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Destiny is a pitch-black mare, save for a single white star on her forehead. Her coat is so shiny it looks glazed, her mane is trimmed and braided, and her expressive brown eyes are look scared and uneasy.
“Shh… Calm down, girl,” I say to her, touching her snout.
I hear the camera shutter sound, knowing Liv got a picture, but instead of feeling self-conscious, I lean into the horse even more.
“You can touch her too!” I tell her, and she joins her hands close to her heart and smiles all giddy.
“Really?” Liv approaches Destiny, a hand hovering over her forehead. “She— She won’t bite?”
“You’ve never been close to a horse, have you?” I grin, taking her hand and placing it over the mare’s coat.
“I have a picture with a pony taken during a county fair when I was little,” she says, timidly caressing Destiny’s fur. “I only remember it from the picture.”
I smile, then say, “Big city girl…”
“Uh-huh!” she says, distracted by the horse.
“So, what do you think of Destiny?”
“She's gorgeous!” she exclaims, her laughter filled with pure amazement as she pets Destiny's nose, coaxing her to turn around on her bay. “Can’t wait to see you riding her!”
Rob comes along with the saddle and the rest of the gear and starts preparing Destiny for the ride. Liv takes advantage of the scene to capture several more pictures, absentmindedly edging toward the direction of Destiny’s hind legs.
“Don’t!” I interject, grabbing Liv by the shoulders and pull her a step back.
“What…?!” she retorts, visibly annoyed with me.
“You were about to be face to face with a horse’s hind legs. Next thing you know, she’ll kick you! I don’t want you getting hurt.” I caution in a tone of warning.
Ever since I saved her from the barrel of Simon’s gun, I feel an urgent need to protect this woman. It’s in my nature to help others, but the last time I felt protective of someone likethiswas with Rebecca, my late wife.
She is just about to retort when Rob announces his job is done. “She’s ready to go, Mr. Winters!”
“Great!” I reply with cheer as he hands me the bridle’s reins.
I hop on Destiny’s back in a single, swift move, and hear Liv squeal at the sight, taking a step back as the horse patters around to adjust to my weight.
“Let me take a picture!” she pleads, and just to give her a good show I make Destiny prance, standing on her hind legs while the camera’s shutter goes crazy with snap after snap.
“You’re crazy!” Liv says, following us as we head outside the stable.
The way she laughs, amazed and starry-eyed, already made it worth my day. Let’s see if I can make it worth my week…
“And you’re not going to ride?” I ask, looking down at her through the lens of her camera.
“I’m in a long dress and heels, no way!” she dismisses me with a wave.
We’re on the covered patio outside, while rain still pours down like knives.
“Next time we’ll get you a pair of boots! I even have cowboy hats, too bad I forgot mine!” I say.
“Really?” she asks, nonchalant, but then shakes her head with vigor. “Nah, never mind. I’ll happily stick to walking alongside you.”
I take a deep breath to muster the courage for the next move.
“Well, I won’t be happy unless you are up here with me!”
Leaning down, I grab Liv from under her arms and hear her scream with surprise. Before she realizes what’s going on, she is sitting right in front of me on Destiny’s back, laughing in disbelief and trying to steady herself on top of the horse.
