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“As in run?” I ask, more than a little worried.
“How about we trot?”
“Trot. Sure.”
Alex squeezes his legs, leans forward, and Guinevere moves into a trot.
“See? Easy. Now why don’t you do that with Cappuccino?” he calls out.
I follow his lead, squeezing my legs and leaning forward, and to my surprise, my horse does exactly what I want her to, although I wonder whether she’s simply keeping up with Guinevere.
We ride for some time along the palace path until we reach a wooded area.
“Almost there,” Alex says over his shoulder.
“We’re going off the path?”
“Through this thicket and out the other side. You okay with that?”
“As long as my buddy Cappuccino is okay, then I’m okay.”
But really, it’s more the way Alex is taking such good care of me that gives me confidence—although my nice, sedate Cappuccino is part of the equation, too.
We wind our way through the trees until, to my surprise, we arrive at a serene lake that mirrors the pale blue sky. It’s surrounded by lush greenery, with majestic, ancient trees standing sentinel. The air is fresh and filled with the scent of pine and wildflowers, and I breathe everything in.
This place is romantic and gorgeous and literally All. The. Things.
“Beautiful, isn't it?” Alex says.
“It's incredible. How did you even know it existed?”
“Your uncle, Nicolas, used to bring us here when we were children. I rode out here a while ago. It’s why I was almost late for your investiture at Parliament, actually. I often think of this place when life gets to be too much. I thought it might resonate with you.”
I gaze at the beauty. “It totally resonates.”
“Let’s allow the horses a drink while we sit and talk.”
“Sure.” I throw my eyes over him in his white polo shirt exposing his muscular, tan forearms, his hair a little messy from the ride, his handsome face flushed from the exercise.
How did I get so lucky? He’s one of the world's most eligible bachelors, and he wants to rush into things with me. Wonderful things.
We climb off our horses—Alex with practiced ease, and me with, shall we say, less practiced ease—and take them to the lake’s edge, where they thirstily drink water. It's a warm day and we've been riding for 20 minutes or more. After they've had their fill, we tie them up in the shade, and find a log to sit on in full view of the sparkling lake.
I lean back against Alex’s firm chest and he encircles me with his arms. It feels so good, so right, and as I breathe in the fresh pine-scented air, all I can hear is the gentle lapping of the lake's water against its shore, birds singing harmoniously in the trees, and the rustle of leaves, stirred by the soft breeze.
“This is heavenly. Thank you so much for bringing me here. I love it.”
He places a soft kiss on the top of my head. “I wanted to share it with you before you found it of your own accord.”
“You know, this is the first time I’ve been on a horse since my mom died? She was an incredible rider. We used to go on these treks together, just her and me. Nothing long. Just an afternoon. It was a lot of fun.”
“Do you remember much about her?”
“Some. Not as much as I’d like. I’ve got pictures and videos of her, of course, and they kind of got merged in my brain with my memories, so much so I don’t know if I remember something for real, or if it’s just from a picture.”
He strokes my arm. “That must be hard.”
I turn to look at him, propping myself up with an arm. “Do you remember my mom?”
