She shifted, sliding closer if that was even possible, but loosening her arms so they draped around his middle instead of crushing it. “I bet you had the best time growing up here.”
“Are you feeling okay back there? I think that was another compliment about the ranch.”
“I’m just saying there was probably a lot to do outside, and boys like that kind of stuff.”
“And girls don’t?”
“I’m sure plenty do, but I didn’t. I liked shopping malls and movie theaters and the library.”
“You never played outside?”
“Not really, unless it was to lie out in the sun at someone’s swimming pool.”
“No sports, either, I take it.”
“I chose to work out my brain instead. I read a lot of books, studied things I found interesting. PE was always the worst. No one ever picked me for their team, and I always came in last on things like the mile run. When it came to debate and the academic decathlon, though, everyone wanted me on their team.”
That’s pretty much how he would have pictured her. She was fit and moved with confidence, but her focus lay on mental challenges.
“I do like long walks,” she added.
He gently pulled back on the reins and pressed his leg against Magnolia’s body with subtle pressure.
“What are you doing?” Kennedy asked in a panic, obviously sensing his slight movement and not liking it.
“I’m just telling Magnolia to turn left. She takes her cues from me on which direction we should go.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“I promise you’re safe,” he said.
“I know. I trust you. Most of the time, anyway. Oh, wow, look at that.”
He let the trust thing slide and assumed she’d noticed the lake that had come into view. “That’s Boone Lake. It’s man-made and named after my great grandfather. It was originally open to the public, but about ten years ago my father closed it.”
“How come?”
“To save the fish and other wildlife that make their home there. Pollution from small boats and people’s trash was slowly killing off the ecosystem. Now it’s just for guests of the inn. And we allow only canoes or kayaks, nothing with an engine.”
“Do people swim in it?”
“They can, yes.”
He gave Magnolia the signal to turn right, and this time Kennedy did just fine with the change in direction. Her body relaxed against his, the tension that had rolled off her like a heat wave earlier lessening considerably. They moseyed in amiable silence until the trees came into view.
“The landscape here is truly breathtaking,” she said, leaning ever so slightly around him to get a better look at the valley covered in pine trees. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“It is,” he agreed. “A lot different than the city.”
“You can say that again.”
“A lot different than the city,” he repeated.
She swatted at his chest, releasing her grip on the front of his T-shirt for a second.
“Haven’t you ever ventured to the country or mountains? For a vacation or something?”
“No. We couldn’t really afford vacations when I was young, so my parents would plan staycations, and we’d go to an amusement park and museums and movies. By the time my parents could afford it, they were getting a divorce and things were different and very tense, since my mom and dad didn’t get along anymore. I actually lived with my dad while my two younger sisters stayed with our mom. My mom still hasn’t forgiven me for it, but I couldn’t handle all the bickering and meanness that came from my sister Victoria, especially after my surgery. Dad was easygoing and pretty much left me alone. Don’t get me wrong, I do love my family, but I didn’t know how to process everything that was happening, and I’ve always been fine on my own.”
They meandered down the aisles of trees, Maverick doing a quick study of each. His childhood had been vastly different from Kennedy’s. He and his siblings had kept each other company constantly, laughing and teasing far more often than fighting. His parents argued on occasion, but they loved one another fiercely to this day. He, Cole, Hunter, and Nova had fished and climbed trees and played hide-and-seek for hours. The family vacationed at mountain resorts and fancy campgrounds, tropical islands, and the jungle of Costa Rica.
“Then, when I was an adult, I didn’t have time to travel,” she continued. “Too busy with school and then my residency.”
“Does travel appeal to you?” he asked, wishing he could take the question back as soon as the words left his mouth. Travel was his and Nicole’s thing.
“Honestly, I’ve never given it much thought.”
Good answer—she didn’t have any hint of wanderlust, not like he did, and a sense of relief filled him. In less than two weeks, he’d be on an airplane to fulfill not only Nicole’s wish, but his own desire to escape, leaving behind any preoccupation with a certain ER doctor.
Chapter Eleven
Four days until the wedding
The second Kennedy’s feet were planted firmly back on the ground at the barn, she wrapped her arms around Maverick’s shoulders in thanks. “That was wonderful. Thank you!” If anyone had asked her a week ago if she saw herself riding a horse, she would have said, “Not in a million years.” Yet, here she stood, staring up into the face of a handsome cowboy after doing just that. Funny how life had a way of throwing curve balls. Thankfully, this one had turned out well.
“You’re welcome,” Maverick said, his hands on her waist, keeping them connected for longer than necessary.
Her stomach dipped. His fingers practically burned through her clothes. And his eyes held something new. Something different. She couldn’t put a name to it, only that his usual annoyance seemed to have slipped into something less indignant…and much more tender.
Was he feeling this new energy between them, too?
On a scale of one to lethal, riding a horse with her front pressed against his back, his confident, controlled stature keeping her safe, had been much more dangerous than she’d imagined. The reasons were numerous: He had muscle everywhere. He was patient. He talked to her like an equal, even though she’d never been on a horse before. He was a good listener. He wore a cowboy hat way sexier than she had known cowboy hats could be. He talked to his horse like Magnolia was his best friend. He smelled incredible.
Kennedy stopped the inner monologue there and lifted onto her tiptoes. To do what, she didn’t know, but some magnetic pull tugged her mouth closer to his.