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“It’s a date. I have to walk you home.” He stands up and holds out his hand to me. I take it, and he pulls me off the bed. We walk hand in hand to my room. We’re there in twenty seconds, and I laugh.
“At least you don’t have a long walk back.”
He smiles before gently pushing me against my closed door and kissing me again. He pulls away before it gets too heated, and as much as I don’t want the night to end, I’m grateful he stopped. If he carried on kissing me, I’m not sure I’d have let him go back to his room.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” he asks.
“Maybe. I have a full-day riding excursion. I’ll be home for dinner though.”
He nods. “Have a good day.”
“You too.”
“Sleep tight.”
“Night.” I reach behind me, feeling for the door handle. Finding it, I push on the door and walk backwards, my eyes fixed on him. I close the door slowly and drop my head onto the wood. My plan of keeping my feelings for him under control and not getting too close seem to be failing already.
Aria
It’s Saturday afternoon, and I’m expecting Jack any minute for our ride. Titan’s waiting in the exercise area, and I’m in the stables getting Marble ready to go. Nervous excitement swirls in my stomach at the thought of seeing him again. Since our movie night a couple of days ago, I’ve hardly seen him. We are still a ranch hand down, and in the height of the holiday season with all of the accommodations booked out, we’re swamped.
“Hey,” Jack calls from the stable door. “I’m just taking Jacob up to Savannah’s and I’ll be back.”
“Why don’t we ride up with him? He can sit with me on Marble. It’ll save you going up there and then coming back down again.” Savannah and Josh have a house down by the river. I’d planned on taking him down that way anyway, so it makes sense. I see the indecision on his face, and I walk toward him. “He’ll be safe. I promise.”
He kisses me gently. “Okay, I trust you.” He looks down at Jacob, and I kneel in front of him.
“Do you want to go on a horse, cowboy?” His face lights up in a smile and he jumps up and down.
“Yes, yes, yes,” he chants, and I laugh.
“I think that might be a yes. Titan is saddled up in the exercise area for you. I’ll just walk Marble out.” They both follow me out, and I mount Marble, reaching down for Jacob. Jack hands him to me, and I place him just in front of the saddle. Wrapping my arms around him, I pick up the reins, his little hands going over mine.
“Smile,” Jack says, and I turn to see him holding up his phone.
“Look at Daddy, Jacob.” I tickle his side, and he giggles just as Jack takes the picture. He pushes his phone back in his pocket, and mounts Titan. He looks a little nervous, and I kick my heels gently, encouraging Marble to move. Trotting over, I stop next to him.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just been a while.”
“It’s like riding a bike. You never forget.”
We set off at a gentle pace, and after a few minutes, Jack looks like he’s spent his whole life around horses. It really is something you never forget. I hold on tightly to Jacob, seeing Jack looking over at him every few minutes. Jacob seems to be enjoying it, and he strokes Marble’s mane as we ride. At this pace, it’s about a ten-minute ride to Savannah’s place. Jack’s quiet, and I know he’s apprehensive about Jacob riding.
“Everything okay?” I ask, glancing over at him.
He nods. “He’s normally such a fidget. I was sure he wasn’t going to sit still.”
“He’s doing great,” I assure him. “And we’re almost there, look.” I point ahead as Savannah and Josh’s house comes into view. It’s a large two-story building with a wraparound porch. Claire and Ryan had gifted them the plot of land not long after Hope was born, and Josh had built the house with his dad, designing it exactly as he and Savannah had wanted. It’s beautiful inside, and the views of the Colorado River out back are stunning.
“Wow,” Jack says in awe.
“Haven’t you been here yet?”
“No. We’ve spent most of our time with Lib since we arrived.”
“Wait ’til you see inside,” I tell him as we come to a stop just outside their white-picket-fenced front yard. I wait for Jack to dismount Titan, and I pass Jacob down to him before climbing off Marble. Tying both horses to the hitching rail Savannah had installed so she could ride Marley out here, we head up the porch steps.
