Page 65 of An Enchanted Spring

“I’ve found us horses. Can you ride?” Reilly asked, materializing from the trees and making Emma jump.

Horses?“Do pony rides at a county fair count?” she ventured.

“Not in this case. You’ll ride with me.” Aidan helped her to stand, then walked her over to the largest stallion she’d ever seen.

It eyed her warily.

This adventure was going from strange to downright weird. Why horses? What happened in the cave? And she wanted to get Aidan to a doctor as soon as possible.

But first, she figured they ought to get inside somewhere quickly. There was no telling if Ben knew where they were, and, as an entire day had passed, he might’ve caught up to them, wherever they were.

A few minutes.She snorted. Aidan was clearly trying to save her pride. She must’ve been out for hours. It definitely explained the headache.

“I can run,” she said quickly, taking a step back. She bumped into a hard chest. “Really. I have on my boots. It’s fine.”

The horse snorted its approval of her plan.

“Don’t let the beast know you’re afraid of him,” Aidan advised, placing his hands on her waist. He effortlessly tossed her up onto the horse’s back, and she almost fell off the other side. He hopped up behind her, righted her, then leaned down so his mouth was against her ear.

“Hold onto the horse’s mane or my arms, but don’t grab these reins. Aye?”

She nodded shakily and adjusted her heavy skirts. She glanced down at the ground and clenched her eyes shut. He kicked the horse, and they galloped off. She heard other hoofbeats, and she managed a small peek through her lids. Reilly rode on one side of them, Cian on the other.

Aidan gave the horse its head, and they flew between thetrees in the forest, leaping over small streams and charging through brush. Emma’s teeth smacked together in her head, and, after an hour of death-gripping Aidan’s arm, she was fairly certain her legs would never work properly again.

Aidan didn’t talk, but he certainly kept her warm. He turned her cloak around, and the wool buffeted the wind. His warmth seeped through the dress she wore, spreading throughout most of her body. The pants she wore under her dress kept her legs surprisingly warm as well; although she couldn’t claim comfort, she couldn’t say she was cold, either.

Her mind wandered during the seemingly endless ride.How did Ben find me?Perhaps Aidan knew. How else would he have known to follow her into the forest? She decided to bring it up with her horse partner, who was currently bent over her, shielding her from the wind and urging the horse to go faster.

She really didn’t approve of such an action.

“Aidan,” she called.

“No need to yell,” he said softly in her ear, making her shiver in an entirely non-cold way. “I’m right here.”

“Right,” she replied, trying to talk around her clattering teeth. “Um, so…do you know how Ben found me?”

“Aye, with dirty money. But not to worry. He won’t find us here.”

“If he found us before, and we left absolutely no paper trail or anything, how are you so sure?”

“He can’t travel through time, Emma.”

He was so calm about it, so matter-of-fact. Emma swallowed past a lump in her throat.Poor man, she thought.He’s so confused.She’d heard never to let someone with a brain injury fall asleep, and even though he didn’t look sleepy, she kept talking just in case.

“Where are we going?”

“Home,” he said simply.

“Right. Of course. And home would be…”

“On the coast.”

So forthcoming, she thought sardonically. As they whisked along, Emma felt an odd sense of detachment. She should’ve been freaking out. She was on a horse with a man who needed medical attention, and she had no idea how to steer the creature, much less where to go.

“Stop thinking so hard,” Aidan murmured, leaning in again. “You’re making our horse nervous.”

“I am not,” she retorted. With surprise, she added, “You’re handling him just fine. Where did you learn how to ride?”

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