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She gasped. Maybe she thought I was joking. But I liked being in control and, right now, this horse could assume control at any minute. I was far from joking.
“What do you love about riding?” I asked.
A smile teased her lips, which distracted me from the beast beneath me. “I love going fast and having the wind in my hair, of course. But honestly, it’s so much more than that. I have a connection with my horse, Java. He’s the only one who knows all my secrets.” She winked, but I could tell she wasn’t really joking.
“This is great. Thank you. I needed this. It’s nice to know I can have a taste of Kentucky in Ireland.”
I realized I was becoming mesmerized by this woman as she told me a few more reasons she loved riding. She could talk about kitchen appliances and make it sound interesting to me. Of course, it was the passion in her eyes and the sound of her voice that captivated me. The way she felt about horses was how I felt about fighting. Too bad my passion was fecked up.
“Adam!” It took me a second to recognize Jenna’s voice. She began to scream.
Jenna’s horse was up on its hind legs, startled by something.
“Jenna!” I yelled as her horse came back to all fours but launched into a full run.
One of the owners snapped into motion, prepared to go after Jenna, but I needed to do something, too. My ankles tapped at the sides of the horse, motioning to go faster.
“I’ve got this,” Anna called, pulling ahead of me.
“Come on!” I tried to catch up as the massive animal beneath me pounded hard, but still trailed behind Anna.
Anna was now at Jenna’s side, riding fast to stay abreast of Jenna’s horse. I couldn’t get quite close enough to make out what she was doing, but somehow she was calming the horse down. I was incredibly impressed and relieved.
Anna reached for the reins of Jenna’s horse and began to slow down.
When I approached them, Jenna was already standing, shaking a little. “You okay?” I jumped off my horse and came to her. The rest of the group had gathered around, including Marie and her husband.
“That was wild, Anna! You’re like a real cowgirl!” Chloe exclaimed from atop her horse.
“My horse got spooked about something,” Jenna said through chattering teeth.
“Sorry, my dear,” the owner said.
“I’m okay. Thanks to Anna.”
Anna blushed. “It was no big deal.”
“Thank you,” I told Anna as we started back for the stables, my heart still a bit wedged in my throat.
“Of course.” Her lips slanted into a shy smile then she trotted ahead, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her back as she moved.
“That was savage!” Conor came up to us and clapped his hands together once we were at the stables. “Can we come back again next year?”
“You’re not afraid after what happened?” Anna, now on her feet, came around next to Conor and Jenna.
“No way. Are you, Jenna?” Conor turned toward Jenna, who still looked a little shocked.
“I absolutely want to come back.” Jenna winked at me.
“Well, then, I think we can make this a regular trip.” I got down off the horse and patted her dark brown mane.
“Can you watch the kids at lunch while I grab a shower?” Anna asked me a minute later while waving a hand in front of her chest. “I smell horrible.”
“I think you smell pretty damn good,” I couldn’t help but respond.
“Well, compared to you, I guess so.” A beautiful smile graced her face, one that met her stunning green eyes.
“Don’t encourage me, love. I might try and join you in the shower.”
