Page 23 of Rough Ride

That much she knew.

“Please, stop talking. I’m overwhelmed.”

His lips curved as he urged his horse forward. “Not much to tell. Went right into the military, then got out and met Joe.”

“Yeah, he told me that much,” she said following him. “Hey, you don’t want to tell me more, that’s fine.”

“Really?” His voice dripped with sarcasm.

She laughed as she came up even with him. “Yeah. Really. I’ve always been sort of a busy bee as Dad called me. I always had to know what was going on.”

“And probably why you were a good teacher.”

She glanced over at him. “Yeah. But how would you know I was a good teacher?”

“I doubt Crysta Louise Miller?—”

“Oh, I hate that middle name.”

“Would do anything half way. You had to be good at it. But you left it.”

It was more a statement but she also understood he was looking for an explanation.

“I was burnt out. At the time, leaving made sense. Dad was sick and needed me. There is always a chance I would go back. I just thought I wasn’t doing my best so I stepped back for awhile.”

“And you just proved me right.”

She laughed. “Men always have to be right…even when they’re wrong.”

He chuckled but said nothing else as they rode along for a few moments together in companionable silence. She missed this. Leisure time especially, but Crysta truly had missed riding. It had been a love of hers in high school. She made a decision to look for a horse and place to lodge it when she returned to the mainland.

“So, Joe said you competed?”

It was odd. Not the question but the way he asked it. She had been involved with a few Doms and many of them relished the silence. If they wanted to know something, they usually allowed the other person to become uncomfortable. But then, he wasn’t her Dom and she wasn’t his sub. Unfortunately.

No. Not that. Really.

“Yeah, mainly barrel racing as I told you yesterday.”

“Hmm, so you’re good at racing?”

She slanted him a look then noticed that the barn was a speck in the distance.

“Sure am. Race ya to the barn,” she said, then kicked her horse into a gallop.

Crysta took off, her hair flying behind her and the feel of a good, strong horse beneath her. It had been so long since she had done this, just let loose. She heard him behind her, his horse’s gallop a thunder against the Hawaiian earth.

She reached the barnyard before him, even though he was right behind her. She slowed her horse down and turned to greet him. He was laughing like she was and there was a hint of admiration in his eyes.

“You definitely know how to ride, Crysta.”

She didn’t miss the double entendre, but she didn’t react to it. Ranch hands had gathered in the yard and she didn’t want them to think something was going on between them.

“Of course, I do. I’m a Kaheaku,” she shouted back at him laughing.

A cheer went up in the yard as Eli moved his horse closer. Then, just loud enough for her to hear, he said, “Be careful who you challenge, Crysta. It might come back to bite you in the ass.”

Then he tipped his hat and rode off with that cocky smile of his curving his lips.

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