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“All right then. Let’s head down. Rodney just texted me before we got up and said that he was harnessing up the horses and would be ready when we were there.”
“All right.”
She held onto his hand as they turned and walked down the sidewalk, coming to the end of it and heading through the dunes to the beach where they walked up it a little, to get to the stable.
Rodney greeted them with a big smile on his face.
“It’s not every day that I get to give newlyweds a ride. Although, it’s become a popular thing.” He grinned as he led the horses to the carriage.
They chatted about the weather and about his business as he hitched the horses up, and Mark was impressed with them. They were big and graceful. But gentle, and didn’t flinch at all as the heavy harnesses clicked and clapped and dragged behind them.
They knew their job, and it looked like they were eager to get started.
He couldn’t blame them. It was a perfect night. Cloudless sky, full moon coming up over the southern horizon, shining on the water, giving everything a pretty glow as the sun went down in the west. It was a beautiful night, and one he wouldn’t mind spending with Pam, even if they were just friends.
Did he dare push for more? He wanted to. He thought about kissing her a million times since he almost had earlier in the evening.
But maybe it was the newness of their marriage, maybe the idea that she was his wife. Maybe he should wait, because he didn’t want to make any moves that could potentially jeopardize their friendship. Now that they had pledged to spend the rest of their lives together, it would be awkward if he pushed for things that she wasn’t interested in.
He didn’t want to make anything harder for her. That was his main consideration.
So, even though it was the perfect romantic setting, as he helped Pam into the carriage, and Rodney settled them with blankets and made sure they were comfortable before he climbed onto the higher front seat at the head of the carriage, Mark determined that he would make sure that he kept the conversation light, his emotions and feelings in check, and made this about their friendship and not about a romance.
Chapter 14
“Did you ever think you’d be riding in a carriage pulled by such beautiful horses along the lake?”
Mark’s voice broke into Pam’s thoughts. She’d been admiring the moonlight on the water, how it shimmered and shone and sparkled. The sun was completely down, just a soft red glow on the western horizon, and a gentle breeze from the lake was fresh and clean and a little chilly. She was glad for the blankets, and after the difficult day they’d had, the motion of the carriage, the rhythmic clumping of the horses’ hooves, and the occasional rattle of their harness all served to lull her into a happy state of relaxation.
“No. It never occurred to me. But I can see why people would do it. This is so relaxing. I... I could do this all night long.”
“The horses might have an issue with that,” Mark said, and she smiled at the humor in his voice.
His arm, which had been on the back of the carriage behind her, came down and rested lightly on her shoulders with his hand pressed against her arm, pulling her close.
“But I agree with you. This is...a lot better than I ever thought it could be. I didn’t think I was a horse and carriage riding along the beach kind of guy, but I found out tonight that I definitely am.” He paused for a moment, and then he said, “Or maybe it’s the company.”
