“To be fair, there was a lot of people,” I told him. “It was easier for me because it wasn’t so crowded, but since you don’t normally have that here, it must’ve been hard on your senses even if you don’t realize it at the time.”
Lake peered at me and frowned thoughtfully. “Huh. Never thought about it like that.”
“Trust me, it’s often the main thing I think about when I plan my travels.” I put a pile of plates next to the scrambled eggs and stepped aside.
“Everyone, come get your food,” River said, setting down a massive pile of bacon.
Theo came into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Lake. “No, no, you get yours first since you made it.”
“Oh, if you insist.” River grinned and started to fill his plate.
I went after him, and soon enough, the six of us were sitting around the two tables. We’d pushed them together, and chatted away about what we were going to do that day.
“You guys want a riding lesson?” Theo asked.
It took me a moment to realize he was asking River and me.
“Oh, uh…” I stammered.
“We’re taking today off, too, right?” Lake raised a brow at me.
“Yeah, we are.”
“So why not try to get on a horse?” Theo seemed to read my expression. “Look, it’s not dangerous, I’ll be there the whole time, and we’ll use the calmest horses we have for the both of you.” He gave me a compassionate look. “And only if you want to.”
“It’s really fun,” Lake added. “But only if you feel comfortable trying it out.”
“I want to try,” River said confidently. Because of course he did.
“Can I decide when we get there?” I asked weakly, feeling a bit nauseous suddenly.
“Of course. No pressure whatsoever,” Theo promised.
“Okay.”
We finished eating, and River ushered me upstairs to change into the jeans I’d worn the day before.
“They’ll be better than sweats. You don’t want to wear anything that might bunch up somewhere. No loose fabric is better.”
“How do you know that?” I asked, pulling on the jeans.
“Rey.”
I chuckled. “Figures.”
River was in jeans, too, and just like that we were ready to go. At first, we’d help with the rest of the party cleanup, which mostly consisted of putting the extra picnic tables into the storage shed and so on.
We worked as a team, and got everything done quickly. The others chatted while we worked, but I kept quiet. I was freaking out a little. It seemed dangerous, being on a horse. I knew that even if I didn’t get in the saddle, River would, and then I’d have more time to be scared for him.
I didn’t like either of us being on a horse, if I was completely honest, but if I did it, too, then I could at least concentrate on what I was doing instead of obsessing over the love of my life being potentially hurt.
Yeah. I was going to do this, damn it.
And that was how about an hour later, we were saddling a dark gelding called Salem and, to my surprise, the giant draft mare, Hope.
“Is her brother going to be fine with this?” I asked, knowing how bonded the sibling pair was.
“Yeah, we’ll put him in the round pen. He can see her from there since we’re using the outdoor arena,” Lake assured me. Apparently there was a whole plan now.
