Page 82 of Trust Me With Forever

After sliding out of the car, I followed his directions and walked toward something. His hands were on my shoulders, helping to guide me. Then the wind blew and a familiar scent filled my nose—manure.

Then I heard a whinny in the distance, and I stopped walking. “Where are we?”

“Let me take off your blindfold and you can see.”

It seemed to take forever as my heart pounded.

Another whinny probably meant horses. And I was torn between wanting to rush toward one and stroke its side, and running away to avoid my painful memories.

When the material finally dropped away, I blinked my eyes against the light and took in the scenery.

I stood in front of a wooden fence. Inside the field were several different horses, ranging in color from all black to a chestnut with a white blaze to even an all-white horse.

For a second, I merely watched them graze and walk around, flicking their tails or ears, and a deep sense of longing rushed forth.

At one time, I’d been horse crazy and had spent as much time as possible in the saddle. I’d even thought about training them for a living at one point.

But then my mother had died. While my dad had first stoked my love of horses, she and I had ridden together the most. And once she’d passed, it’d been too painful to follow along the same paths and trails that we’d taken together.

And so I hadn’t ridden a horse again since I was sixteen.

However, as one walked closer toward us, it wasn’t sadness that filled my heart but a flicker of joy. My eyes heated as the chestnut came to the fence. I offered my palm, and she sniffed. The flutter of her lips and breath on my skin made me smile. “Hello there, beautiful.”

When she offered her head, I rubbed and scratched and murmured nothings. Eventually, the horse walked away. It was then I noticed the stables and buildings and recognized where we were. “Why are we at the Sakamoto place?”

Rafe leaned against the fence next to me and watched the animals in the distance. “I miss having horses, like when I was a kid. So I’m looking to buy a pair. Especially since on a horse, I’d have more freedom than I do with my injured knee.” He glanced over at me. “And I thought you could help me pick them out.”

“Me? Why me?”

He looked back out at the landscape. “I remember you as a kid, riding hellbent and scaring the shit out of your brothers. You loved horses and knew everything about them. You definitely have more knowledge than me.”

“But I haven’t been around horses in a long time, Rafe. And I wouldn’t want to make a mistake.”

He shook his head. “You won’t. Emmy told me you gave Beck advice not that long ago about what to look for.” He met my gaze again. “But if you don’t want to help, I understand. Say the word and we can leave.”

Rafe was tiptoeing around me. Again.

Looking back at the chestnut who’d come up to the fence, I remembered buying my first pony with my dad. He’d taught me a lot about what to look for, how to determine the best fit. It was his encouragement that had led me to learning everything I could and training hard.

Dad.For a long time, thinking about my parents had been too painful. But maybe, just maybe, it was time to honor their memories and remember their love instead of trying to forget it and avoid any pain.

Besides, Rafe revealing how his knee held him back must’ve been difficult. He probably couldn’t run like he used to, might never be able to again.

You could help him with that. Stop being afraid.

After everything he’d done for me, I wanted to help him, to make him happy, even if it meant facing something difficult. “Okay, I’ll give you what advice I can.”

Smiling, he turned his head toward me. “Thanks, Abby.”

He reached over, took my hand, and kissed the back of it, lingering a second before releasing me.

My heart thundered so loud I didn’t hear one of the owners, Star Sakamoto, make her way toward us. So when she greeted us from behind, I jumped.

Rafe squeezed my hand in reassurance before he talked with Star about what he was looking for.

It wasn’t long before she went inside the paddock to retrieve the first animal. As she approached the black gelding, I focused on helping Rafe and said, “Watch how the horse reacts to her and also how she interacts with him. That will tell you a lot.”

“What, do some kick their owners and run away?”

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