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“I’m so proud of you,” he whispers over and over, nuzzling into the side of my neck.
“I’m pathetic,” I squeak out, burning my face deeper into his chest.
"Never," comes his firm response. "This was a huge step for you. Three huge steps, in fact." I look up at him, narrowing my eyes, but he just grins. "Sorry not sorry for celebrating your wins, baby." I give him a tentative smile, and he brushes a kiss on the tip of my nose. "How are you feeling?"
“Better now that I’m right here,” I tell him truthfully, snuggling further into his embrace.
“Me too,” he sighs, tightening his hold on me. “Want to go for a little walk while the horses munch on snacks?”
I nod, untangling myself from his hold. Wyatt digs in the packs on his horse and gets out some carrots, feed, and two apples. Setting the feast in front of them, he makes sure they’re secured to their respective trees before taking my hand and leading us deeper into the field of wildflowers stretching in front of us.
“Thank you,” I say after a few moments of walking in silence.
“For what?”
“Everything. Working with me through all of this, being patient and understanding, just… taking care of me. I’ve never been treated like this before, and I’m not sure how to handle it,” I admit. I dip my head down, not sure where all that came from. It’s true, of course, but I don’t know why I felt the need to tell him.
Wyatt stops, turning me to face him. Just like he’s done time and time again, he lifts my chin with his thumb and forefinger. And just like always, I’m met with emerald eyes filled with kindness.
“Listen to me, sweetheart. Hear me when I say it’s my honor to take care of you. I wasn’t expecting the woman of my dreams to show up at my ranch, but here you are. You aren’t a burden, Kennedy. Just the opposite. Seeing your confidence grow over these last few weeks has been life-giving. Thank you for letting me be a part of your journey.”
God, this man is ruining me. I don’t know how to respond, so I just lean forward and press my lips to his. Wyatt instantly responds, wrapping his arms around me and hauling me into his chest.
He breathes me in as he kisses me, surrounding me with his strength and love. I melt against him, letting my cowboy consume me and sweep me off my feet.
When we break apart, Wyatt laces our fingers together and tugs me along. I giggle, falling into step beside him. Peering over at Wyatt, I can't help but wonder if I could leave everything behind and move out here to Sequoia. That is if he'll have me. We still have a few weeks to figure out the details, but every second feels like sand falling through the hourglass.
TEN
Wyatt
“Areyou sure that you can handle all of that?” Kennedy asks as she turns in her saddle to look back at me on my horse with the saddlebags stuffed full of picnic gear and food.
“I've got it,” I promise her as we weave through the trees and up a hill to the highest point on the farm.
We’re going on a romantic picnic for dinner tonight. We’ll eat and watch the sun start to set before we head back to the barn. I’m hoping I can show Kennedy how beautiful this place is and maybe she’ll want to stay when the month is up.
“Which way?” Kennedy asks as we reach a fork in the trail.
“Right,” I call back.
We head up the hill and I spot the small grouping of trees at the top that my brothers and I used to play in when we were younger.
I dismount and watch as Kennedy does the same. She’s gotten so much more relaxed around horses in the last week, and I’m so proud of her. I’m glad she trusted me enough to help her get over this fear.
“It’s so pretty up here. You can see the whole farm,” she comments as she turns to survey the view.
“Yeah, this is my favorite place on the farm. It's a good place to come and think… and hopefully a good spot for a picnic,” I add with a grin.
“It’s perfect,” she says with a warm smile.
There’s a line running between two trees and I tie the horses to it so that they can graze and don’t wander off. Then I start to unpack the saddle bags.
“Do you need a hand?”
“Sure,” I say as I pass her the blanket that was rolled up behind my saddle.
Kennedy hums under her breath as she works on spreading out the blanket on the soft grass, and I smile as I listen to her.
