He laughed with me and shook his head. “No, not at all. It was surprisingly more fun than I thought it was going to be, though!” He quieted and tilted his head. “I’vereallyenjoyedgettin’ to know you, Ally. You’re a lot of fun, and I feel like I can just…like I don’t have to pretend around you. I’m not afraid to be myself around you.”
I swallowed, fighting back misty tears that were dotting my eyes. “You don’t seem like someone who ever has to pretend to be someone else.”
He took a deep breath. “I know I put on a good show for the audience, but sometimes that horse scares the life out of me. There are days when I think the pain is too much, I’m too scared of gettin’ thrown off, or the pressure is just crushing, and I think about being done. But the other night, when you were in the stands, I got off the horse, I saw you, and I felt like I could do anything. I felt invincible!”
I had to think of how to respond.
His words were supposed to fill me from head to toe with that warm, gushy feeling, but instead, I felt like cold water had been dumped down my shirt. Of course, I wanted to support hisdreams, watch him achieve his lifetime goal, but I don’t think I could ever get over the fear that crippled me.
The fear that drove me out of the country, out of this life.
I couldn’t respond without waves of sadness, so I pulled him down and stretched on my tiptoes. Our lips crashed together. I could feel him smiling beneath the kissing and found myself smiling in response.
I was melting under his touch. My constant anxiety floated away, becoming a distant memory. The lights had blurred, and the music was muffled, as if the world around us was fading.
He smelled like peppermint gum, and I wondered when he had slipped that in after dinner. He squeezed my hips between his hands, giving me one more tight kiss before pulling away.
His face was flushed, and he was smiling so hard I could see his molars. “I could do that all day for a year and still want more.”
I was probably as red as a tomato. “I really, really like you, Colton,” I blurted out.
He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “I really, really like you, Ally.”
~~~
The truck rumbled as he pulled into the campground. Colton was holding my hand, still; he hadn’t let go for a second since we climbed in the truck.
“Really? Runnin’ is your hobby?” Heasked, bewildered. “Nobodylikesrunnin’.”
I laughed. “Nobodylikesgetting bucked off a horse.”
“That is a very fair point,” Colton admitted.
“It clears my head,” I continued, watching as he pulled into the campground.
“Well, maybe you could take me runnin’ sometime. I think I would like it with you.”
“That’d be fun! But that doesn’t mean I’ll ride bareback for you,” I warned.
“That’s an easy deal!” He parked the truck, and we climbed out.
The family was sitting in camp chairs around a fire pit, an eager look in their eyes as we approached.
The campground was stunning. Huge willow trees provided ample shade, there was a large grass recreational area, a big fire pit, and four pastures surrounding them.
“Hey y’all!” Jo called. She jumped to her feet and practically tackled me in a hug. “We’ve been missin’ you two! It feels like ages.”
Colton hugged his mom and accepted the kiss she planted on his forehead. “We saw you this mornin’, Mamma.”
“How was your date?” Dennis asked as he wrapped his arm around me.
I tried not to seem surprised by the physical affection from everyone, reminding myself that this is how normal families greeted each other. “It was a really good time. Your son is quite the dancer.”
Jo shot a surprised look at her son. “Is that right? I’ll haveto see it to believe that.”
Colton shrugged with a cocky smile planted on his face. “There’s little I can’t do, Mamma.”
“You can’t tie a tie!” Jimmy shouted as he slapped a marshmallow on a cracker.
