Page 53 of Chasing After You
Then a horse whinnies inches from my head. The world is back.
“Holy shit,” I wheeze, nearly knocking us both to the ground in my instinct to get the fuck away from that noise.
Nessa rubs her lip with her finger, and I wonder if maybe I did end up biting her. I might have. And I’m not even sure I could blame the horse for it. “I feel like she just told us to get a room,” she mumbles, cheeks flushed, eyes finally glossy with something other than tears.
“No getting a room,” Vale calls out from somewhere. Good God, did no one have the sense to turn their eyes and ears away from what was happening between us?
“I don’t need a room,” I call back, arms still wrapped around Ness. “I got stuck with having a freaking party-sized cabin. And if I finally found a reason to use it, I will.”
Nessa plants her face in my chest, stifling a laugh.
“We’re going for a ride first,” Vale comes back. “You two can canoodle after.”
Ness looks up to meet my gaze. “Want to?”
“Canoodle?”
She smacks my arm playfully. “Go for a ride.”
I don’t even have to think about it. “Yeah. I really do.” I drop my forehead to hers. “But then – “
“Canoodling?” She smirks. “Absolutely.”
We don’t really wait on the canoodling. In fact, we get so distracted making out, Frank comes back around to finish getting Rosie ready for Ness.
I’m guessing.
I didn’t see him do it.
But the distinct scent of cinnamon gum hangs in the air, and I caught a whiff of that earlier when he was helping me with Jasper.
In any event, we’ve all made it out of the barn, Ness with Rosie, me beside Jasper, and we’re all ears as Frank goes about giving us our next lesson. How to mount a horse.
Nearly everyone manages to get up in their saddle on their first try. Even me, which is astounding, to no one more than myself.
It’s Damon, Tori’s husband who has to take three goes at it before he can swing his leg all the way over.
And it’s not for lack of physical ability. Tori met the man when she started taking ballroom dancing lessons a few years back. Because he was her instructor. I’ve seen the way that dude can move.
Which can only mean one thing.
“I’m not the only one here with a fear of horses,” I hiss so only Nessa can hear me.
“Apparently not.” She grins back at me. “What a faker, trying to hide it.”
I shrug. Damon’s the newest addition to the family. So, new, I wasn’t at the wedding. He’s probably still scared of most of its members. Possibly more scared than he was of that horse he had to climb.
Speaking of fears and horses, I’m finding Jasper shockingly less frightening from this angle. Horseback riding, as it turns out,notsomething I’m afraid of.
Not even when we start moving.
Actually, the rocking back and forth that comes with the sway of his gait is quite nice. Enjoyable even.
“We should get horses,” I blurt out after we’ve been following a trail in the woods at a nice relaxing pace for at least half an hour.
“What?” Nessa’s surprise is only part of what lights up her face. “Yes!”
God, I love how she didn’t even have to think about it.
