Page 46 of Luna

“Good evening. I hope you’ll pardon the intrusion, but I had a few questions for Luna, so I thought I’d drop by to ask them.”

“No intrusion at all,” Ilsa said, subtly nudging Luna away from the sink and pressing the dish towel she held into her hands. “Go on, Luna. Laila and I can finish the dishes.”

“Oh, well, I …” Luna hastily dried her hands, then pushed at errant hairpins. Nervously, she smoothed a hand down the front of her skirt, then seemed to recall she wore a calico apron. She hastily untied it and yanked it off before she took a step closer to Hunter. “May we offer you something to drink? Lemonade? Water?”

“I’m fine for the moment. These are for you.” He held out the basket of flowers, and Luna shyly took them from him, burying her nose in the blooms.

When she looked up at him over the tops of the flowers, something flopped around in his chest. It took a few seconds for him to realize it was his heart.

“Thank you,” she said, setting the basket in the center of the kitchen table. “What did you want to ask me?”

Hunter cleared his throat, feeling uncharacteristically nervous. “Actually, if you aren’t opposed, I thought perhaps we could go for a ride.”

“A ride? In your automobile?”

Hunter shook his head. “No, on my horses. I brought Breeze along. She’s a sweetheart and easy to ride.”

Luna’s eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t outright refuse. “I don’t really know how to ride, Hunter, but I suppose I’d be willing to learn.”

“Dandy. I won’t keep you long. I just thought we could go for a short ride and discuss plans for Independence Day.”

Before Luna could agree or refuse, Ilsa shook soap bubbles from her hands, gave them a slapdash drying on her apron, then nudged Luna toward him. “That’s a brilliant plan, Hunter. Go on, now. Have fun. When you get back, we’ll sample that cherry pie you baked earlier, Luna.”

Hunter stepped to the side and allowed Luna to lead the way out the door. She went down the porch steps and across the lawn to where the horses were tied by the barn without saying a word. When she stopped and stared at the two animals, then glanced at her skirt, Hunter suddenly realized it would be impossible for her to ride in such a slim skirt. Even if he boosted her up to the saddle, there was no way she could ride with her skirt nearly hobbled around her ankles.

“This won’t work, Hunter. I’m sorry. I could go change, but I’m not sure any of my skirts are full enough to ride.”

“I’m the one who is sorry. I should have borrowed one of Dally’s riding skirts for you. Next time I’ll remember that, or you could come out to the ranch to ride there, and Dally could help you with a skirt.”

The rosy hue of Luna’s cheeks deepened. Hunter wasn’t sure if it was the invitation to the ranch, or him talking about her skirts that brought the color to her face.

“How about I introduce you to Wind and Breeze, and you can get to know them a little? The next time you meet, when we do ride, you’ll already have a friendship started with them.”

She smiled and took a step closer to the horses. “I would like that. I’ve seen you riding Wind before. He’s beautiful, and so is Breeze. Are they related?”

“As a matter of fact, they are siblings. Breeze is two years younger than Wind, but they get along just fine.” He smiled and showed Luna how to let the horses sniff her hand, then gave her an apple he’d broken in half to feed them. After ten minutes, Luna no longer seemed hesitant around the horses and laughed when Breeze nuzzled her shoulder.

“You wanted to talk about the festivities taking place on Independence Day, didn’t you?” Luna finally asked as she scratched Wind under his chin.

Hunter watched as his horse, known to be particular about the humans he liked, closed his eyes in contentment. “I did say that. I just wanted to go over the details, since, well … I wasn’t sure if … I thought maybe …” He struggled to find the right words to say.

“You thought perhaps I might enjoy the fireworks show now that I’ve survived a gunfight and didn’t faint at the first sight of danger. Is that it?” she asked.

Luna never seemed to take her gaze from the horses, but Hunter could feel her studying him.

He nodded his head. “Yes, that’s exactly it. If you want to go, we’ll go, and I’ll be cautious and attentive should you feel a sudden need to leave. If you’d rather not attend, I’m perfectly fine with that too. I’ll leave the choice up to you.”

“May I give it more consideration and let you know when I reach a decision?”

“Of course. Like I said, whatever you prefer is fine with me.” Hunter grinned as Wind nuzzled his shirt pocket. He took out two peppermint drops and gave one to Luna to feed to Breeze. The horse ate it right out of her hand, causing Luna to beam with pleasure. With the setting sun behind her and the light of her smile filling all the space between the two of them, Hunter felt spellbound.

Unable to look away, he watched her every movement, the graceful way she lifted her hands, the tilt of her head, even the few curls the breeze blew around her face.

Before he did something stupid, like take her in his arms and kiss her senseless, he grasped for any topic that might distract him from his longings.

“Why are you home?” he blurted out, realizing she was not at the restaurant working, as she normally would be, which hadn’t even crossed his mind until that very moment.

“Caterina told me after yesterday, I deserved an evening off to recuperate. I feel fine, though, so before you ask and get all worried, I truly am well, Hunter. Thank you, again, for protecting me, though. Just knowing you were there made me feel … sheltered.”

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