“A few times, probably not as much as I should have. Elle takes the dogs jogging out here a few times a week.”
“Twister and I have only been out here a few times too, but we used to ride on trails a lot at our old barn. It’s nice. Really peaceful. Plus, you never know when you might surprise a deer or something out here.”
“I see why you like it so much.” She let herself relax against Jake’s chest, looking up at the canopy of trees overhead.
“Riding has always been my escape,” he said, his voice rumbling through her. “Nothing better.”
They rode in silence for a few minutes. The forest around them was dappled with sunlight as it spilled between the branches of the trees, creating a kaleidoscope of green and gold. She needed to come back out here with her camera too. Why hadn’t she photographed the forest before?
The only sound came from the muffled clop of Twister’s hooves against the trail, the occasional huff and snort of his breath, and the whisper of the breeze through the trees. Peaceful. Mesmerizing. Combined with the rhythmic movement of the horse beneath her and Jake’s warmth pressed up against her back, she felt like she could go into a trance. Maybe this was what it felt like to meditate, heightening your awareness of the world around you.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Jake said quietly.
“Just soaking it all in.”
“I hear that.” He rested a hand on her hip. They came out at a little overlook, the castle and grounds laid out beneath them like something out of a fairytale…or a postcard. The castle itself was impressive, with the tower on one side and the fountain in the middle of the circular drive out front, but add in the gardens off to the left, the barn and pastures and all the other various outbuildings, and it was truly breathtaking.
“Whoa,” she whispered. “Sometimes I still can’t believe I really get to call this place home.”
“Me neither. Big step up for me, that’s for sure.”
“Where did you grow up?” she asked, realizing she’d never heard him mention his own family, only Alana’s.
“A few towns over, in Bakersville.”
“And does your family still live there?”
He straightened behind her, not exactly tense, but she still got the distinct impression that she’d touched on an uncomfortable subject for him. “No.”
She didn’t push, leaning back against him in silent support. Twister tossed his head, picking at a few blades of grass along the trail.
“My mom died when I was seventeen,” he said after a pause.
“Oh no. I’m sorry.” She reached back to touch him, wishing she could face him, hold him, even see his face.
“Overdose.” His tone was low and even, but she could hear the pain behind his words. “She battled addiction my whole life. I barely know my dad. He was never around much, and he lives in Oregon now. I haven’t seen him in years. After Mom died, my older sister Helen took a job outside DC. Honestly, the Robertsons have sometimes felt more like family than my own.”
She leaned back, pressing her hands against the tops of his thighs. “I really wish I could hug you right now.”
His arms slid around her in response. “But I can hugyou. And it’s okay, really. It all happened a long time ago.”
“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t still hurt,” she said quietly. Truthfully, she couldn’t even imagine what that would be like. She had two awesome parents who loved her and would do anything for her. It made her unspeakably sad to think of Jake basically fending for himself since he was a teenager, or for his whole life, maybe. Growing up with a mother who was an addict couldn’t have been easy. Thank God he’d had the Robertsons, at least.
“I really don’t think about it that much,” he said. “I try to just keep myself in the present.”
“That’s a good attitude.” Honestly, Jake seemed to have handled everything life had thrown at him with an incredible amount of grace. They fell silent for a few minutes, just taking in their surroundings and the closeness between them.
“Do you mind if I ask about your accident?” he asked, his tone gentle.
She forced herself not to straighten, not to pull out of his embrace. “You must have heard about it when it happened.”
“I guess I did, but only vaguely.”
“We were on our way home from Bar None, Elle, Ruby, and I,” she told him. “We’d all been drinking, so we had Theo’s driver, James, take us home.”
Jake’s hand rested on her thigh, warm and comforting.
“A deer ran in front of the car, and James swerved to avoid it.” She closed her eyes, remembering the screams, the panic, the pain. “It was a minor accident, really, except a tree branch came through my window.”
