Page 31 of The Runaway and the Rugged
I suppressed a laugh, but that didn’t stop a smile from lifting on my face.
“Wow,” Emelia announced as if she hadn’t just sought out safety in the comfort of my chest. “She’s, uh, pretty impressive.”
Now that we had crossed the creek, I knew we were only minutes away from the house. I wanted to give her a few more moments of distraction before she’d have to face reality.
“You hear that, Ella girl?” Using my calves, I put some light pressure onto her sides before giving her neck a firm pat.
She was impressive.
“Better tell her thank you.” In response, she let out a low nicker.
Emelia’s body stiffened at the sound, but she quickly recovered as her palm stroked the length of Ella’s mane. If I knew any better, she was beginning to really like her.
“Never thought I’d see the day that a horse would be making me feel better,” she mumbled sweetly.
I knew all too well just how therapeutic horses could be. Ella and I had our fair share of walks around Hideaway Haven. Usually when I needed a breather or a moment to decompress after a long day of work.
“Well, anytime you’re in need of a pick-me-up, you can come visit Ella.”
I wasn’t sure why I offered, it wasn’t like she was stickin’ around here anyway. A woman like that had options. And hell, who knows what’ll happen by the time we make it to the house. Maybe all she needed was a moment of clarity and a horseback ride to realize what she wanted was waiting at the altar for her.
Either way, I wanted her to know she’d always be welcome to visit Ella.
“You mean that?” she asked as if she were surprised I’d offered. Even her head spun around on a sharp swivel to make sure my words matched my expression.
The most beautiful shade of emerald glowed back at me. With the sun hitting her eyes at just the right angle, I noticed a dusting of gold speckles around her pupils. They were the kind of eyes I wouldn’t mind getting lost in.
Fucking trouble.
“Wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it,” I simply responded before forcing my gaze ahead, and away from a whole other type of mess I wasn’t ready for.
Adrenalines were running high, emotions were fluctuating, it was a recipe for disaster. Nipping it in the bud was my only option at this point. Whatever this was.
Could be nothing.
Could be the delusions of a lonely man thinkin’ that someone like myself had a chance with a woman like her. Whatever it maybe, I knew it had to be fleeting. A short-lived interruption from the real world.
Nothing more; nothing less.
If anything, a much-needed distraction for the two of us.
A few minutes of heavy silence passed when we finally approached the bend of the trail, a sharp curve that immediately opened up into the meadow behind my house.
She hadn’t noticed yet, her eyes were firmly set on mine.
“Thank you…” She paused for a moment. “Garth.” My name rolled off her tongue like honey. Like she had purposefully wet her lips just before she spoke, making my name sound like a smooth, whispered promise.
Goddammit.
A woman says my name and immediately my dick thinks it needs to stand at attention. The heat, I’d blame it on the heat for makin’ her voice sound like warm, honeyed whisky.
“Really,” she whispered, a sincereness in her tone that melted through my chest. “Thank you.”
My words were suddenly lost somewhere in the tightness of my throat. Here I was suppressing a hard-on for the runaway bride while she was trying to be completely genuine with me. Even her smudged-up face and those red-rimmed eyes didn’t stop her from lifting the corners of her mouth into a timid smile.
I could only imagine what a bare-faced Emelia looked like. Something told me I wasn’t quite ready for that yet, or maybe even ever.
“Of course,” I cleared my throat just as a strong breeze blew past us, sending Emelia’s eyes forward.
