Page 83 of Heart of the Sun

I chuckled. “There won’t be any death-defying acrobatics this time. Probably.”

She grinned and cocked her head, the dwindling sun outlining her in a hazy glow, the breeze lifting the pieces of hair that had come loose from her braid. And I knew that no matter what happened here, and for the rest of my life, when I thought of this journey, I’d see her just this way.

I led the horse to where there was a rock that I could stand on and then held on to her, pausing to make sure she wasn’t going to bolt, and then pulled myself up and over. The horse shifted, but seemed mostly unconcerned with having a rider, and so I took my backpack off and gestured for Emily to do the same. I tied them together and then draped them over the horse so they wouldn’t fall off. “Ready?” I asked Emily as I reached my hand out to her.

She stepped up onto the rock and then I gripped her arm and she let out a surprised gasp that turned into laughter as I lifted her, and she landed behind me. Emily wrapped her arms around my waist, her body pressed against my back. “Ready,” she confirmed, her breath warm on the nape of my neck.

We trotted toward the open desert, nothing but the sky and the mountains in front of us. The red clay ground met the pinkish orange sky, pearly light shining through gaps in the clouds and creating spotlights on the snowcapped hills. It was so stunning that all I could do was stare, our bodies swaying as the horse carried us forward, Emily’s soft sigh behind me letting me know she was as awestruck as me.

We trotted at a leisurely pace for a few minutes, the sun lowering and a deep blue joining the swashes of color.

“No death-defying stunts,” she murmured at my ear. “But what do you say we make it across this desert sooner rather than later?”

My heart rate quickened. The ranch I’d spotted was barely visible now in the lowering light and I didn’t want to be in the middle of the desert when the sun went down. But I knew Emily was suggesting an all-out ride for more reasons than safety.She wanted a thrill. And why not when those were currently in such short supply. “Hold on tight, Showboat.”

Emily pulled in a breath, her arms clamping tightly around my waist as I dug my heals into the horse’s sides and her trot moved into a gallop. I leaned forward and so did Emily, following my lead. The horse seemed eager to run, not holding back in the least, the wind whipping her mane back and making me squint and laugh. Behind me, Emily laughed too, her body hot and soft against my own.

We raced across the hard-packed earth, the sun’s flame being quenched by the icy stars. The world didn’t matter. None of my problems or regrets could keep up. It was only us, wild and free, laughing with abandon, blood pumping furiously through my veins, and Emily’s arms holding me like she’d never let go.

We all might crash and burn, but for that moment, for right then, we were young and alive, and we had already come so far that I believed nothing could stop us now.

The sprawling house came into view, a modern-looking barn off to the side and a corral where I saw five or six horses milling about. I pulled on the horse’s reins, and she slowed, her mane falling back into place as her gallop slowed to a trot. I could feel Emily’s heart racing against my back, her laughter fading, quickened breath still warming my ear. “Tuck,” she murmured, and I wondered if she even knew she said my name.

My body felt alive, but so did my heart and my soul. She’d always done that for me when no one else could. And I didn’t even know exactly how, but I’d craved it, needed it, and I’d had no idea how much.

The horse came to a halt, bending her head to nibble at a patch of dry grass.

Emily grasped my shoulders and then climbed around my body to face me, her core pressed to mine as our eyes met, breath mingling. She leaned forward gently as my body hardened, and I let out a small sound of pained bliss. I wanted her. I wanted her so desperately I was quivering with it.

We breathed together for a few stilted moments, eyes searching, her pretty lips parting. And then I couldn’t hold back another second, suddenly feeling like I’d barely managed to hold on all my life. I wrapped my hand around the back of her neck and pulled her forward and then I met her mouth with mine.

chapterthirty-four

Emily

I let out a strangled sound of relief and pleasure as his tongue swept into my mouth, claiming me. Him. The man who’d kept me safe as the world around us crumbled. The boy I’d loved all my life. Tuck.

I writhed, our hearts crashing against each other’s chests, small sounds of desperation coming from the back of his throat each time I slid against him. The Tuck I’d just raced across the desert with was the Tuck I’d known, the one who’d looked to me to draw him out. He’d only ever needed a small push, the tiniest of nudges to release some of the pent-up pressure he held inside. And I’d loved it. Loved the way he’d trusted me. Loved the way he made me feel necessary. We’d always balanced each other, and I wanted to weep with the knowledge that we still did.

“Em,” he gritted, breaking from my mouth, breath coming out in harsh gusts against my cheek. “Em. I’m going to—”

“Not here,” I said, my own voice filled with the heady arousal pounding between my legs. We’d find a camp, and we’d spread out our sleeping bags. We’d have the whole night. With a shiver of desperate anticipation, I quickly swung my leg around him, scooted back, and then dismounted the horse. He jumped down easily too and turned toward me, smoothing a few pieces of hair back from my face. He looked slightly drugged and maybe feverish as well, and though I appreciated the horse for the thrilling ride she’d just given us, I needed to get her to a safe spot so we could pick up where we’d just left off. “Do you think that’s her ranch?” I asked, pointing next to us where the other horses roamed, nibbling on bales of hay sitting in various spots around the corral.

Tuck’s vision seemed to clear, and he tilted his head slightly as he watched the horses. “There are bales of hay all over. And their pen is open,” he said, pointing to where I now saw a wide-open gate.

He took the horse’s reins in his hand and began leading her to the corral. “Why would they leave their gate open?”

“Possibly because they left and weren’t sure they’d return and wanted to give the horses a way out when the food was gone. Or at least, that’s what I’d do,” he muttered.

I removed our backpacks from where they’d been draped, and Tuck took off the horse’s bridle, rubbing her down with his hand before she wandered over to a bale of hay. There was a water trough near the fence that appeared connected to a rain barrel, that another horse stood drinking from.

Tuck paused and looked around, obviously considering what to do with the bridle in his hand. “The stable door is open,” I said, pointing across the way. We walked through the corral, and into the dim stable, the last of the light illuminating the entrance, but casting the back in shadow. Tuck set the bridle down just as I spotted something taped to the wall on my left. I removed it, read quickly, and handed it to Tuck.

“It’s a list of the horse’s names next to descriptions,” he said. “‘If you take one of our horses, we beg you to please treat them well. They are loved.’” Tuck lowered the note. “They did leave, then,” he said. “Temporarily, at least.”

I briefly wondered why, but realized I didn’t have to. All over the country, people were either trying to get to safety, or attempting to make it to the people they loved. As this ranch was far away from any major metropolitan area and somewhat tucked behind some hills, the owners wouldn’t have to worry much about safety, especially if they were armed. They’d have a good view of anyone approaching from all directions, and they’d have time to prepare. Of course, it was possible they’d run out of food and been forced to head out to search for some, but I thought it was more likely that they’d left to find a family member. It made a lump form in my throat to consider the choices people had had to make, willing to leave safety behind for love.

We left the stables and walked around the front of the house. The front door was locked, but when we rounded the corner of the house and found a side door that led into an attached garage, Tuck turned the knob and pulled it open. He stood there still for a moment, his body blocking the interior. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

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