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The streets were lined with people. Everyone had come out today to watch the parade. Ivy remembered seeing it as a child and how special it seemed. It was a big event for Rosewood. She remembered thinking that the Miss Rosewood winner always looked like a fairy princess with her sparkling tiara and puffy gown. She loved watching the fire truck go by with its lights flashing and a Dalmatian barking from the cab. She would wave frantically at her dad as the band marched past them. Her mom always bought her popcorn from the street vendor to eat while she watched.
Those were great memories. It was kind of funny to think that now she was in the parade as a special guest. She’d ridden on a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but somehow this was more important.
“Don’t forget to smile and wave,” Blake reminded her.
She had been so distracted by her thoughts and controlling the horse that she wasn’t doing either. Ivy smiled her biggest smile and held the reins in one hand while she waved at the people lining the streets. Willow seemed content to plod along at a snail’s pace, and for that, Ivy was thankful. They had a straight shot past the courthouse.
The crowd got denser as they reached the square. Ivy could pick out a couple of the photographers from LA mixed in with the residents and visitors. She smiled and waved just like she was supposed to. Hopefully that would be a good shot to promote the concert and the fund-raiser. Nothing scandalous. Nothing embarrassing.
And then she heard it.
There was a loud bang and a flash of light near the ground. Her heart leaped in her chest just as the horse leaped beneath her.
Ivy clung to the horse for dear life as Willow reared back onto her hind legs and whinnied loudly. She managed to stay on as they came back to the pavement, but the relief was short-lived. The moment Willow’s hooves hit the ground, she took off like a shot.
Heading straight for the marching band.
It all happened so fast. Blake wasn’t entirely sure what it was. There was a loud banging sound, like a BB gun or a firecracker going off. He managed to keep control of Angus, who was startled by the sound, but Ivy wasn’t so lucky. Her horse reared back, then bolted.
Thinking fast, Blake immediately gave chase. Angus had been restless at the slow parade pace and was all too pleased to run after Ivy. Her horse swerved at the last second, narrowly missing a tuba player, before shooting down the open gap between the band and the sidewalk. The band stopped playing and fell out of formation as they ran out of Ivy’s way. The shouts of the crowd and the startled musicians couldn’t drown out Ivy’s alternating cries of “Shit!,” “Stop!,” and “I’m sorry!”
Unfortunately, the louder she screamed, the faster her horse seemed to go. Thomas had underplayed Willow’s skittishness to the detriment of Ivy and everyone in her path.
Blake followed quickly behind, being careful not to trample anyone in the process as people panicked and ran in every direction. There were so many people around, and quite a few were seated on the curb with their legs in the street.
At the front of the marching band, Ivy’s horse cut across the parade route. She ran toward the unsuspecting parade marshals holding the ROSEWOOD MARCHING BAND banner. Willow leaped over the sign while Ivy desperately tried to keep from falling off.
Willow plowed ahead, scattering a group of clowns and sending a candied apple vendor and his cart crashing to the ground. She finally made a break for the green lawns surrounding the courthouse and the library.
Ivy’s screams of “Whoa!” mixed with those of the people in her path as her horse charged at full speed. Blake had to give her credit—she couldn’t control the horse, but she hadn’t fallen off it, either. Blake kicked Angus into high gear once they came to an open space, and he pulled up alongside Ivy. He reached out to take Willow’s reins and tried pulling her to a stop, but she wasn’t having it.
“Reach for me!” Blake yelled, wrapping his arms around Ivy’s waist. She clung to his neck as he gave a sharp tug that pulled her out of her saddle and dropped her into his lap. Willow bolted without her rider, but Blake no longer cared. He slowed Angus to a stop and turned all his focus on Ivy.
She was red-faced and shaking like a leaf. “I am never, ever riding a horse again,” she said with a nervous chuckle before she fell apart. She buried her face in his shirt as he held her, her tears soaking through the fabric. He held on tight, rubbing his palm over her hair and murmuring soothing words.
“Are you okay?” he asked at last.
“Yes,” she said, looking up at him with large, glassy eyes. She swallowed hard, her expression softening. “You saved me.”
Ivy surged forward, her lips meeting his before he could answer her. She clung to him, the combination of fear, adrenaline, and relief bursting out of her as an undeniable need. Their kiss in the Ferris wheel had been a gentle kiss, a reacquainting kiss. This one was completely different.
He met her eagerness measure for measure. His own heart had been in his throat as he watched her on that horse, terrified she might be seriously injured. Now a heat surged through his veins, racing as quickly as the horses had a moment ago. Knowing she was safe and in his arms filled him with the need to possess her. Protect her.
Blake held her tight against him, unable to get her close enough. He tasted her, drinking her in, grateful he had the chance to do it once again. Fate had very nearly stolen his opportunity to be with Ivy. He had almost felt it being ripped away from him when he saw her horse bolt. He wasn’t about to let another minute go by without seizing his chance.
He didn’t want to let her go. It was only the approaching chaos that pulled them apart. They separated, still looking in each other’s eyes as they breathed heavily.
“Tonight,” she whispered, then quickly buried her face in his shirt.
A hundred concerned people came running, all shouting and clamoring at once about what had happened. With them, of course, were all the reporters. He didn’t know whether they’d caught a picture of the kiss, but he didn’t care about that. Let them post it. He far preferred that to photos of Ivy on the runaway horse or the trembling aftermath. He wasn’t going to let them take her picture while she was so upset. She was terrified, and she had every right to be. Someone, including her, could’ve been seriously injured or killed. This was no joke.
He bent his head and whispered into her ear, “Just keep close to me and no one can take your picture.”
She nodded against him, still shuddering with adrenaline in his arms. It roused a protectiveness in him that he wasn’t used to feeling for many people. It made him want to round up his brothers and his shotgun and get to the bottom of what had just happened.
With perfect timing Grant came running up, having leaped from the fire truck to come to his brother’s aid. Blake looked at his brother with a stern expression that made his displeasure quite obvious. The truck had been right behind them, so one of the firemen might have seen what happened.
“Grant, can you help her down?”
