Page 54 of Wedding Wrecker

I laugh and stumble a little when putting Kyle down. My ankle will definitely need the rehab, because it remains stiffer than it should be, but it’s only a question of time until I’m good as new. I pretend to think about her question. “Hmm… He makes a mean steak.” I point to Kyle. “What’s going on? You came to see me walk again?”

Carol snorts. “No, Kyle asked me for a favor.”

I frown and glance his way, but Kyle is already on his way to the back of the trailer. He spins around with a wide grin, showing me two horses waiting inside. “You wanted to go riding as soon as you can, remember?

I’m speechless when Brisket shakes his head in greeting. “You remembered!” I grin at Kyle. Snickers is the other horse, named that way for the silly sounds he often makes. His presence means that Kyle will be joining me for a ride, because Snickers is one of his favorites.

He meets my gaze, drawing me into the brown depths of his big eyes. “Of course I did. I want you to have the best day now that you can go back to all the things you enjoy."

A warmth spreads in my chest, because it would have been easy to take me to the stables and go from there, but there is a beautiful woodland close to the hospital where we can ride, and knowing he went the extra mile to surprise me like this makes the gesture special. I can't remember anyone, other than maybe my mom, ever being so thoughtful. At this point I'm the one who feels I don't deserve Kyle's friendship

Still, I make sure to tell him how happy I am, and by the time we ride off with Jekyll running ahead to make sure the path between the trees is safe, he is proud as a peacock.

“Your face was perfect. I should have filmed you,” he says and takes his leg out of the stirrup to nudge my thigh with his foot.

He looks so good in his simple outfit of jeans and a T-shirt with the stable’s logo. His thighs fill his pants so well I wish to bite into their plump flesh.

“You outdid yourself.” I stroke Brisket’s neck, so happy to be back on my horse.

“There's more surprises coming,” Kyle says with a wicked grin that makes me want to pat his clean-shaven cheek.

“What else could you have possibly come up with? I don’t think my leg is ready for bull riding.” Though I’m definitely strong enough for him to ride me. I steal a glance at his ass shifting in the saddle ever so slightly as he moves with the horse. He winks, and while our mutual attraction has long stopped being a surprise, I feel my cheeks heat, as if I’ve been caught taking a peek under a girl’s skirt.

“Oh, you will need all the energy for physio. I’ll go gently on you,” he says and nudges Snickers into a faster gait.

I follow before I can even think about it, enjoying the breeze, the freedom, and Kyle’s company. It might be a silly thing to care about, but I love that he rides so well. Most people don’t understand how much commitment horses require, but he does.

“I might be barely out of the brace, but Brisket is ready!”

The sun hides behind clouds, but it’s still the middle of the day in June, so the woods are warm, bright, and the trees stretching everywhere my eye can see, smell of freedom. My thighs, which haven’t been as active as usual, ache a bit, but I don’t voice it, eager to let this ride continue while birds sing in the leafy crowns above.

Jekyll lets out a short bark and dashes off the path. He’s heading for a thick fallen tree dappled with moss, but as a long, silvery creature dashes along the trunk, I realize the dog has spotted a squirrel.

Kyle tries to call him back, but Jekyll is in his element and as the squirrel leaps onto a tall oak and proceeds to run up, defying gravity, the beast narrowly avoids colliding with the tree. He gives an annoyed huff and circles the trunk, but when Kyle calls him over with a whistle, he reluctantly joins us.

We follow a path running alongside the creek, and its calming whisper helps me forget about the physiotherapy in my future. In a clearing ahead, beyond the trees, I spot a picnic blanket and a basket covered in a layer of sheer plastic, so I ride up to Kyle and point it out to him.

“Look, someone’s got a little picnic.” I lower my voice and snigger. “Do you think they left it to go bang in the bushes?”

Kyle stops his mount. “They could have.”

I look around, bringing Brisket to a halt as well. “You know there’s a mountain lion around here, right?”

Kyle snorts. “No, there’s not.”

“There is! I’ve heard of a sighting.”

“So what you’re saying is that a mountain lion swallowed someone whole and left their picnic basket?”

I smirk. “It’s not unheard of.”

Kyle slides off Snickers’ back, presenting his appetizing ass to me yet again. But then he leads the horse to a young tree close to the blanket, and I realize that I might have seen it before. At the stables.

“We shouldn’t let the food go to waste,” Kyle says and ties the horse to a branch.

I’m about to protest when it hits me. I don’t know if I’m this dumb or simply not used to someone planning surprises for me. Because of course this is the next part of Kyle’s plan. He’s spent all this time and effort on making my day special even though we’re not having sex. He’s just this caring. No boyfriend or girlfriend has ever done such a thing for me. I don’t know if it’s because I’m always the pursuer, or if I chose partners badly, but his care makes me all warm inside.

I play along with a widening smile. “True. If they left it all behind, it’s only fair we have a bite.”