26. Lacey

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

lacey

I give the front door a couple of taps, open it, and step inside. I bellow a hello through the house, even though only Jalynn's car is in the driveway, to ensure I don't walk in on anything I might regret seeing.

"I'm back here," Jalynn calls back to me from down the hallway.

I follow her voice to the room currently being decorated and set up as a nursery.

"I need your help. It's an emergency," I say in a rushed voice, stepping inside the room. My nerves make me jittery, and I can't stand still.

"What's wrong?" Jalynn stops folding the baby onesie she's holding, focusing on me now with big, serious eyes.

"I've got myself in a pickle. Jacob is picking me up for our first date in thirty minutes, and I don't have a damn thing to wear!"

Jalynn exhales and shakes her head at me.

"Gosh, Lace, you scared the shit out of me. I thought it was something serious."

"This is serious!" I insist. "I don't even know what I'm doing."

"Okay, don't worry. We'll get you all fixed up. I'm sure you're going to have an awesome time." She finishes folding the onesie and sets it on the pile of freshly washed baby clothes.

I start pacing the room to work some of my anxiety out.

"Lace, it's just a date. Right? Am I missing something here?"

"It's not just a date," I say. "It's a date with Jacob."

"Uh-huh." Jalynn eases herself up out of the rocker.

"I'm serious, Jay. I'm really freaking out right now. I want this date to go well."

"It's going to go just fine, Lace. Jacob is already smitten with you. You could show up in a gunnysack, and it wouldn't hurt Jacob's feelings in the slightest." Jalynn takes my hand and pulls me with her further down the hall and into her bedroom. "But come on, darlin'. We'll get you all fixed up. What are you all doing on your date?"

Jalynn motions for me to have a seat on her bed while she digs in her closet.

"He said something about riding horses."

"Does he know you don't know how to ride?"

"I know how to ride," I protest.

"Jumping bareback on random horses in random fields while we were in high school hardly counts." Jalynn comes back over with a couple of outfits in hand. "What's the goal for your outfit today? Do you want something practical for riding, something cute, or are you just trying to look sexy?"

"I don't want him to confuse me with one of the farm hands," I reply, rolling my eyes at the suggestion of wearing something practical. "Make me cute. And hurry. I'm running out of time."

"Why don't you text him and tell him to pick you up over here instead of at your place?"

"That's a good idea." I pull out my phone to text him.

Minutes later, we hear a knock at the door. I lock eyes with Jalynn and freeze. Jalynn starts for the door.

"Sounds like he's ten minutes early," Jalynn says. "I'll occupy him while you finish up."

Twenty minutes later, I check myself one last time in the mirror. Jalynn's jeans hug my curves and the floral scoop neck blouse she chose, tied in the front, is casual but classy. I run my fingers through my wavy brown hair, lifting it on top of my head as I debate whether to pull it all up into a ponytail or not. Jacob seems to have a thing for my hair, though, so I opt to pin a small section back out of my face but leave the rest cascading down my back. I hear Jacob and Jalynn's voices as I walk down the hall to the living room.

When I walk in, Jacob forgets about his conversation with Jalynn. He stands from his seat, and I shiver under his gaze as his eyes wander over my body. I approach him, pushing aside the butterflies trying to dominate my senses, and give him a hug.

"Sorry for making you wait," I say.

"It was worth it," Jacob says. "Are you ready?"

"I believe so."

Jalynn follows us to the door. As we make our way to Jacob's truck, she hollers after us, "Y'all be careful and have a good time. And Jacob, you'd better treat her like a freakin' lady!"

Jacob looks over at me with an unreadable expression. He's probably getting cold feet now about taking me on this date.

"Don't mind her," I say. "She's off her rocker."

"It's okay. She and I already had our heart-to-heart," Jacob says. "We're on the same page."

He gives me a grin that lets me know I have nothing to worry about. I slide up into his truck and claim the middle seat. I'm still nervous about how the night is going to go, but having Jacob next to me already feels like home.

After a short drive, Jacob parks the truck in a gravel lot. I stand back and watch him do his thing as he unloads the horses from the trailer. My nerves begin acting up again as I take in the size of the horses. Do they grow them bigger in Montana, too? I don't recall horses being this large back home. Then again, I was rarely toe-to-toe with any of the horses I rode in high school. Typically, I'd hang out on the fence until one got close enough for me to leap onto.

"You're biting your lip," Jacob observes, closing up the trailer. "Are you nervous about the horses, or are you already regretting coming on a date with me?"

"No regrets," I say. "I just don't recall horses being this big. There isn't a fence here. I've only mounted from a fence."

"You'll do fine," Jacob assures me. "I'll show you what to do." He grabs the reins of one of the monstrous beasts and leads it over to me. "This is Curly. She's big, but she's gentle. As long as you treat her right, she'll treat you right."

"I don't think she likes me," I say. "I'm pretty sure she's mean-mugging me right now."

"Get over here," Jacob says with a chuckle. "You're going to be just fine. Mount and unmount from the left side. She'll park out for you to make getting on easier. Just tap her over here on her shoulder."

Jacob gives Curly a tap, and the horse takes a couple of steps forward with just her front legs, lowering the stirrup to a more reasonable height. Jacob stands close behind me as I slide my boot into the stirrup, grab hold of a handful of mane, and pull myself up onto the horse. Jacob hands me the reins and checks my stirrups to make sure the length is right.

"See? That wasn't so bad," Jacob says.

"I still don't think she likes me."

Jacob mounts his horse, and we head off side by side on horseback through the open field. Curly's bulbous muscles work beneath me, and I am instilled with a certain respect for the strength of this beautiful creature. Following Jacob up a broad hill, I imagine what it must have been like in earlier times when horses were the only means of transportation. It was no wonder cowboys were associated with being bowlegged. Only twenty minutes of riding in the saddle has a soreness growing in my legs and butt that I'm not at all accustomed to.

"Stop that!" I fuss at Curly as she turns and nips at me again. "What did I ever do to you?"

"We're almost to the spot I wanted to show you, and we'll take a break," Jacob says, and he leads the way until we make it to the clearing on the other side of the hilltop, prior to the descent back down.

I gasp at the view. We stand above a beautiful valley with majestic mountains standing firm and immovable in the background. Wild bison are grazing in the valley, the calves sticking close to their mothers. The sun is slowly working toward its nightly descent behind the mountaintops.

Jacob ties up his horse to one of the nearby trees and stands at the ready next to Curly as I tap at her shoulder with my foot, signaling the horse to park out for my dismount.

With both horses settled, Jacob pulls out our dinner from his saddlebag and sits next to me in a spot, overlooking the valley below. He offers me a sandwich. I unwrap it and take a bite.

Chewing, I say, "I could stay in this spot, admiring this view forever."

"It's almost as beautiful as you," Jacob replies. I glance over at him, a smile tugging at my lips. "Ugh, that was pretty cheesy, wasn't it?" he grumbles, rubbing his hand down his face in embarrassment.

"It was," I agree with a laugh. "But thanks. I'll take the compliment, anyway." I take another bite of my sandwich. "How'd you know about this spot?"

"My brothers and I used to go riding a lot. We've probably covered most of this area on horseback over the years."

"You have two brothers, right?" I ask, trying to remember what Maddie told me.

"Yeah. They're both married and have kids. They live a few hours away, which Mom hates, because she doesn't get to see her grandkids often enough."

"She talks about the grandkids all the time at work."

"She can't wait for me or Mia to get married so she can have some grandkids close by."

"You and Mia are twins, right?" I ask.

"Yep. I don't know if you can meet her though. I'm afraid you two will be thick as thieves if you get the chance to know each other," Jacob teases.

"That could be dangerous for you."

Jacob changes the subject.

"So why did you choose to leave your home and move across the country to a place you've never been?"

"I just needed a change of scenery, I guess," I say, giving him my standard response.

Jacob arches an eyebrow at me.

"That seems extreme for a mere change of scenery. What's the real reason?"

"I needed to get away," I say after a slight hesitation.

"From?"

"Someone I don't like talking about."

I try to ignore the anxiety building up in the pit of my stomach as Jacob unknowingly summons the memories that I work so desperately to bury.

"A little heavy for a first date," Jacob says. "I get it. Just answer me this, what's the likelihood of you waking up one day and deciding all is forgiven and moving back to North Carolina?"

"That won't happen," I say, studying my sandwich. My appetite lost, I wrap the remainder of my sandwich and set it aside. "Too many lines were crossed."

Jacob nods and scoots in closer to me till our bodies are barely connected. I try to refocus on the scene in front of me and push the memories back inside.

"Did you know that bison are the largest mammals in North America?" Jacob asks, changing the subject again as we turn our attention back to the view below in the valley. He continues. "They are very intelligent animals. They're fast, too. Bison can run up to forty miles per hour and can jump six feet high."

Jacob's smooth, deep voice soothes the anxiety that was threatening to overtake me. I lean into his chest and listen to him talk, following along as he spouts out facts about the animals in front of us.

With the sun nearly set, Jacob stands and helps me to my feet. He tucks our trash back into his saddlebag while I prepare to mount Curly. Tapping Curly low on the shoulder, Curly takes a couple of steps forward with her front feet, parking out for the mount. I stick my boot in the stirrup, but before I can pull myself up, Curly backs out of the park and I lose my balance, stumbling backward. Undeterred, I try again. Curly cooperates until I grab the stirrup, and she steps back again.

"Need some help?" Jacob asks.

"No, I've got this. Curly and I are just figuring each other out."

I tap on Curly again, and she steps forward. I get my foot in the stirrup and grab hold of her mane, but again, she steps up and walks away. I stomp my foot and let out a frustrated noise. Jacob stifles a chuckle.

Dismounting his horse, Jacob grabs Curly's reins and leads her back over to me. He tells Curly to park out and stands beside her, rubbing down her neck while I climb into the saddle. Jacob hands me the reins and gets back on his own horse. Slowly, we start the trek back to the truck. I follow behind Jacob as he leads us down the slope of the hill, down into the open field. I pull on the reins to pull Curly's head away when she turns and nips at me again. The more frustrated I become, the more Curly acts out. After a while, Curly stops and refuses to move.

"Come on, you big dumb mule," I say, slapping the reins. "Let's go!"

Curly doesn't budge.

I kick her with my heels and slap the reins like they do in the movies. Curly takes offense and jumps to a start, trotting at first, then spinning and rearing back. My ass slides right out of the saddle, and I fall to the ground with a solid thud. Curly, clearly pleased with herself, prances off across the field. Jacob jumps down from his horse and rushes to my side.

"Fuck. Lacey, are you okay?"

He brushes the hair out of my face and gently pulls me up to a sitting position. He looks me over for injuries, concern on his face.

"Damn blasted mule!" I seethe.

"Nothing broken?" Jacob asks, inspecting my limbs.

"Just my pride," I reply and slowly get to my feet. I dust myself off. "I'm not getting back on that fucking horse."

"Okay, I'm just glad you're alright."

Jacob convinces me to get onto his horse and climbs up behind me. Riding over to Curly, he reaches down and grabs Curly's reins, leading her through the field behind us. I let myself relax and lean back into Jacob's strong chest, his arms around me guiding the horse, and soak in his warmth.

"You know you didn't have to get yourself thrown from a horse for an excuse to cuddle up to me," Jacob teases.

"It's a good thing you're not too big for your britches, or there might not be room for me on this horse," I quip in return.

Darkness sweeps over the valley before we make it all the way back to the truck. Without street lamps or city lights, the stars fill the sky, and the moon illuminates our path. I lean my head back, resting it against Jacob, and take in the expansive open sky speckled with stars. Jacob's body keeps away the chill of the August night air.

"Hey," Jacob says in almost a whisper. I turn and look up at him over my shoulder. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah. This evening has been remarkable," I say, holding his gaze.

"Good," Jacob replies.

His eyes drop down to my lips. Slowly, he leans down and presses his lips to mine, and I know I'm right where I want to be.