From the corner of my eye, I notice him watching me.
A blush creeps up my face. Having his attention is such a heady feeling. “You should look ahead.”
“It’s called multitasking.”
“That’s a fallacy.” I tilt my head, eyeing him seriously. “We can’t provide the same focus to two different tasks. I am more for getting one thing done right before starting another.”
He regales me with a wide grin laced with pride. “Are you going to tell that to the kids as well?”
I shrug. “I will show them. Kids are notoriously known to start a hundred things and finish nothing.”
He bursts out laughing, and soon we arrive at what appears to be a horse farm. The thick scent of hay fills the air; several men work with the horses, while others work with wheelbarrows and shovels.
I stumble out, not believing my eyes. Without thinking, I jump into his arms, and he twirls me around.
Deep gratitude floods me, and I pepper his face with kisses. “Thank you. Thank you so much, Tristan.”
“Anything and everything for you.” He says it like a vow and places me down.
Inside the stables, an older man takes us in.
“Boss,” he says, tipping his hat, and after a silent conversation, Tristan brings me to a horse that makes my heart stop at its sheer magnificence—a black, shining beauty.
“This is Altea.”
“She’s beautiful,” I murmur, slowly raising my hand to pat her.
“Let’s take her for a ride.”
I nod, still not believing I can do this. Giddiness bubbles in my belly, making me feel full.
“Is this yours?” I ask, seeing as some men have stopped working, peering at me with curious eyes.
“Yes,” he says, putting the saddle on, and goes through the entire process before he helps me up.
A whoosh steals the breath from my lungs as I straddle Altea.
“Who’s going to teach me?” I ask, looking around.
“Me, Viviana. Only ever me,” he says so low that I gulp.
Behind a white wooden fence, on soft ground, he helps me down as he explains the mounting process.
Nailing that, we move to me straddling her on my own.
Then I ride her, getting the feel for her as we start with the basics—walking, stopping, and turning. He’s so patient as I practice balance, posture, and coordination.
I straighten in the saddle, holding onto the stirrups with a firm grip as we spend the next hours outside.
At the end of the session, I dismount on my own, but he’s right there, just in case. He’s so attentive, so caring that my heart balloons, setting loose in my chest.
Then we move to the aftercare part—cooling down Altea, brushing and feeding her.
I couldn’t decide what my favorite part was even if I tried.
I look up at him, not believing today’s marvelous experience. “Thank you,” I say, lifting onto my toes and kissing him.
Two simple words could not convey the depth of my feelings, so I’ll just keep feeding him pieces of my heart by kissing him.
