The couple hadn't had children to pass the land down to, and it would have worked out so much better for all of them. But why waste time wondering? He would never have the answer. And he was dealing with Brielle now. That's what he needed to remember.
"We all help each other out here," he said, hoping that would be good enough for her.
When she didn't question him further, he breathed out a sigh of relief. Brielle was apparently a lot more trusting than he was.
"You have really rich soils, superb pastureland, and a year-round supply of fresh water running through your land from a mountain spring." Water from that same spring also ran through his land, but he left that part out.
///
When the two of them approached some low tree limbs over the trail, Colt ducked easily and didn't think anything of it until he heard Brielle cry out. After turning in his saddle to look, he whipped his horse around, then jumped off.
Brielle was lying on the ground with a grimace of pain on her face.
"What happened?" Colt knelt down next to her and looked around for signs of a snake that might have startled her horse, or for any other reason she'd been thrown.
"I don't know," she said while trying to sit up and then wincing. That's when he noticed the rip on her jeans, and some blood on her hip. She'd landed on a jagged rock. Bending down, he examined the cut.
"It doesn't look too deep, but we need to get antiseptic on it to prevent infection. It will hurt for a few days, but other than that, it should heal fine. Let me grab some things to help clean and wrap it." He got up, went to his saddlebag, and pulled out some first-aid supplies.
His horse was trained so well that he didn't have to tie him to a tree. Shadow would stay until Colt told him to go and graze. They were so in tune with each other that the horse knew when Colt needed to ride fast and release energy or go slow and examine the land. Even the slightest of movements from Colt let his horse know what he wanted.
Returning to Brielle, Colt became suspicious when he glanced over at Bluegrass. The mare was calm and munching away on some nearby grass. The animal hadn't been spooked, so it seemed as if Brielle had simply fallen off. Why?
"Were you telling me the truth earlier? Have you ridden before?"
When her cheeks flushed and she refused to meet his gaze, Colt was furious. "You don't lie about something like that, Brielle. You could have been seriously injured, far worse than the few bumps you have right now. This land isn't smooth and it's not a trail for beginners."
"I wanted to ride, to see the land, and you never would have brought me out here if you'd known I hadn't been on a horse before," she said, her shoulders tense, her eyes determined.
He had to respect her for wanting to learn more about the area, but he didn't appreciate being lied to, especially about something so important.
"I still would have brought you out," he said, though she was probably right - he most likely wouldn't have, certainly not while she was astride her own horse.
"No, you wouldn't have. Everyone here pretends I don't even exist. I'm sick of it! I own this place and no one will let me do anything!"
Colt's anger diminished as her voice rose. Did she actually want to learn how to run this place, or was she just frustrated because she didn't know how? He was confused, and it was an emotion he wasn't used to.
So instead of facing the issue, he focused on bandaging her up. He had to think. That's the only thing that would help right now. They were about an hour away from the house now, or maybe a little more, depending on how slowly they went. And they'd gotten such a late start.
He was quiet as he finished up, and then he looked at her and took a deep breath. "You're going to have to ride on my horse on the way back."
He knew that was going to test every ounce of endurance and control he had in his body. Because now wasn't the time to see how much chemistry the two of them had together.
She gaped at him, and took in a few of her own deep breaths. "I'll be fine on my own horse."
"Sorry, Princess. You ride with me, or we both walk, and I'm telling you, we're a long way from the house if we go by foot."
He was firm, and her eyes narrowed. He knew she hated it when he called her Princess, and she also hated to be told what to do, but it was something she was going to have to get used to. She deserved that name. Besides, he had to create distance between the two of them if he was expected to ride with her pressed against him for the next hour.
"Whatever, Colt," she said at last, though her body was tense as he helped her to her feet. She was limping when he led her over to his horse, and he knew she was in more pain than she was letting on. This wasn't going to be a pleasant ride for either of them.