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Chapter Twelve
Thirty minutes later, Kaylee was regretting her hasty acceptance of Luke’s challenge as she took in the steep mountainside in front of her.
Luke had made a ride with him on his horse, Max, sound fun and easy. Until she was actually sitting atop the huge horse with Luke’s strong arms wrapped around her as he loosely held the reins.
She sat in the saddle and he sat behind it, but he was still close enough that her back brushed against his chest as the horse plodded along the short path to the base of the mountain in back of the farmhouse.
“This is my favorite trail,” Luke told her. “And it leads to one of my favorite places on earth. You’re going to love it.”
As thrilled as she was that Luke wanted to show her one of his favorite places, her nerves were jumping like crazy as she warily peered at the mountain in front of them. “What trail? I don’t see a trail. All I see are trees and rocks.”
He laughed, and she felt the rumble of it against her back. “That’s what’s so cool about it. It’s like a hidden path. But don’t worry, the horse knows the way. He and I have done this hundreds of times. I’ve been coming up here since I was a kid.”
Her knuckles were white as she grasped the saddle horn with both hands. She let out a small squeak as the horse entered the shade of the trees and started up a rocky path.
“This used to be an old deer trail, but I’ve taken my horse up it so many times, it’s become a regular trail now. It’s a tough hike on foot, but Max can practically go up with his eyes closed.”
“Does that mean it’s okay formeto close my eyes while we go up it?”
He laughed again.
“I’m only half joking.”
“You could close your eyes but then you’d miss this amazing view.”
The trail leveled out as they got further into the trees and the hush of the forested woods fell around them. Gladys had decided to stay at the farmhouse and take a nap, but Cooper raced ahead of them, occasionally darting back to make sure they were following.
“It is gorgeous,” she whispered as she relaxed a little into him. The scent of pine and moss perfumed the air around them. Birdsong and an occasional huff from Max were the only sounds. The branches of the pine trees reached out as if to grab them but didn’t quite make it to the trail.
“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”
Oh gosh. She wasn’t sure if she should be scared or excited. Or both. But scared definitely took the lead as the horse wound its way around a large boulder in the hillside and started up another path. Kaylee flinched as rocks and sticks crunched under his hooves.
“Don’t worry, the horse is more sure-footed than we are. And he doesn’t want to fall either. Trust Max. He knows the way, and he knows what he’s doing.”
The path led through more trees and around an outcropping of rocks before they emerged into a small clearing that opened up on the side of the mountain.
Kaylee gasped as a huge expanse of cerulean blue sky filled the space in front of her. She could see for miles as the valley stretched out before her. Lush green fields laid out in rectangular patterns and were cut in two by the dark raging water of the Missouri River. A cluster of boulders jutted from the side of the mountain and tiny waterfalls trickled their way over the rock faces.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered as Luke slid off the horse behind her.
“I told you,” he said, holding out his hand to help her down.
She grasped his hand, holding it tightly as she climbed from the horse. Her legs were wobbly and shaky, and she reached for his arm to steady herself. But she didn’t want his focus to be on her fear of riding, she wanted it to be on this place—hisplace. The one he chose to share with her.
Sucking in a deep breath, she straightened as she inhaled the clean freshness of the air. “I’ve never seen anything like this.” She walked a few steps to stretch her legs. There wasn’t far to walk. The clearing was small, and the grassy edge dropped off the side of the mountain.
Luke gestured toward the rocks as he tied Max’s reins to a tree. “Have a seat.” Cooper ran over and climbed onto what looked like a stone bench that had been naturally formed at the base of two of the boulders.
“How neat,” she said, running her hands over the smooth granite before sitting down. The bench gave her a perfect bird’s eye view of the valley. She shifted her boots on the loose bit of gravel in front of her. “I know my feet are on solid ground, but if I look straight out, it feels like I’m flying.” She grinned at Luke as he settled in next to her.
His brow furrowed as he stared at her, a small smile barely on his lips. “That’s how I’ve always felt, but no one else has ever said that before.” He tilted his head. “Although to be fair, very few people have been up here before. It’s kind of my secret place.”
“I can see why. Did you make this bench?”
He shook his head. “Nope. God did. He and Mother Nature, I guess. The rocks have always been like this. The waterfalls are bigger during the spring snow run-off, and they’re what’s made the rock so smooth.”
She looked around, the awesome beauty of it bringing tears to her eyes. She swallowed at the emotion in her throat. “It’s amazing.”
