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“Easy, big guy. Don’t worry, we’re gonna be good friends.” I patted his thick neck as Jim held onto his bridle. “He must have been a war horse in his previous life. He’s like, two feet taller than me.”
“He’s a kitten once you get to know him,” Jim assured me. “Yours has a bit more spirit,” he told Riley.
“Why spirit? Why can’t mine be a puppy?” Riley’s horse nickered and nudged his shoulder with her nose.
Jim chuckled. “Don’t worry, she likes you. She’ll take good care of you.”
Riley looked doubtful. “If you say so.”
Out on the trail, the horses’ hooves clomped and crunched on the golden-tan gravel path. The air was open, the sky was blue. The sun was a little hot, but it was Arizona. We had our sunscreen and skin protection, so all we needed to do was enjoy the quiet and the swaying of the horses beneath us.
Riley was a natural with his horse, who was closer to the size of a racehorse and had a beautiful chestnut coat.
“Look what I can do,” Riley said, easily leading her in a slow loop before guiding her back toward me.
“You’re a natural,” Jim said.
“Hear that, Brenn? A natural.” He lifted his chin in the air, and his proud grin was the cutest thing ever. I urged my horse to walk a bit faster, pulling up alongside Riley. I reached out and touched his hand, letting my touch linger on his fingers for a bit. After an agonizing moment, he responded by wrapped his fingers around mine and squeezing gently, the touch feather light, as if he were afraid I would interpret what he was doing as a bad thing. I read him loud and clear, and squeezed back. Lightning zipped between our fingertips until our horses’ gaits brought them together, smashing our legs between their bodies and making us both yelp.
There was no harm done and it hadn’t really hurt, so we just exchanged a glance and laughed.Riley avoided my eyes, a bashful blush on his cheeks. It seemed my plan was working great so far.
When our hour-long ride was over, we were reunited with the kids, who were still playing with the ponies. We watched them go around the ring, essentially being held up in the saddles by the instructors. Holden concentrated on holding on, looking back to wave at us.
“Look what I can do!”
“Like O-dad, like son,” Riley said with a laugh.
I clapped my hands a few times. “That’s really cool, buddy.” Riley leaned on my shoulder. I chanced it and put an arm around him. He leaned into me. If he wasn’t in this family fantasy with me, I would eat my papers of incorporation.
After a day of ponies and learning to rope like a cowboy, the kids were tuckered out and ready for a nap.
“It’s too late for their nap,” Riley fussed. “If they go to sleep now, they’ll be up all night.”
“Don’t worry about that. We’ve got someone else doing childcare right now. Top-notch caregivers like you. Relax.”
He visibly relaxed his shoulders. “We’re on vacation.”
“Let’s leave the kids to the experts and go have dinner, just the adults.”
“Dinner, just the adults,” he said with a nod. “Let’s do it!”
The three Michelin star restaurant was in a grand ballroom with a rustic feel. The chairs were carved oak, polished to a high shine, heavy when I pulled Riley’s chair out for him and he sat on the chair’s silken cushion. Riley looked great in the new cowboy boots and jeans I bought him from the hotel’s store. I’d have them tailored for him later.
He looked up at the lights on the ceiling, his eyes glittering. “I never knew a ranch could be so luxurious. Is this what glamping is?”
I took my own seat across from him. “Couldn’t tell you. This is as far into the great outdoors as I go.”
Riley giggled. “Really? Even being a bear? You’re the boss of the forest.”
“Yeah, but I’d rather buy caviar than stand in the river and try to grab salmon out of midair with my mouth.”
“Your den is much better for hibernating in, too.”
Personalized welcome cards and a bottle of champagne on ice was already waiting for us, but no sooner had our host seated us did a black-suited server with white gloves and a white towel over his arm graced us with menus, reading off what all the courses would be in a practiced, measured, professional voice.
Riley’s eyes widened at the menu. “Seven courses? They want me to be as wide as I am tall.”
“Still resisting the good things in life, I see.”
