When It's Right(62)
She reached up to touch the clip, but her hand settled over his. Electricity snapped between them. The moment stretched, but he didn’t make a move to kiss her, despite how desperately he wanted to. Right now, they both needed to feel that pulse and buzz between them. Whatever upset her earlier waned from her eyes. They softened and filled with a longing he hoped one day soon she’d allow herself to act on. Right now, he’d promised her time and space, and taking things slow. One step at a time. Today, they’d ride and spend time alone together. He told himself it was enough. But he wanted more.
“Remember everything I taught you on our last ride?”
“Yes.”
Blake took her by the hips and lifted her into the saddle.
“That’s not how you taught me to mount the horse.”
Blake smiled but didn’t say anything. He handed her the reins and mounted his own horse. No need to coax her; Gillian gave her mount a soft kick and took the path to the right and across the backside of the property. “Relax in the saddle, or your ass will be sore from all that bouncing.”
Gillian caught herself. Tense. On edge. It took her a few minutes to let loose and settle into the ride.
They didn’t speak for a good long time. The ranch buildings disappeared behind them. When they hit a long open space, Gillian kicked her horse into a gallop and took off. His mind took him back to another time he’d chased after a girl on a horse. His stomach tied in knots. Nervous, scared she might hurt herself, he let loose his reins, and his horse took off after hers. She slowed a ways up, and he walked beside her. She smiled and let out a huge sigh.
“That is so much fun.”
Her happiness helped release the tension in his gut. “Yes, it is. I used to love to race my brothers.”
“Is that what made you want to train racehorses?”
“My dad runs a cattle ranch. I hated working with the cattle. They’re slow, unruly beasts. Horses have personality. My dad saw how much I liked the horses, so he put me in charge of them. I spent hours training them.”
“You were born to ride.”
“I love it. The faster the better.”
“What else did you like to do with your brothers?”
“Everything. Fishing, riding, rodeoing, campouts. This one time, we scared the pants off Dane. He must have been about eight. It was his first time coming with us. Just us boys. Our parents stayed home. We pitched a couple of tents in the west pasture in the trees by the river. I’m sure my dad checked up on us, but we thought we were alone. We had a campfire and told ghost stories. Dane went to bed that night shaking in his boots. About an hour after lights out, we started making all kinds of noises. Gabe rattled one of the horse bridles. Caleb moaned and groaned like a ghost. I used a branch to poke at the outside of Dane’s tent to make him think someone was outside.”
“Not nice.”
“He was the youngest, a tag-along. Call it an initiation. He spent every waking moment trying to be like us. It was our way of toughening him up.”
Gillian shook her head with a slight smile on her lips. She got it.
“So we up the freaky noises and rattle his cage even more until he can’t take it. He runs out of his tent screaming for Gabe, hoping big brother will save him. He runs into the three of us and gets us back good.”
“What did he do?”
“Spewed hot dogs, soda, and s’mores all over our feet.”
“Ah, yuck!” Gillian laughed. The sound made his heart melt. “You’re joking.”
“No joke. He fell to his knees, sick and frightened. Gabe picked him up and took him to the river’s edge. We cleaned him up and our shoes. We all slept in Gabe’s tent the rest of the night.”
“You felt bad.”
“We wanted to scare him, not make him sick. Tormenting our little brother is one thing. Hurting him is another. He never tattled on us. When our parents asked if we had a good time, he said he loved it and couldn’t wait to go again.”
“Did you take him with you the next time?”
“Always. We still picked on him. He’s our little brother, but we never tortured him again. The thing is, he toughened up real quick. He gave as good as he got. In fact, he loved getting over on his big brothers.”
“Did your parents ever find out what happened?”
“Dad never said anything, but everyone except Dane had extra chores that week.”
“He was watching over you guys.”
“Always.”
“Did you guys ever fight?”
“Lots. But nothing that couldn’t be fixed with an ‘I’m sorry.’”
“Not even over a girl?”
“Unspoken rule. One of us liked a girl, she was hands-off for all the others. Not that we ever really liked the same girls. We’re all two years apart, so there was enough separation in age and school grades to keep things easy.”