“It really is,” he says from beside me. “No matter where I am, this is always going to be home.” I look over at him and wonder how many other places he has. When he took me out to the barn yesterday and told me about his ex, I was floored. Did it bother me that he loved someone else? No. Did it bother me that he got hurt? One hundred percent yes. I never wanted him to feel that hurt. He doesn’t deserve it, especially when he loves with his whole heart. As he told the story, you could just hear how his heart shattered all those years ago. But then when he got to the end, you saw that it made him the man he is today, and no one can take that from him.
“You’re just like an onion,” I say right when we get to the barn, and he opens the door. “So many layers to you.”
He laughs at me. “I’ll start the coffee.” I watch him walk to the kitchen, and I take a minute to watch his perfect ass before I walk over to Lady Princess.
“Good morning, girl,” I say, putting out my hand, and she comes to me. The horse beside her sticks out her nose. “Does someone else want attention, too?” I laugh and walk over to the horse. Her brown coat shines under the soft light from her stall. “Good morning to you, too.” I rub her nose, and she breathes out. “Now, now,” I say, rubbing her side. “Don’t be all cranky.”
“She likes you.” I hear him from behind me.
“I like her, too,” I admit. “She’s a beauty.”
“She doesn’t like anyone.” He laughs. “She tried to buck me off her just yesterday.”
“Well, maybe you need to listen to her for a change and not just order her around.” I shrug my shoulders, then look back at the horse. “Isn’t that right, girl? You need to be listened to and not ordered around.”
“Do you want to ride her?” he asks. When I turn to him, I can’t even hide the smile on my face as I nod my head. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning coming down and seeing all the gifts on my wish list.
“You see that right there?” He points at me. “That’s the best smile you got.” I look down and then up. “Your whole face lights up. It goes from your lips to your cheeks to your eyes.” I shake my head, and he just watches me. “You’re beautiful.” His voice goes even lower, and I look down. I’ve been told I’m beautiful my whole life from as far back as I can remember, but the way he said it—the softness to his words and the way he looked straight into my eyes—is something I’ve never had. “Let’s get you saddled.” He turns away just in time for me to wipe away the lone tear that sits at the corner of my eye.
He walks to the side and grabs a saddle, then comes over. Opening the stall, he goes inside, and the horse backs away. “It’s okay,” he whispers, and she finally lets him tie the saddle on her. “There you go,” he says softly and walks her out toward the front of the barn, holding her reins.
We walk out of the barn door toward the enclosed fence part. You can see from the worn grass in a circle how much the horses have been ridden in here. “Let’s get you on her.” He looks at me. I put one foot in the stirrup and pull myself up, without his help, and I’m happy that I didn’t embarrass myself by falling on my face. “So you have done this before.” He winks at me, taking her by her reins and walking her around the enclosed area. She walks perfect while he holds her, then after the third round, he looks at me. “Let’s see how she takes to you, and if she’s good, we can open it up and you can take her out into the field.”
“I think she’s going to be fine.” I lean over and pet her while I whisper into her ear. “Isn’t that right, girl? You’re the boss, so you tell me where to go.” It’s like she understands me because she blows out again.
He walks over to the other white fence and opens it, the reins still in his hands. “If at any time you feel like she is going to buck you off, just say the word.”
“Oh, a safe word.” I wink at him. “Didn’t think you had it in you, cowboy. I mean, I thought you did, but now it’s going to be making out even better.”
“That mouth of yours is going to get you in a whole heap of trouble.” The way he looks at me, I know that he means every single word. I also know that what he’s going to do with me is going to have me begging him to come back and do it again.
“I have to know. Is the saying ‘save a horse, ride a cowboy’ actually ever used?” He just glares at me. “I mean, I’ve never met a cowboy, so I’ve never actually had the opportunity to ask.”
“You want to find out that meaning, then all you have to do is get ready to ride,” he says, making my whole body tingle. I swear, this time I can’t even hide the shiver that runs through me. I’m about to say something when I feel eyes on me. I turn around, thinking someone else walked into the pen with us, but there is no one. I turn to the right, and all I see are the heavy wooded trees and the little light that is coming from the trees. I turn around right and left and see nothing, but something is there. I don’t know what it is, but I feel it. “What’s wrong, darlin’?” he asks, and I turn to him.
I contemplate not telling him about it so I don’t ruin the mood, but I know that I could be putting him in danger also. “It’s the craziest thing.” I start as I look around again. “But I feel like I’m being watched.” I try to play it off by shaking my head and faking a smile. “It’s silly, I know,” I say, and he just nods. When I start to trot around with her, though, the feeling is even more; so much so the hair stands up behind my neck.
Chapter Eighteen
Casey
“It’s the craziest thing, but I feel like I’m being watched.” She shakes her head. “It’s silly, I know.” My body goes on high alert, and I stop myself from doing the only thing I want to do, which is grab her off the horse and put her on lockdown until this shit is over. Instead, she trots off, and I grab my phone to send Derek a text right away.
Me: I want the feeds from the cameras surrounding the barn in five minutes.
Now here I am, watching the girl who has me all in knots, literally in knots. The need to keep her safe almost consumes me more than anything I know. “Thata girl,” she says as she gallops past me on the horse. I’m impressed that Lady M hasn’t tried to buck her off. She rides with ease, and it’s the hottest thing I have seen in the longest time.
“How’re you feeling?” I ask when she nears me. Her smile lights her whole face up again, and the only thing I can think is that I want to keep that smile on her face all the time.
“Amazing.” Her voice comes out breathless. “I forgot how much I love riding.”
“Then why did you stop?” I ask, curious about everything.
“My mother thought I spent too much time with my horse and not enough time with my pageant lessons.” She shrugs. “It was more important to learn how to walk with a book on my head than to learn how to ride a horse,” she says. At first, I think she’s joking, but her face is serious. The smile is gone, and in its place, is the look she gets when she’s sad. After watching her for the past couple of weeks, I know her happy face, her sad face, and her irritated face. I also know her smiles, and the one that lights up her face is my favorite.