She almost felt like a real live cowgirl, what with the hat and everything. Now all she needed was a good pair of cowboy boots.
She could almost forget about Corinne’s illness.
Watching Misty ride with her mom’s arms wrapped around her gave Stella’s heart a tug. She knew Misty could ride on her own. She’d seen plenty of photographs of Misty participating in some local competitions even.
Corinne must have needed this today. But it was good. When they left the meadow behind, entering a more forested area, the trail began to climb. Pinyon Pine and sage scented the air and sunlight flickered on the aspen leaves. Stella could hear Peyton behind her on his beast of a horse, Hermes. A black gelding, so black he almost looked blue standing in the sunlight.
Misty made up most of the conversation as the horses trod along. “Knock, knock!” She called back to Stella.
“Who’s there?”
“Cow says.”
Stella smiled and called back “Cow says who?”
And then she heard a burst of giggles. “No Silly! Cow says Moo!”
This went on and on, each of them making up an original version of the joke. Until gradually a comfortable silence fell. For the first time since she’d taken Corinne’s call, Stella felt herself relax.
When they finally emerged from the trees, Stella caught her breath. From this vantage point she could see the peaks rising above them and the valley below. All sizes of rocks littered the ground with patches of green somehow establishing themselves in between.
Suddenly she felt like singing. Like running. She’d always loved hiking but hadn’t gone much in the past few years. And being atop the horse felt different. She didn’t realize she’d stopped until Peyton rode up beside her.
“You doing okay?” He handed her his water bottle. “Don’t forget to hydrate.”
Stella took the bottle from him gratefully. “This is incredible. I feel so friggin’ insignificant.”
She handed back the bottle feeling a little self-conscious.
But he didn’t laugh at her. “I never get tired of it. The open space, the sky. But it can also be dangerous if it turns on you. Don’t come up here alone, okay? Storms move in quickly. If you don’t know what you’re doing you can find yourself in trouble real fast.” He rubbed Hermes’ neck fondly. “Hell, you can get into trouble even when you do know what you’re doing.”
Stella shivered at his words and watched Corinne and Misty disappear over the rise up ahead. “Two sides to every coin.”
He wouldn’t say anything. He’d think her words over first.
And then Hermes sidled up beside her, pressing her leg into Pickles. Peyton’s hand grasped the back of her neck and… finally.
Her hat tumbled down her back at the same time Peyton’s mouth covered hers. At first it was just their lips, meeting, joining, but then the tip of his tongue coaxed her mouth open and she couldn’t help but drop her reins and take hold of Peyton’s wrists. A current of emotions swept through her as she twisted to meet him.
He slowed the kiss. “Easy girl.” He whispered against her lips. Stella felt Peyton set the reins back into her hands before Hermes stepped away.
“Hey!” Corinne’s voice carried down the hill. “You two coming?”
Somehow, without thinking, Stella urged Pickles forward and they moved up the path again. Or maybe Pickles did it all on her own. Stella had no idea.
Had Corinne seen them?
She touched her lips. They ought to be burning but they felt the same as always. She trailed her hand down her chin and then rested it on her pounding heart. She wondered that it didn’t leap right out.
What had that been all about? She’d almost clawed her way on top of him. If the horses hadn’t rattled, she might have done something reckless.
Pickles no longer felt comfortable beneath her. She needed to relax again.
No kiss had left her feeling this way in… forever. And it had been short– not even thirty seconds. But that didn’t matter.
It was just Peyton– something about Peyton’s Kiss.
Peyton snatched hishat off the ground and brushed at the dirt. He hadn’t planned that. But he’d been watching her from behind for over an hour and…. All kinds of urges had plagued him. She’d confessed to not knowing how to ride but within minutes sat atop her horse real well.
