“No, this is Bentley. He’s a bit of a nightmare but needs some exercise. Do you need help up?” I ask, hoping she’ll say yes so I can accidentally touch her ass.
Tessa grabs the horn, puts her foot in the stirrup, hoists herself up, and smiles. “I got it. Can you hand me the reins though?”
“You know, you should’ve done that first.”
She shrugs. “I know, but I have a capable friend on the ground.”
I chuckle. “Yes, you do.”
I untie Billie-Jean and hand Tessa the reins.
After, I get the food put in the saddle pouch on my horse and tie the blanket on the back, then I give Bentley a look that tells him I will not appreciate him making me look like an idiot.
Thankfully, he seems to get the point and allows me to untie him and get up without rearing or bucking.
I turn him in a few circles and glance over at Tessa who is just sitting on the very sweet and docile Billie-Jean. I give her a nod. “Ready?”
“I’ll follow you.”
ten
Tessa
This farm is beyond what I ever imagined. I’ve never been happier to go on a horse ride than I am right now.
Killian owns over forty acres, and I am blown away as we climb a little part of the mountain range and trot down into a small, wooded valley.
There is a large clearing, which is one of the pastures, but there are huge evergreens around and I swear it’s as though we’re the only people in the world.
“This is so peaceful,” I say softly.
“It is.”
For the first time in so many damn years, I feel at ease. It’s as though all the struggles just melted away as we rode farther and farther away from the chaos.
“You know, I can’t thank you enough for this.”
“It’s me who should be thanking you. I haven’t had a lot of time as of late to just come out here and ride. You gave me the perfect excuse.”
I grin, liking his words way more than I should. “I forgot how much I loved to ride.”
Killian comes up beside me on Bentley, eyes slightly hidden under that sexy hat that I want to rip off him and ride him instead.
Bad idea, Tessa. Get your head out of the gutter.
“How did you learn how to ride like this?”
Oh, the whole story is definitely not one I’ll share, but there are bits and pieces I can give.
“When I was in high school, I really hated everyone. My dad, he’s the worst and caused so much turmoil in our lives. He left when my brother was little, but really used the two of us to manipulate my mother. He’d show up before disappearing, leaving Reece and me trying to understand what we did wrong. My junior year of high school, I was a mess. I went from being a really great student to skipping class all the time and…I needed help.”
I needed so much help.
“Is this where the horses come in?” Killian asks.
“My teacher, who is an absolute saint of a human being, stepped in. She spent her summers working with an equine therapy program for kids from broken homes. It was a lot of money, and we didn’t have any. However, she got me a grant or—” I snort out a laugh “—knowing Mrs. Knoll, I would bet she paid for it herself. Anyway, I went for the summer, and it was the single best thing I ever did in my life. It completely changed me. I ended up volunteering during the summers when I was home from college.”
Which was a whole other thing because when you are working just to live, taking two months off really messes with your cash flow.
