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Nicole’s pulse jumped as he held his hand there, his thumb moving back and forth in an almost caress. Did he realize what he was doing to her?” She cleared her throat, taking a step away and the horse shifting with her. “So, what do I do now?”
“Now you take a hold of her mane, put your foot in the stirrup, and pull yourself up.”
She scoffed. “You want me to pull her hair? Girls don’t like having their hair pulled.”
“Don’t worry; it won’t hurt her.” He gazed at her intensely. “As for your other comment, girls do like when you pull their hair.” He paused. “It just depends on the situation.”
Nicole blushed. Mindless flirting is all this is, she thought as she placed her foot in the stirrup and pulled up. The horse’s neck jerked to the left a small bit, but otherwise it seemed unconcerned. She slipped her foot into the opposite stirrup, squirming to make herself comfortable.
“All right, ready for the next step?” Reece asked as he mounted his own horse, trotting up to her side. “You’ve got a great seat.”
Nicole smiled, figuring what the hell, flirting right back. “Thanks, yours isn’t too bad either.”
Reece didn’t miss a beat. “Tease.” She blinked at him, and he looked away, clearing his throat. “Now take the reins in each hand and thump the horse’s sides to get her moving. If you want to go left, use the left rein. Right, use the right, and if you want to stop, pull back on both reins together. Got it?”
“Yes, that sounds easy enough.” Her eyes widened. “What about galloping? I don’t want to gallop.”
He chuckled. “I don’t think we need to worry about that. Just move with the horse’s gait, and you’ll be fine.”
Nicole thumped her heels against the horse’s sides, and Beauty moved off, following behind Reece’s horse. “What’s your horse’s name?”
He called over his shoulder. “That should be a no-brainer. If your horse is named Beauty . . .”
Nicole laughed. “Your sister named your horse Beast?”
“No, this is my brother’s horse. Marcus named him Beast because he said the horse was ill-tempered.”
“Why are you riding him?”
“I can handle him when he misbehaves. He’s very good-natured. He just doesn’t like Marcus.”
“Oh,” she mumbled, remaining silent. That was the second time he’d alluded to his brother in a less than friendly tone. Did he not get along with him? Why did he allow him to be his manager if that was the case?
Her mind wandered as she followed behind Reece across the meadow grass, entering a wooded copse. She thought this would make a perfect place for an interlude, peering around to capture as much detail as she could to use in her story. She imagined her lovers galloping into the glade to hide from their pursuers. As they dismount, her hero comes to her heroine, kissing her deeply, with one thing leading to another . . .
“Nicole, are you paying attention to me?” Reece asked as he looked over his shoulder at her.
“What? I’m sorry, I was daydreaming. What did you say?”
Reece turned back, facing forward and shaking his head as he pointed to something in the distance.
Nicole came alongside him, her gaze following his pointing finger. Her eyes widened. Right before them stood the ruins of an enormous castle. “Oh my God, it’s beautiful. How old is it?”
“I’m unsure. I think my father once said it was built in the mid-1300’s and was gifted to our family after King Henry the Eighth came into power. Supposedly, my ancestors thwarted an assassination attempt, and our grateful king awarded them.”
“Wow, that’s impressive. I wonder whose estate it was before then.”
“The plotter’s, I imagine.”
She glanced at him and back to the ruins. “Can we go closer?” She hoped she didn’t sound too eager.
“If you wish, but we’ll need to be careful. I haven’t been here for some time, and the conditions have deteriorated more since then.”
“I’ll be all right.” She thumped the horse in the side, and Beauty moved off in an almost canter. Nicole bounced but remarkably kept her seat. She pulled on the reins, patting the horse on the neck in gratitude for obeying the command. “Good girl, Beauty. Thank you for stopping.”
She raised her head, looking up and up at the castle towers rising high in the air. Reece trotted up beside her. “It must have been very grand in its time.”
“I wouldn’t know. It’s always been ruins to me.”
