ranch?”
“No. I only train the horses when I have time. The oil is our real business, so most of the time, we’re all in the office together.” His jaw tightens. He seems to go somewhere else for a minute as he stares off at the horizon.
“I’m sorry,” I stammer. “I didn’t mean …”
He firmly shakes his head. “No, you don’t have anything to apologize for. It’s just that we don’t share the same ideas when it comes to business. I don’t doubt they take their job seriously, and I know they want what’s best in the end for the family name. That doesn’t mean we agree when it comes to the method of getting where we want to go.”
“Where do you want to go?”
This earns me a snicker. “You’re very inquisitive today, not that I’m complaining.”
My cheeks go red, and it isn’t the sun doing it. “Really, if I’m being pushy, tell me to stop asking, and I’ll stop.”
“I don’t want you to stop asking.”
I shoot him a look out of the corner of my eye.
“Really.” He laughs. “Yes, I suppose it sounds like I don’t enjoy talking about these things, but I do. It’s just that not many people ever want to know about the things you’re asking questions about. They’re too busy asking other things.”
“Like what?”
“For starters, why aren’t you married with children yet?” Even if I couldn’t see his face, I would know from the sour tone in his voice just how he feels about that. “Don’t get me wrong. I like children very much, but I won’t marry some woman and bang out a bunch of kids just for the sake of making people happy. They make it sound like it’s all about securing the family’s future, and maybe it is. But it’s also my life. I don’t appreciate having my life dictated to me.”
“We agree on that,” I assure him.
He smiles. “I could guess that on my own, without you telling me.”
“Oh, yeah? Am I that easy to read?”
“You do things your own way. Maybe that’s part of what attracted me to you in the first place. I admire that.”
It’s my turn to snicker since I definitely do not feel that way about myself. “What makes you say that?”
“Well, you decided you wanted a certain career, and you went for it. I might not know very much about the publishing world, but I do know it’s not usually as simple as writing a book and having it become a best seller. You could’ve listened to people who told you it was impossible, but you didn’t. You went for it anyway.”
He has a point, but still.
“Yeah, and I let my editor tell me how to work if I expect to keep that career. I mean, you know the whole story now. Does dating random men for the sake of writing books about them strike you as the actions of someone who’s a rugged individualist?”
“I think you’re too hard on yourself.”
“You can join the club on that one.” It’s easier to ride when we’re having a conversation. I don’t have to focus on how nervous it makes me to have hundreds of pounds of horseflesh between my thighs.
“Here’s the thing. Now that my father has deemed me worthy of being part of the business end of things, I’m picking up a lot of knowledge. Sometimes, we have to pivot in a direction we didn’t foresee in order to keep things on track. Only fools dig their heels in and insist on having everything their way. That’s something I’m starting to learn.”
From the tone in his voice to the way he almost spits out his words, I’m guessing he doesn’t like the lesson.
Which is why I change the subject—and fast. “How many horses do you have? I saw the barn as we were passing by.”
His face lights up. Clearly, this is what he would rather talk about. “Aside from the few workhorses and the dozen in training, I have Star here and Sadie. They’re just for riding. Sightseeing, getting some fresh air. They already did more than their fair share of work and deserve a nice retirement.”
“What do you think, girl? Are you liking your retirement?” I pat her neck. Is that what it’s called? I have no idea. Maybe I should’ve learned a little bit before I flew out here.
In the blink of an eye, everything changes.
Sadie jumps in fear, and I have to hold on with my thighs as tight as I can to keep from getting thrown off her back. I barely have a chance to understand what spooked her before a gunshot cracks through the air, making her jump again and rear up on her hind legs.
This time, I can’t hold on. The next thing I know, I’m flat on my back on the ground.
This is it. I’m about to get trampled. Grandmother’s warnings race through my head—like, even now, my subconscious can’t wait to say it told me so.
Instinct makes me roll to the side, away from the horses. There’s dust in my hair, all over me, and I cough until it hurts. But at least I’m still alive.
“Oh my God, Kitty!” Paxton hovers over me moments later. “Are you okay? Say something.”