“Morning!” I head over squinting just to take in her full glory. “It’s time to give you a proper welcome to the Golden Oaks Ranch.”
“Are all these horses yours?” She gives a little hop and almost slips on the icy terrain. The snow is still stacked on the lower bows of the evergreens but for the most part it’s been cleared off the main thoroughfares.
“Not a single one. I rent out the stables.”
“Well, since there’s a shortage of horses, looks like I’ll have to ride a cowboy.” She swings her body around mine in a violent hug, and I groan as she casually socks me in the nuts with her knee. “Am I looking at the stud I’m going to saddle up on? I figured the mental imagery of my body restrained, spread eagle over your bed, all that talk about riding crops might have gotten you in the mood to bump up our play date.” Her cool fingers glide over my brow. A peaceable look crosses her features for a moment as if everything else were simply an act.
“Not today.” I nod toward the stable. “We have permission to ride. Let’s take a couple of these bad boys for a spin. Shall we?”
Marley and I get situated and start in slow as her horse follows mine toward the ravine at the base of the property. Thirty-five acres of ranchland sounds like a hell of a lot, but most of it is either up or down hill, depending how you look at it. Not buildable but beautiful. God’s country. The snow is starting to melt, creating a muddy wash near the bottom.
I stop over by the anemic stream and help Marley off her horse.
“Did you like that?” The urge to plant a kiss over the top of her head comes, and I manage to resist. It feels natural like this with Marley. It feels more than natural for me to want to kiss her.
“Are you kidding? This morning I would have rather gouged my eyes out with a fistful of number two pencils than piled on a mustang, but it turns out I loved it!” She gives a little hop while taking off her gloves.
A part of me demands to be disappointed that she loved it, but I’m quick to push that version of myself off a mental cliff. I’m glad she enjoyed it. This is a part of my life, and I’d like to share it with her on an ongoing basis. Not sure if it’s a reality but maybe after she comes out of her boyfriend-bashing stupor, she’ll want to be friends. I’d like that. I’d like more than that, too.
“Really?” My arms land over her shoulder. “Most girls I bring don’t really think too highly of the experience.”
“That’s because you’ve been dabbling in the wrong kind of girls. Speaking of girls, I ran that little business manifesto by Baya, and she thinks you’re a genius.” Her arms circle my waist as we meander toward the creek.
“Do you think I’m a genius?” For whatever reason my ego is craving that extra stroke.
“I’ll wait until night one to decide.”
A caustic laugh boils from me. “Come night one, you’ll be nominating me for the Nobel Peace Prize.”
“Nobel, huh?” She purrs into me, her face inching closer to mine. “I was sort of hoping you were the polar opposite of peaceful. Do they have a prize for discord?”
“I get it, you like a little chaos beneath the sheets.”
“That’s right, boss—and don’t forget it.”
I wince at the moniker.
“Did I strike a nerve?” She touches my lips with her finger. “Let me guess. You prefer the term ‘professor.’”
“That’s one position I can’t get fired from.” Monica runs through my mind, and I shuttle her right back out. “Tell me something about yourself.” I wrap my arm around her waist and start us on a meandering walk following the stream.
“I’m a transvestite, so you’ll have a bit of a surprise ‘night one’—a treat, depending how you feel about it.”
“I’m not laughing. Something else.”
“I like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain.”
“Now that I can get into.”
“Yeah, but I actually like the thought of making love at all hours, so I’m not so much a purist when it comes to my seventies music.”
I pull her in with a silent laugh. “Point taken, and I like your version better. You like sushi?”
“Love it, why? You about to catch a fish with your bare hands and serve it to me raw?”
A deep belly laugh pulses from me. I haven’t felt this relaxed around a woman in a long time. “Thanks, I needed that.”
“No, I’m serious.” She wraps her other arm around me as we continue our trek downstream. “You’re like superman. You’re good at everything. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if you stuck your hands in that freezing water and came up with a trout the size of my arm. It’s sort of a you thing to do.”