As I looked into Jake’s eyes, a wave of reassurance surrounded me.
It was going to be fine.
‘Okay,’ I said.‘I’d like to try again.’
15
JAKE
‘See!You’re a natural!’ I said as Halle cautiously swung her right leg over the top of a pretty chestnut-coloured horse called Champ and slid her foot into the stirrup before gently and slowly sinking into the saddle like I’d told her.
‘That’s it!’ Aidan, the guide, said encouragingly.‘You comfortable?’
‘Yeah,’ Halle nodded, her eyes wide like she was surprised that she’d mounted the horse without falling.
When she told me what happened the last time she tried to ride a horse, my heart squeezed.I really felt for her.That must’ve been terrifying, especially because she was surrounded by people who didn’t give a shit about her.I knew exactly howthatfelt.But I’d meant what I said: I’d make damn sure that she was safe.
‘Ready to go?’ Aidan asked.I climbed up on my horse, Firecracker, which had a gorgeous reddish-brown coat.
‘I think so…’ Halle looked at me for reassurance.
‘I got you, girl.’ I nodded and she smiled.
Goddammit.
Seeing Halle smile like that… like she trusted me to take care of her hit me right in the feels.
Just like it had when I’d stupidly put my hand on top of hers.
I knew better than to make physical contact with a woman without her permission, but seeing her so upset was like a punch in the gut and I just wanted to make her feel better.
But I wasn’t prepared for how good it was gonna feel.Her skin was so soft and inviting.It sounded dumb but it was like when my hand connected to hers, it cast some kind of spell over me.I wasn’t even the one who was scared or worried, but somehow it made me feel calm.
For those few moments I forgot about everything.The shit show that my life was right now, all the missed calls from Wilma hassling me about taking more photos, worrying about where I was gonna live after I left the hotel… all that shit sailed clean out of my head.
But then when I heard a horse neigh in the stables, I snapped out of my thoughts and realised what I was doing.
Upset or not, Halle wouldn’t want me putting my hand on hers.Hell, most of the time she acted like existing on the same planet as me was too much for her, so I pulled it away.
I couldn’t lie, I was kind of disappointed because I liked how it felt, but it was for the best.I wasn’t here to start touching hands with Halle.She was scared about getting on the horse, I helped her out and now she was on it, job done.
For the first ten minutes or so, we pretty much rode in silence, but this time I didn’t take offence.I knew Halle wasn’t staying quiet because she was deliberately ignoring me.She was just focused on trying to stay calm.
‘You good?’ I asked.
‘Mmm-hmm,’ she replied, her eyes firmly fixed on the trail ahead.
‘Great views, huh?’ I said, taking in the mountains and canyons in front of us.
‘Yeah.’
‘Anytime you wanna stop to take photos, y’all just let me know,’ Aidan called out.He was slightly ahead of us whilst I rode beside Halle.
‘Thanks.We’re good,’ I said, knowing that Halle wouldn’t want to take photos.
‘I know you like taking pictures, so go ahead and take some of the views,’ she said.‘I’m just worried about stopping the horse.’
I could easily remind her how to do it, but she was doing so well I didn’t want to disrupt her progress just to take a few photos.
