A light sheen of sweat covers my body as I navigate the rental car down the long, winding driveway to the Wild Heartlands ranch. It’s boiling outside, and I’m dressed in high-waisted bell bottoms and a crop top, which is far more clothing than I’ve worn all summer. Hell, it’s far more than I’ve worn in years. It’s not exactly music-star attire. I’m also sweating with nerves and have a bunch of butterflies taking up residence in the pit of my stomach.
Why did I agree to this?
It’s been years since I’ve ridden a horse, and to add that into the mix when I’m going on a date with the guy I never really stopped loving? It’s asking for disaster. I feel like I could throw up the meager breakfast I forced myself to eat this morning, just so I didn’t add passing out to the list of things that could go wrong today.
I come to a stop at the house, my attention drifting to the backdrop of the mountains behind the big barn.
Come on, Avery.
There are much scarier things out there in those mountains than the man I gave my heart to all those years ago.
You’re going to be fine.
With my pep talk out of the way, I swallow thickly and kill the engine. The dull sound of a ranch at work penetrates the car before I throw the door open, and the noise intensifies.
Cursing myself for not bringing a hat, I hold my hand up to shield my eyes from the sun and scan the scene in front of me. He’s most likely going to be down by the barns. That’s where I always found him when we were dating.
I head in that direction, the memory of what Gray and I did in the big red barn settling hot and heavy in my gut. Great. Just what I need. The reminder of him taking me is the last thing I want running through my mind on this date. Not because it isn’t welcome, but because if I know Gray like I think I do, he’s going to be the perfect gentleman.
I lift my chin, determination filling me. No thoughts of sex today, no matter how badly I want him again, I decide as my brown cowboy boots crunch on the gravel along the track.
Grayson appears in the open double doors, a lead rope in each hand, as he walks two horses into the yard. A slow, sexy smile spreads across his face when he spots me, and just like that, a little bit of my nerves ebbs away. He looks good, dressed in jeans and a soft white T-shirt that clings to his muscular chest. He’s shaved, his jaw clear of the stubble he’s been sporting the last couple of times I’ve seen him.
“Afternoon,” he says, handing one of the horses to a stable hand before hitching the one he’s left with to the fence. They’re already saddled up and ready to go.
“Hi.” My voice comes out too high. I wince, heat flaming my face before I clear my throat and try again, “Hey.”
Grayson grins, like he’s glad that I’m nervous around him. He picks up his Stetson, placing it low on his brow before throwing his thumb backward and asking, “You ready for this?”
I chew on the inside of my cheek and squint up at him. “I guess, although you’ll have to forgive me if I’ve forgotten everything you ever taught me about riding a horse.”
He chuckles, picking up a hat from the second horse before coming to stand in front of me. “If I remember correctly…” He places the hat on my head, and I lift my chin to look him in the eyes. “You were always a quick learner.” His voice is thick, a current of intimacy covering the words that tells me he’s not talking about horseback riding.
I open my mouth and close it again, uncertain of what to say because the first thought I have is to ask him to kiss me. The second is to ask him to claim me.
Gray shakes his head and moves back, showing that he has much more self-restraint than I do and that he knows exactly what would happen if we gave in.
He walks to one of the horses, and I follow, standing on his interlocked fingers as he boosts me up and onto the magnificent animal. It’s not one I’ve ridden before, and the thought sends a wave of sadness through me. I didn’t expect him to still have the same horses, but it’s just another reminder of how much time we’ve lost.
Once Grayson is on his horse, we ride off, side by side, at a steady pace with a peaceful quiet between us. It’s not awkward or strained, just quiet, like we’re both aware of how much weight this date holds.
We’re crossing a pasture, the sun high in the sky, but the heat is chased away by a light breeze. I tip my face toward it, the warmth seeping into my exposed skin. “It feels good to be out here.”
Silence greets my statement, and I nervously dart a glance toward Gray. His eyes are on me, something indescribable burning in the blue depths before he looks away and replies, “Coldwater suits you, Ave. It always has.” There’s a note of longing in his tone.
He’s right, of course. It took years for me to realize that the tiny hole of emptiness, the one that grew so big over the years, that felt like I lost a part of myself, was because I missed Coldwater. I missed him and everything I left behind.
Leaving the pasture, we follow the trail through the tree line. Pine and dust fill the air, reminding me of the first time Gray brought me along this trail. We’d sneak out here when we were teenagers and wanted some time to lose ourselves in each other. We had a lot of places in Coldwater, on this ranch, where we built our memories and the foundation of our relationship; it’s only fitting that we mend it here too.
It doesn’t take long before we reach a clearing in the trees. The meadow stretches out in front of us, the perfect mountain backdrop behind it, and wildflowers blooming in patches among the long grass that sways in the breeze, creating a ripple effect.
Grayson hops down from his horse, tying it to a tree trunk before coming over to help me. I’ve jumped from the saddle before he can get to me, terrified of what I might do if I feel his hands on me again.
After he’s tied up my horse too, I follow as he walks further into the meadow, my mouth falling open when I spot what’s in the clearing. Laid out, with the perfect view of the mountains and meadow, is a blanket and a basket sitting beside it. Warmth floods my core when I realize we’re alone out here, just us and the scenery, with nobody to see anything we do.
“You really went all out, didn’t you?” I say as I remove my hat and take a seat on the blanket.
Grayson’s knees brush mine as he settles beside me, but neither of us moves, the contact holding more weight than it should.
