Page 90 of Home Is Where You Are

He sauntered over to me, and I took the time to take him in.

He wore a flannel with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showing off his strong biceps, and jeans that fit him like a glove. His black cowboy hat was worn and weathered, and it donned a thin layer of dirt likely from riding the ATV earlier today. Dirt and dust always flew around on the trails, often leaving everyone covered in a thin layer by the end of the day.

As he walked over to me, his eyes never left mine, a smile on his face directed solely at me. Chills covered my body even in the hot Texas sun.

He reached me and placed his hands on either side of me on the railing.

“Gentry, about last night,” I started. I needed to clear the air about Kyle.

“What about it?”

“I just wanted to see how you were feeling.”

“I thought about what you said last night after I went to bed and decided that even though the thought of you being with someone else hurt, you had every right to move on. And I trust you when you said you didn’t have strong feelings for him. I don’t want to focus on the past anymore. I want to move forward with you, butterfly.”

I took a sigh of relief that he wasn’t angry with me.

“You look beautiful today,” he said as he leaned in for a kiss.

“Not here, cowboy,” I said as I leaned back. I didn’t need any of my brothers or my father seeing him give me affection. Not when this was so new.

“I was meant to kiss you, butterfly,” he replied, causing my heart rate to rise.

“I just don’t want anyone seeing is all,” I reiterated.

“Look around. Do you see anyone?”

I took a moment to look over his shoulder in all directions, and sure enough no one was around.

Leaning back, I looked in his eyes, and said, “Kiss me, Gentry.”

He stepped in between my legs, our bodies flush together. “You have no idea what you do to me,” he whispered before his lips met mine, soft and featherlight, almost as if he was testing the waters, before he deepened the kiss. My lips parted with a sigh, giving him the chance for his tongue to dip inside. I got lost in the feeling of our bodies touching and his lips tasting me as if it were his last meal.

He pulled back and my head followed, not wanting the kiss to end.

“We have to stop, butterfly. I don’t want us to get caught. The kids will be here any minute.”

My cheeks flushed, and my lips swollen from his kiss, I bowed my head, bashful at how much I wanted the kiss to continue, consequences be damned.

“You’re right,” I said, still breathless.

“There’s more where that came from later,” he said with a wink as he stepped away.

I hopped down from the fence, brushed off the back of my jeans, and went over to the horse, gently rubbing her on the neck as she nudged my hand looking for a treat.

“Such a greedy girl.” I laughed as I pulled a sugar cube from my pocket, some left over from my morning chores.

Five kids ranging from five to eight came over with their parents, excitement all over their faces as they climbed on the bottom rail of the ring, their arms holding on to the top as they waited for instruction.

Gentry grabbed the lead on the horse and led her over to the fence, introducing the horse to the kids. I leaned back on the fence and took in the way he interacted with the kids.

He introduced the horse to them, a kind, gentle soul, and explained what they would be doing today. The kids started to cheer, but Gentry quieted them down, explaining that sudden loud noises could spook a horse if they weren’t careful.

I walked over and picked up the bucket with the brushes, passing them out to each of the kids as Gentry explained that we’d be brushing down the horse first and went over the safety measures when being around the horses.

“We never want to walk behind the horse, okay? And we always want to be gentle and kind with them,” he said, his voice soft and reassuring.

He opened the gate to the riding area, and the kids filed in, each one lining up on the side of the horse just as Gentry instructed.