Sam stretched over the neck of her horse and patted the coat behind Maggie’s ear. “You won’t throw me, will you?”
“She wouldn’t dare.”
Samantha considered kicking the horse into something faster than a walk, but didn’t have any idea where they were headed.
“When was the last time you rode?” Blake asked.
“Before…” She let the word hang there for a moment. As if Blake would know its meaning. For many years, everything in her life was either before the fall of her family, or after.
Samantha noticed Blake watching her patiently. “Before my father went to prison. Before my mother’s death. Before Dan. Before Jordan’s suicide attempt. Jordan and I used to ride all the time.” The memory of her sister on a horse made her smile.
“Who’s Dan?”
Had she said his name? “Dan was the snake I dated in college.”
“There’s a story behind that.”
Blake didn’t press her for answers. Maybe that was why she didn’t have a problem opening up to him. “Dan dated me to learn more about my father. He worked for the Feds.”
Blake’s expression turned to stone. “He slept with you to get to your dad?”
The anger in his voice put a smile on her face. It was so nice to have someone see it her way. “Slept with me, told me he loved me. Women aren’t the only ones who lie to get what they want.”
“That must have hurt.”
She remembered those days, the pain, the deception. “I guess you know now why I have a hard time trusting people.”
“I should be honored that you trust me.”
“Damn right.” She laughed and sent him a wink. They weren’t out on this beautiful day to walk though her past.
Blake brought his horse closer to hers, reached for her hand, and brought the back of it to his lips for a small kiss.
Her heart lunged in her chest and cracked wide open. Try as she might, she couldn’t help but compare her feelings for him to the man she once claimed to love. The two didn’t belong on the same planet.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked, changing the subject.
Blake slid a glance over his shoulder, a smirk played on his lips. “You don’t do surprises very well, do you?”
“I do… it’s just… okay, no. I don’t do surprises. Where are we going?”
Blake pointed to a patch of trees about a mile away. “There’s a cottage by a stream where I thought we’d enjoy a quiet lunch.”
Samantha allowed her shoulders to slump and a silly grin to grace her lips. “That’s sweet.”
“That’s me, Mr. Sweet.”
He was being sarcastic, but she thought title worked. “Just beyond those trees, huh?”
“Yep.” He kept his horse at a walk. His thighs hugged the flanks of the animal he rode and drew Samantha’s gaze to him once again. Blake’s strong profile, and broad shoulders that tapered to his perfect behind made her mouth water. The thought of the cottage, with privacy, popped in her mind.
“How long will it take us to get there?”
“Half an hour at most.”
“Hmmm.” Then, without warning, Samantha kicked Maggie and held on as the horse lurched ahead.
“Sam?” Blake was calling her name behind her.
She fixed her knees into the horse and held on tight until Maggie had found a nice comfortable pace of her run.
Hardly a few seconds passed when Blake overtook her. The frown on his face dissipated when he saw her smile as he passed. Instead of forcing them to a stop, he let Blaze take the lead and Maggie followed.
Cool air coursed through Samantha’s hair, pulling it out of the clip she’d used to hold it back. The landscape buzzed past, but not so quickly that she didn’t manage to scent the lavender blooming, or the fresh grass under the horses’ hooves. This she could get used to. The freedom of riding away from life’s worries, the big outdoors to escape into.
They cleared the open space in five minutes and had to slow the horses to pick their way through the trees. Seemed both Maggie and Samantha were in need of catching their breath. “That was wonderful.”
Blake’s grey eyes caught hers and held. For the first time in days, he looked relaxed and carefree. For a moment, she thought he was going to say something, but he lowered his eyes and pulled on the reins to move Blaze deeper into the woods.
“It’s so beautiful here. And quiet.”
“When I was a kid, I used to take a horse out here all the time to escape my father.”
“Was he so bad?” Seemed her husband and his father had the worst of relationships, but Blake hadn’t really elaborated.
“I wasn’t him.”
“And that’s what he wanted, a miniature him?”
Blake nodded.
Samantha wanted to ask more questions, but Blake moved his horse in front of hers as the path narrowed. Soon the sound of water sounded over the horses.
When the trees opened up to reveal the stream, Samantha knew why Blake chose this place to get away. Crystal-clear water cascaded down rocks and dipped around fallen branches and trees. Moss and grass grew along the banks of the stream, which made her envision Blake as a little boy sitting by the water’s edge tossing rocks.
“Is this still on your land?”
“It is. The estate is over five hundred acres. But this is the most beautiful location on it.”
“It’s amazing, Blake.”