Once Kat was in the saddle, she glowered down at him expectantly. With a nod, he climbed into the saddle and nudged Buck forward. “There’s a creek near a hunting cabin a couple miles out. You’ll be able to see some of the town from a hill out that way. Might be nice.” His voice was gruff and gave nothing away.
While he’d planned on torturing her today, he’d reconsidered. Maybe he was going soft. Already he was regretting letting herride Viper and he sent a silent prayer heavenward that Viper would behave.
Yes, he was definitely going soft.
They rode in utter silence. The only sounds that reached them during their journey were that of critters scurrying through the brush, birds calling out in the branches of the evergreens, and the sound of wind through the tall grasses. It had taken no time at all to get past the pastures that had been mostly cleared for the animal’s sake. Now, they were reaching the more wooded areas.
Trees were thicker and the trails winding through them gave off an almost fairytale feel. In the shade of those trees, it was cooler. As it got later, they’d be able to see their breath, he was sure of it.
There was an eerie quality to the way the clouds thickened overhead. An unnerving rumble of thunder warned of a storm to come. Leo glanced up at the sky then and frowned. The clouds hadn’t been nearly as menacing when they’d started out about an hour and a half ago. If they wanted to get back before the storm hit, they’d need to give their horses a quick break at the creek and quickly turn around.
Luckily, the creek was just ahead.
Over his shoulder, he called out to Kat who looked surprisingly level-headed despite not being comfortable riding a horse. “The cabin is up through these trees. We’ll let the horses get a drink. There’s running water at the cabin, too.”
The only sign she’d heard him was a short nod of her head. Boy, they’d really done a number on each other. She didn’t trust him and he…
Well, he didn’thateher. But he’d never tell her that. For now, he needed to keep his cards close to his chest.
A thin layer of dust coated most of the surfaces in the cabin. Leo didn’t know how long it had been since anyone came out here, but it was at least a year. He opened a few cupboards until he found some cups. Then he moved to the sink. The water came from a well, but electricity came from the generator outside and there was no telling if there was any propane in it to power it on.
Another rumble of thunder had his heart lurching. Kat noticed it, too and she glanced toward him but she didn’t say anything.
He held out a cup of water. “We should be fine if we leave within the hour. The storm’s not close enough to worry about.”
She accepted the cup and traced her finger along the brim.
“You okay?” he asked.
Her head snapped up and she frowned. “Yeah. Fine,” she clipped.
“The ride wasn’t too bad, was it?”
This time she sighed. “It was wonderful, actually.”
That made him smile. Despite Viper’s less than ideal disposition, Kat had enjoyed herself and for some reason that set off a warm feeling in his chest.
She caught him smiling and her own smile brightened her features.
“I would have thought you of all people would have ridden before.”
Kat snorted. It was far from ladylike, and it made his smile widen. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.
He shrugged, taking a sip of his water. “Your dad’s one of the wealthiest men in America.”
She lifted a brow. “Don’t tell me you Googled him.”
Leo shrugged again. “I might have.” He would die before he admitted to doing the same about her.
This time, Kat laughed. “Yeah, well, just because you have money doesn’t mean you have experiences to go with it. My dad was far too busy to concern himself with stuff like that. I was the kid who did debate and math club—notanything equestrian. I wasn’t exactly the belle of the ball if you know what I mean. I didn’t go to school dances. I hardly ever dated.” Her soft smile shifted to something more triumphant. “I guess I was right. You don’t know as much as you think you do.”
For some reason her statement set him off. His thoughts immediately shifted to her life back home. More specifically, he couldn’t get Chaz’s face out of his head.
Why now? Whyhim?
He hated that man for no other reason than the fact that he was clearly interested in Kat.
Chaz. His lip curled, causing Kat to stiffen in front of him.
