It was clear Calvin’s went in the same direction. Though, judging by Rafe’s aversion to sunlight, maybe the night involved something a little stronger than wine.
He led the way and only once we entered a clearing, did the fence off in the distance come into view. Too far to see which section was broken. But it hardly mattered.
I saw the vast land ahead of me and smiled. This land and this horse? Was not meant for a leisurely stroll. I spurred Gunner and he took off.
Racing past Rafe and Juno, I called out to him. “Keep up, Grouchy.”
Letting out a cackle of laughter I bent lower onto Gunner and we were off. The horse was meant to race. He wasn’t easily spooked, he just wasn’t a fan of closed spaces. He needed to be free.
From the corner of my eye I saw Rafe come up on my right. “City, be fucking careful. Please.”
It was theplease;it always got me. It was not annoyance, or even disbelief. It was always concern. Or something like it. Rafe didn’t treat me as if I would break, he treated me as if he wanted to keep me safe. And there was a difference, I could feel it.
I had grown up in a world where I was a princess in the horse world. My dad was a championship breeder. He had the best breeding and training facilities in the country. And as a result, the men I was around treated me like my privilege was a handicap. Or maybe, like I was a trophy they wanted to keep new and shiny. Either way, I was never comfortable around them. Only Carson Taylor, the man my dad tried to force on me, treated me like his equal. He also told both his dad and mine that if he married, it would be for love, not a business transaction. Fortunately for both of us, our parents never broached the subject again. My dad had apologized, and promised never to get involved in my love life again.
Rafe pulled a head of me and dragged me from my thoughts. I spurred Gunner on a little more, and caught up to Rafe and Juno. It was neck and neck for most of the way, and Rafe reached the fence line slightly ahead of me.
By the time I caught up to him, he was staring at the dirt on the other side of the fence.
I tried to follow his eyes. “Something the matter?”
“Tire tracks.” He shook off whatever went through his head and started working on the fence. I could imagine who the tracks belonged to, and I knew the time was coming when I needed to tell him everything.
As I caught my breath, Rafe scrutinized the fence as we walked along. “Lose focus there, City?”
“I was thinking about life back home.” I gestured to the broken spot. “Thinking about the man my father tried to get me to marry.”
“What?” Rage sparked in those grey eyes for a moment before it was gone.
I shook my head. “Don’t worry, Carson had no intention of ever getting married. Not everyone with money is less than honorable.”
He climbed off the horse and went to take his cutters out of the satchel he brought with him. “Would you have married him?”
“No. I want what my mom and dad had, if I get married.” I smiled at the thought. “I don’t know about Carson, but I knew he didn’t want what his parents had.”
We continued to talk as we walked along the fence line. Me on Gunner, and guiding Juno.
“City, listen.” There was a solemness in his eyes I couldn’t miss. “I’m sorry I was a jerk earlier in the week. I didn’t mean to lose my temper like that.”
It was good to note he did not apologize for the kiss. “Yeah, you were. But, forgiven.”
I mean, I had already forgiven him. And he let me get on one of his horses, so there’s that.
By the time Rafe was satisfied with the fences, at least two hours had passed.
“Let’s head back.” He turned to me, and his eye caught on my leg. “Your stirrup is twisted.
I waved him off as he walked over to me. “I’m sure it's fine. The clouds are coming in. We should go.”
“This will take less than a minute.” He placed his hand on my thigh, while the other went about straightening the stirrup. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, City.”
“I know.”
We stared at each other, his gaze holding mine. His hand on my thigh filled me with the kind of warmth I desperately needed.
He pulled away and the loss hit me like a burst of cold wind. He climbed back onto Juno, and before I had time to take in that smile, he spurred her on and the two of them were off. God, it was beautiful to watch.
It took several moments for my mind to process what was happening but I eventually caught up. We raced each other all the way back, Rafe and Juno beating us by larger margins than earlier.
