Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Rae

I regretted my decision to take up horseback riding as soon as Zach adjusted the stirrup and helped hoist me onto the back of his horse, Roam.

"You have to try to relax," he said for the third time in less than a minute. His voice was low and soft, and would have been soothing if I wasn't currently freaking the hell out.

Roam shook his head, tossing his mane, and made a noise that sounded distinctly unhappy. He wanted me on his back about as much as I wanted to be there.

"That's really easy for you to say when you're all the way down there, and I'm all the way up here ." No one told me I would be so high off the ground when I got on the back of this damn thing. I took my eyes off the horizon and looked down the three stories to the ground where Zach was standing at my side to see him fighting a smirk. My eyes bulged out of their sockets. "You think this is funny? I'm like, a bagillion feet off the ground! If I fall off, I'm going to break my neck."

"You're not gonna fall, I swear. I won't let you, Hollywood." His hand came up and rested on my knee, the touch was meant to be grounding, but instead, a shock of static electricity bolted through my system. When I'd shown up at the corral for our riding lesson and found him waiting for me, my heart took off at a dangerously fast gallop. It had done the same thing the day before when he showed up at the lodge just as Raylan and I were discussing my taking riding lessons.

I had hoped that the few days away, working at Second Hope, would have been enough to tamp down the juvenile high school crush I'd formed on the man, but no such luck. Being close to him made my mouth dry and my brain fuzzy. It had been difficult to focus on anything else, especially when he'd grabbed the brim of the baseball cap he was wearing and spun it around so the ranch logo on the front faced backward. I was convinced that the most evil thing a sexy man could do was twist his ballcap backward. It hit a lady right in her nether regions .

I'd been struck dumb the moment he'd done it, at least until I threw myself up onto Roam's back. Then all my focus shifted from Zach to center on the ground that looked really hard and unforgiving from my incredible height.

"You can't promise that. This horse doesn't feel like he's a fan of me being up here. What if he throws me? Human bodies bounce, Zach. They bounce!"

"Roam isn't going to throw you, sweetheart. It's why I chose him. And no, he's not real happy with you at the moment, but he's makin' that known by pawin' at the ground. See?"

I leaned over just a few centimeters to watch as Roam dug at the dirt with his front hoof.

"He's communicating with you, Rae, tellin' you to calm down and quit squeezin' him to death."

I let out a shuddered breath. "I'm not squeezing?—"

"With your thighs. You need to unclench."

I tried to do as he said, but panicked when Roam shifted his big body. "If I loosen up I'll slide right out of the saddle the first time he takes a step."

Zach looked at me consideringly before ordering, "Move forward."

" What ?"

His eyes met mine, that decadent, rich brown penetrating so deep it felt like he was seeing every little thing I tried so hard to keep hidden. "Trust me, Rae." It wasn't an order or a command, it almost sounded like a plea. "I won't let anything happen to you." Every instinct told me I could believe him, that he meant what he said. He must have seen it on my face, because his features grew gentle, almost tender, as he repeated, "Now, move forward and take your feet out of the stirrups."

I did as he said, shifting closer to the saddle horn until I had nowhere else to go. A moment later, Zach was lifting himself up and coming to rest right behind me, so close his body heat sank through the clothing separating us and soaked into my skin. His scent filled my nostrils. Clean cotton and leather and earth, along with something spicy and decidedly male. I wanted to twist around in the saddle and bury my face in his neck, breathing deeply until I could identify the smell.

He reached up and placed his hands on my ribs on either side, his big hands wrapping around me. "How does this feel?" I had to try really hard not to focus on the way his breath skated across my neck and stirred my hair as he spoke close to my ear and concentrate on the pressure he was applying.

"It... it doesn't feel like much of anything."

His grip grew a little tighter. "Okay, and what about now? "

"It feels like you're trying to hold on."

In the next breath, his hold grew so tight it threatened to squeeze the air from my lungs. "And now?"

I pulled in a sharp gasp. "Like you're trying to crush my ribs."

As fast as it came, the pressure disappeared, but instead of removing his hands completely, Zach trailed them downward until they settled in the dip of my waist. I bit down on the inside of my cheek to keep in the whimper that wanted to break free at his touch.

God, I really needed to get it together.

"Exactly. See how tense you are right now, Roam can feel every single bit of it. If you want to get him to trust you, you have to put your trust in him. Now, I want you to loosen your hold." His hands came down on my jean clad thighs, causing my breath to hitch. There was no way he could have missed the shiver that worked its way through my body, but he was gentleman enough not to point it out. "Only put as much pressure as I did that second time. That and the stirrups are all you need in order to hold on."

I did my best to loosen my muscles, easing the tension in my legs. Just like he had the last time I loosened up, Roam shifted his considerable weight, but with Zach behind me, it was easier to not be so scared.

"Good. That's him telling you he likes this better. He'll communicate with his body. It's your job to listen. Now, put your feet back in the stirrups."

"A-are you sure?"

Zach's hands traveled around to my front, his arms surrounding me completely as he pressed his palm into my belly, bringing my back more firmly against the solid mass of his wide chest. From this position it was impossible not to feel every dip and ridge of the countless muscles beneath his shirt. The man's body felt like it had been chiseled out of marble.

"I've got you, Rae," he assured me quietly, speaking against the shell of my ear. "I'm right here. I won't let anything happen to you."

I didn't have a doubt in my mind that what he said was true. He wasn't going to let any harm come to me on top of this horse. I felt the certainty of that in my bones as I shifted my legs to hook my feet back into the stirrups.

"Good girl," he breathed, and something about those words, the praise behind them, lit a fire deep in my belly. "Now give him a light tap against his ribs with your heel."

I did as he said, setting Roam into motion, and even though we'd only started at a slow canter, my heart felt like it had taken off at a sprint.

I guided Roam back toward the barn, the same smile I'd been wearing the past half hour still stretched across my face. I was starting to think the smile was permanent.

Once I'd gotten over my initial fears, I'd quickly discovered a newfound love for riding. By the end of the lesson, Zach had taken the reins and kicked Roam off into a full gallop. It felt like I was flying.

I'd never felt anything more freeing, more exhilarating in my entire life. With Zach holding on to me, keeping me safe, I'd been able to truly let go and put all my faith in the animal beneath me. Zach had been right. Roam was a sweet and gentle horse, and as we made our way slowly back to the barn, with Zach back on the ground, leading me and Roam by the reins, I felt comfortable on his back by myself. Not enough to take off at a fast run, mind you, but I could have gone a few laps comfortably, just the two of us.

I leaned forward in the saddle as Roam's hooves slip-clomped against the floor of the barn and gave his neck a gentle rub.

"You really are a good boy, huh?" I crooned softly. "Such a good speckled-butt boy. "

Zach's chuckle carried up to me as he brought us to a stop. "He's an Appaloosa."

I sat up tall and looked down at him in confusion. "Huh?"

"The markings. He's an Appaloosa."

"Oh." I curled my lips between my teeth to hide my smile. "Got it. But I still think I prefer speckled-butt. What do you say, Roam?"

He let out a gust of air from his nostrils that sounded an awful lot like a harrumph. Zach's lips curled up into a grin as he arched a brow. "Pretty sure that means he's not a fan."

"Whatever," I said with a teasing roll of my eyes. "I'll save my affectionate nicknames for Sassy then. At least she seems to enjoy them."

Each evening after getting off work, I'd come down to the barn to see the horses, but to spend time with Sassy in particular. I wasn't sure what it was about her that I was so drawn to, but I felt a kindred spirit in the animal that I almost swore she felt as well. From what I heard, she was still full of attitude with all the other hands, and while she didn't hesitate to show me a bit of the fire that earned her name, she was never anything but affectionate. My favorite time of day was that quiet hour in the barn, just the two of us. Whether work had been good or bad, she made it all disappear .

"She does seem to be a fan," Zach said with a jerk of his chin. I followed his line of sight to Sassy's stall, and sure enough, her head peeked over the door, her big black eyes trained in my direction. She let out a chuff and tossed her mane as if to say "What the hell, lady ?"

"I think she might be a little jealous I went out on Roam today," I said with a laugh.

"Probably," Zach agreed, humor in his voice. "She doesn't really strike me as the kind of animal who's big on sharing. "Come on. I'll help you down." He reached up, circling my waist with his large hands. Sparks went off in my belly like I just ate a whole bag of pop rocks as the rough pads of his fingers brushed the patch of exposed skin on my side where my T-shirt had ridden up. There was nothing sexual about the touch whatsoever, yet it still lit me up in a way no other man's touch ever had.

My breathing grew choppy as he slowly lowered me, the soft curves of my body dragging across the rock-hard wall of his. My nipples pebbled. My core twisted. I wasn't sure my knees would be able to hold me once he let go, and it had nothing to do with being on horseback. Sure enough, my legs wobbled beneath me as soon as my boots hit the ground, and had Zach not been holding onto me, I wasn't sure I wouldn't have landed right on my ass on the dusty floor.

Zach's fingers pressed deeper into my skin as his eyes darted between mine, drilling impossibly deeper before traveling down to my mouth. The brown of his eyes grew even darker as his pupils expanded, the black swallowing up all color. I'd seen that look on men's faces before. I knew when they were attracted to me, desired me. But it had never felt this intense. This... combustible. It felt like one move would be all it took to set the world around us ablaze.

I was lost in his gaze, happy to stay locked inside of it. Unfortunately, whatever spell weaved around us was broken when Roam, having apparently had enough of being ignored, butted Zach in the back with his nose.

I cleared my throat, blinking back into reality quickly as I took two shaky steps back. Nerves suddenly gripped me tightly as I forced my gaze from his, letting it bounce around the barn. "Uh, th-thank you. For the riding lesson. It was... I had a lot of fun."

He pulled his hat off, smacking it against his strong thigh as he raked a hand through his short hair. "Yeah. No problem," he muttered before putting it back on, brim forward this time. "Just let me know when you want to go again."

I wasn't sure if continuing our lessons was the smartest thing, but I also knew I didn't want them to stop. I liked spending time with him. We might have gotten off to a rocky start, but I was finally seeing the side of him that Hal and Lennix had both assured me was there. He was funny and clever. He was smart and kind, hands down the hardest worker I'd ever known. He cared for the people he employed, for his family, for the animals on his ranch. The more I got to know him, the more I discovered there was a lot to like. The more I realized he was all good, down to his very core.

"Yeah, okay. I will. Thank you."

I took another step back, prepared to turn and hightail it out of the barn when he spoke again. "Will you be at dinner at the lodge tonight?"

"Oh, no. I've been meaning to go into town for a few days now to get groceries and some other stuff."

He took a step closer. "Do you need me to come with you? I know you don't really know your way around town."

He was right about that, and while I would have loved to spend even more time in his company, I knew I needed to put some space between us until I could get my head on straight. I'd made way too many stupid decisions in my life, and I didn't want Zach to be another. He was too good a person. He deserved better than me.

"No, thank you. Lennix gave me directions." I offered him a small smile as I slowly pivoted on the heel of my boot. "But I appreciate the offer."

"Yeah, of course."

I told myself I was only imagining the way his expression seemed to fall before I turned away and headed toward the row of ranch trucks parked along the side of the barn... it was all in my head that he seemed almost disappointed.