“Would you really want to set that example for our daughter? Besides, I want to keep both my girls safe.”
His words do funny things to my heart.
I love that we get to spend this time together as a family. Not that Poppy knows the truth about Kade, but being here together, just us?
I could get used to this. Spending afternoons at the ranch together. Riding horses or fishing. It would be perfect.
After leaving town all those years ago, Kade has made Pinecrest home again. Slotted himself so easily into the town and our lives that it’ll be hard to see him leave. If that’s the plan. It’s something we still haven’t discussed, but I don’t want to burst our happy bubble.
“What’s this horse’s name?” Poppy asks, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“It’s Bordeaux.” Kade strokes him on the nose.
“That’s a funny name.”
“He’s named after a kind of wine with his dark brownish-red color.”
“That’s the stuff Mom likes to drink.”
“Way to throw me under the bus, Pop.” I tickle her side.
“Hop up, Pres, and I’ll make sure your saddle looks good.”
Resting my boot in the stirrup, I hoist myself up and on Bordeaux before Kade checks to make sure everything is good.
“Take the reins, Presley.”
“You do know I’ve ridden a horse before, right?” I cock a brow down at him.
“I thought you might need a refresher.”
“You sure you don’t need one?” I fire back.
“Can I get on yet?” Poppy calls from where she’s standing and petting Lollipop.
“Hold on,” Kade responds. He shoots a wink my way and squeezes my knee.
He helps Poppy up into the saddle, checks the reins, and gets on behind her. Poppy holds the reins as Kade helps. As we steer the horses out of the barn, the sun greets us.
A few guests are taking off on one of the trails—something that makes me happy to see—as Kade takes us toward an easier one.
Considering it’s Poppy’s first time out like this, we didn’t want anything too hard. I have a feeling once she gets a small taste of this, she’s going to want to keep going.
“Pop is trying to eat leaves.” Poppy laughs from up ahead. “Can horses eat leaves?”
“She’ll be fine,” Kade tells her.
Watching the two of them together makes me so damn happy. I shouldn’t be surprised that she warmed up to him soquickly, since she never seems to meet a stranger. She loves getting to spend time with him and is always asking when she gets to go visit him at the ranch.
I still don’t know what’s going to happen between the two of us, but at least I know Poppy is going to have a good relationship with him, which is something I’ve been thinking a lot about recently.
Kade’s life is still in Seattle. Even though he’s settling in here, I can’t deny that simple fact. I know we’ll make whatever relationship work for Poppy. But what if making it work means uprooting our lives and moving to Seattle? Could I do that?
I swallow around the emotion clogging my throat. I’ve never thought of leaving Pinecrest. Even when everything went down with Paul, it never once crossed my mind. Pinecrest is where I was born and raised. It’s home. I don’t want to leave. Sure, there’s good and bad memories, but that’s life.
Since Kade came back, there’s been more good it seems. Finally some happy moments after everything had felt too heavy the last few months.
And today, with the three of us out on the trail, climbing higher into the mountains?
