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“Isn’t there a wrong way to take apart a car?”
He scoffed. “Those two things are nothing alike.”
“Fair enough.” She faced forward once more, showing him her profile. “When you’re riding, there are rules you have to follow, though. Like when I taught you to mount on the left side.”
“Okay, I can see that. What rules are you referring to?”
“You should hold your reins with a soft hand. Too tight and you’ll get bucked. Too loose and depending on the horse, they could stop listening to you.” Her gaze dipped to Blaze. “He wouldn’t do that. He’s one of the best there is. Aren’t you, Blaze?”
The horse tossed his head back, nickering.
“Okay, so hold the reins with a firm and gentle hand. What else?”
“You already know not to kick too hard. But you also want to make sure you’re not squeezing your legs too tight. And when you’re riding at faster speeds, you want to move with your horse.”
Adam snickered. “I didn’t think Icouldmove without him.”
“No, you misunderstand. It’s almost like a dance. You need to put your weight on the stirrups so when the horse comes up, you don’t come down. Like I said, you have to follow the momentum so you’re both up and down at the same time. Then you won’t feel like you’re about to be jostled from the saddle.”
What she said actually made some sense. He’d have to remember to try it the next time he had feeling in his legs. At this point, they were getting that tingling sensation again. “So where are we going? What’s so special out here that you couldn’t wait until we had a sunnier day?”
That’s when her features brightened enough to rival the sun itself. Her eyes lit up like two shining stars and her smile had him wishing it would never fade.
“There are mountains and hills all over this valley that are amazing to see when the sun rises or sets. But there is only one place I can think of that looks the best after the rain.”
“Yeah? Where’s that?”
Without warning, she let out a “Hyah!” and urged her horse forward.
There was a moment between the second she left and Blaze taking off when he wondered if he might lose her.
He shouldn’t have been worried at all.
Blaze took off like a shot, running with a smooth, even gait. It was so much easier to stay in the saddle and blend his body with the animal. The only experience that even came close to this one was that time he got to test drive a vintage sports car at a show.
His spirit had become one with Blaze, and together they chased down the girl whose laughter was all it took to make his heart trip over itself.
Adam lost track of how long they rode. It could have been ten minutes or an hour. The scenery blurred around them into shades of green and blue as they left the fenced area behind and charged onto a trail that led them straight for the crevice between two steep hills.
Up, up, up they climbed past bushes, rocks and wildflowers into thicker trees and steeper trails. Out of nowhere a babbling brook cascaded parallel to the trail, its dull blue coloring reflecting the sky overhead.
Then finally, they came to a stop.
The landscape that surrounded him felt like a small slice of heaven. Trees rose around him, blocking his view of the ranch or the rest of the woods. It took a few minutes to get his bearings and when he did, he finally realized why Faye brought him up here.
The brook widened toward the edge of the clearing. No longer was it babbling. Now it was thrashing over rocks and under a fallen tree.
Faye slipped from her saddle gracefully and took a few steps in that direction before she stopped and looked at him. “Well?”
“Well, what?”
“Aren’t you coming?”
His focus bounced from her to the water’s edge. “What are we going to do? I didn’t bring a swimming suit.”
This time her laugh wasn’t soft, meek, or teasing. Nope. This time, she’d tossed back her head and hooted. “That little pond is nowhere big enough for either of us to go swimming in. It’s what’s just beyond it that you’ll want to see.” She spun around and charged toward the water.
Adam scrambled from his saddle and hurried over to her, only to skid to a stop before nearly leaping off the edge of a steep drop-off. Water came up just below the top of his boots, some of it splashing onto his pants. The view had been very deceiving. The water was flowing toward the cliff, and it fell down several hundred feet to the base of the mountain they’d just ridden up.
