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“I agree.”
“Wonderful.” Tara smiled in triumph.
The moon resembled a giant silver dollar in the eastern sky, its light so strong that any point in the landscape cast a shadow, including the two riders cantering their horses across the grass plains. The rhythmic cadence of pounding hooves, the belly grunts of the horses, and the occasional creak of saddle leather were the only sounds to be heard in the hushed night.
Cresting a rise in the undulating prairie, Laura reined her horse down to a walk. Sebastian checked his own mount and swung in alongside of her. Hatless, Laura wore her hair in a French braid that ended in a queue between her shoulders. The play of moonlight over the planes and angles of her face enhanced the classic perfection of her profile.
With an effort, Sebastian dragged his gaze from her and made a sweep of the unbroken land before them. “It would be remarkably easy to believe we are the only two on earth.”
“Very easy,” Laura agreed. “I love riding at night.”
“Really? And I was convinced you favored places that were loud and crowded.”
“Usually. It depends on my mood.” She lifted her gaze to the immense sky and its incredible encrusting of stars. “You must admit there’s a definite magic to this night. There must be a million stars up there, all of them so far away, yet they seem close enough to touch.”
“Indeed.” But it was Laura he wanted to touch.
“You get a feeling of peace, don’t you?” She studied the glittering canopy above them and let a little sigh slip out. “I guess that appeals to me tonight.”
“Yes, it tends to make the troubles at the Mitchells’ seem like a bad dream,” Sebastian said, following his own train of thought.
With a downward dip of her chin, Laura angled a glance his way, something light and teasing in her eyes. “Did I mention that my grandfather thinks you are a good influence on me?”
“Which is undoubtedly the reason you are convinced age has impaired his judgment.”
Her laugh was soft and musical, in perfect harmony with the surrounding hush. “How astute. Are you that quick in court?”
“A solicitor doesn’t argue cases in court. That is the role of a barrister.”
“I believe you told me that once before. Oh, look. A falling star.” She pointed to a white scratch in the sky an instant before it vanished from sight. “Did you make a wish?”
“It went too quickly.”
“They always do.”
A coyote yipped somewhere off to the east, an eerie sound in the quiet land. Sebastian’s horse swiveled an ear in its direction but never changed the pace of its steady walk. Turning in the saddle, Sebastian rested a hand on the cantle and looked behind them. The buildings of the ranch headquarters had long ago disappeared from view. Only a faint glow in the distance remained to suggest its location.
Facing the front again, he remarked, half in jest, “I hope you know where we are.”
“I do. See that dark line of trees over there?” She nodded to the southwest. “That’s the river we crossed when we left the ranch yard. It makes a big, sweeping curve to the south. All we have to do is follow it and it will lead us home.”
“Upstream or downstream?”
“Downstream. Worried about getting lost, are you?” Laura said with a laugh.
“No, but I like to be prepared.”
“Don’t tell me you were a Boy Scout.”
“Sorry, no.”
After a short run of silence, Laura remarked. “It’s a warm night. Usually it cools off after the sun goes down. It might be cooler by the river. Let’s ride that way.” She laid the reins against her horse’s neck, pointing it toward the dark line of trees, and tossed a challenging look at Sebastian. “Race you there.” She dug her heels into her horse’s side. It shot forward, reaching a full gallop in two strides.
Sebastian gave chase, bending low in the saddle, urging his horse on. The river was less than a quarter mile distant. Laura’s horse was in the lead by a nose when she checked its headlong pace and reined it away from the treed bank. Sebastian broke in the other direction and circled his horse back to join up with her.
“I won.” There was laughter in her eyes and in her face, a glowing joy from within that only added to her natural beauty.
“A head start and a lighter weight in the saddle might have had something to do with that,” Sebastian suggested with a grin.
