He looks back over his shoulder, then stands in his stirrups, giving his ass a little shake before sitting back down.
“You okay back there? Thought I’d break up the scenery a bit for you. Do you like it?”
His laughter is so loose and carefree despite what he just said. It confuses me.
“I’m just fine, but I wouldn’t mind a break soon.”
“I’ve got you covered, cowboy. We’re almost there.”
A few minutes later, the trail dumps us into a meadow at the base of the foothills. The Rocky Mountains tower above us, farther away than they appear. A small spring bubbles nearby, and I pull Wilbur to a stop next to Diamond.
Spring flowers abound, and the scent of new growth and beginnings surrounds us. It’s a stunning place. Diamond dismounts with a comfortable grace, and I like that about him. He calls himself a diva, but I don’t think that’s completely true.
In fact, I think his whole flirty diva bit is just an act. I could be wrong, but when I pressed him to ask me for what he wanted, and he asked me on a date, I can’t help but wonder how many men didn’t bother to get to know him first.
“It’s a glacier-fed stream. The horses love it.”
A few rustic logs, held together with aging wire, form a hitching post nearby, and after the horses have drunk, we tie them to the post and let them rest.
“Since I invited you on this ride. I brought snacks.” Diamond pulls out a blanket and settles it on the ground before pulling several containers from his saddlebag. “If they act as anaphrodisiac, I’ll just tell you now that I’ve never had sex in a field and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Not a naturalist then?”
I join him on the blanket as he opens the container of fruit and breads. He passes me a bottle of apple juice, and I murmur my thanks before drinking the entire thing down.
“I wouldn’t say I’m not a naturalist, more like it’s outside, and there are bugs and grass and…”—he waves a hand around—“sex isn’t always beautiful. It seems wrong to have messy sex in a place so…pristine.”
He pops a strawberry into his mouth and offers me the container. After choosing a piece of melon, he sets the container between us and leans back on his hands, staring up at the blue sky.
“Equine therapy,” he says after a few minutes and tilts his head towards me. “That’s how horses saved my life. I was young and...” He studies me like he’s unsure if he should tell me the rest. “I was a young man fighting cancer while my entire life fell apart around me. My dad suggested therapy and, like the difficult person I am, I chose equine just to make it harder to find a therapist.” His humourless laugh fades away. “Turns out it was the best choice I ever made.”
“I’m—”
Diamond holds up a hand. “Do not say you’re sorry. Please. I threw that nugget out earlier without thinking about it, and it’s not fair to keep you guessing. You said you wanted to know me, and that’s part of me. I had cancer, and now I don’t. If there’s a place I can be myself and let you see me…it’s outside like this. With or without Cherry. There’s no one here to judge me, analyze me or hit on me.” He winks and nudges me with a playful smile. “Unless you want to.”
He switches between flirty and vulnerable like it’s the easiest thing to do, and while I appreciate his honesty and trusting mewith the info when I said I wanted to know the real him, I thought we’d talk about more surface-level stuff. Instead, he’s just going straight for the deep end. I’m unsure of how to tell him I wasn’t going to say sorry, but that I’m in awe.
He’s clearly been through more than I could ever fathom, and he carries himself with a confidence that never seems to fade.
Diamond settles on his back this time while I pull a slice of banana bread from the other container. “You liked the banana coffee. Figured I’d make a banana bread. Do you like it?”
“I do. And yes, it’s become a favourite.”
“Because of me?”
“Maybe a little.”
He beams like it’s the best thing he’s heard, and I look away. It’s more than a little. If it weren’t for him, I’d still drink black coffee and not be considering letting someone else in again.
“If you could be a flower, what kind would you be?” Diamond asks.
Raising an eyebrow at him, I huff a laugh. “For real?”
“Yeah. I like flowers, so what would you be?”
I give myself time to think about that because nobody has ever asked me what kind of flower I’d be. Hell, I don’t even know that many flower names, but if this is how we get to know about each other, I’ll play along. Although I was the one who said I wanted to know the real him, and he’s the one asking all the questions so far.
“A dandelion, I think.” Mostly because it’s the first thing to pop into my mind.
