As she walked away, he wondered if he’d ever get used to the ways his life had changed, how good it felt to have her in his bed and in his life. His thoughts drifted to Alana, remembering the many times they’d taken trail rides together, the way Alana’s body would sway against his as they rode, the soft brush of her blonde hair over his arms.
They’d thought they had their wholes lives in front of them. He’d lost her,reallylost her, so long ago, it was usually hard for him to remember, but suddenly he saw her as clearly as if she’d been standing right in front of him, head cocked the way she did when she was teasing him, blue eyes sparkling beneath the hot summer sun. He heard the sound of her laughter, as light as the summer breeze, the slow drawl of her voice when she said his name.
If only she could have been here to see this barn and the things he’d accomplished. He blinked away Alana’s image, focusing his eyes on Megan’s retreating form, replacing the past with the present. His hands clenched around Duchess’s saddle pad as he attempted to anchor himself there.
* * *
Megan sat on her bed,shoving her feet into the brown leather cowboy boots that had cost way too much to risk getting dirty in the barn, but did she care? Nope. Going for a trail ride with Jake would be worth any amount of dirt on her boots. Their relationship couldn’t last. Between the two of them, they had way too much baggage to make it work, but for today, she was having the time of her life, and that was all that mattered.
“What on earth are you doing?” Ruby asked from the doorway. “I thought I had finally convinced you we’re in the wrong state for line dancing.”
Megan flipped her off with a smile. “For your information, I’m getting ready to go for a ride. On a horse. Which is exactly what these boots are made for.”
Ruby raised her eyebrows. “Really? With Jake?”
She nodded as she stood and walked over to Ruby. “These are not as comfortable as they look.”
Ruby snorted with laughter. “Are you going to wear a cowboy hat too?”
“You know what? I should. There’s got to be one somewhere here in the castle.”
“Are we going to talk about what else is going on here?” Ruby asked, not budging from the doorway, eyebrows still lifted for emphasis.
“Like the fact that I spent the night with him?” She lifted her own eyebrows. “I figured you guys had already drawn your own conclusions about that.”
“Well, we did,” Ruby confirmed with a smile. “But we still want to hear it from you.”
“It was an amazing night. And for the record, you were right about him being a virgin,” Megan told her, cheeks flushing at the memory. “But he and Alana had fooled around plenty, so he wasn’t exactly starting from zero. And he’s a quick learner. I’m more than happy to help him make up for lost time.”
Ruby’s expression softened. “Well, I’m glad it’s going well. Elle’s off with Theo tonight, but do you want to go into town and get dinner together? If you don’t have plans with Jake, that is.”
“I definitely can’t spend the night with him, because I’ve got to keep all five of the foster dogs tonight, to make up for Elle watching them for me last night.” And she could probably use a little distance from Jake, before this casual thing started to feel…not so casual. “So yeah, let’s get dinner.”
“Excellent. I’ll text later, unless I bump into you in the meantime.” With a wave, Ruby headed down the hall toward the room housing their foster cats.
Megan grabbed her jacket and headed for the barn. She found Jake already outside with Twister, silhouetted against the late afternoon sun. If only she’d brought her camera with her, that could have been the cover shot for his website, because damn, they made a handsome pair, the strong man and his equally strong horse. Something about the cowboy hat he wore while riding really did it for her. Actually, everything about him seemed to do it for her.
“Ready?” he called, leading Twister toward the steps so she could climb onto his back.
She nodded as she walked toward them, butterflies of anticipation fluttering in her belly. She’d enjoyed her first ride on Twister, however short, but riding with Jake sounded even more exciting, and especially going out on the trails.
“Just grab ahold of the saddle, like you did last time,” Jake instructed. “Put your left foot into the stirrup and swing up onto his back.”
She did as he said, hoisting herself up. Twister shifted beneath her, and she gripped him with her thighs to find her balance. There was something amazing about feeling all that strength and power beneath her. “It’s the coolest thing,” she said. “Being up here on his back.”
“Isn’t it?” Jake swung into the saddle behind her. “We’ll take it nice and easy today, just a relaxing trail ride for all of us.”
Jake settled behind her, his chest against her back, as Twister began to walk. It was a disorienting feeling, the sway of the horse beneath her paired with the strong column of Jake’s chest behind her. She gripped the horn, feeling like every step of the horse sent her crashing into Jake.
“Relax,” he told her. “Just let him move you. You want to stay loose and let your hips take all the movement.”
“That sounds like a different kind of activity.” She glanced at him over her shoulder.
He gave her a sexy smile. “Could go for either, I guess.”
But she did what he said, relaxing her muscles so that her hips swayed with Twister’s gait, and soon she found the comfortable rhythm she’d managed last time. She and Jake moved in unison with each step.
“Have you been out on the trails much?” he asked as they approached the edge of the woods that surrounded the castle.
