Page 79 of Valentine Nook
Leaning closer to his ears, I stroke along his silky neck. “Don’t worry, Sunday, we can stick together.”
“Ready to go?”
“Sure.”
Both Thunder and Sunday have long, smooth strides, and we spend the next couple of minutes peacefully walking side by side. The heavy rain from last night has cleared the dryness and added a sweetness to the air.
We pass through fields where the grass is almost waistheight. Bunnies sprint away into their warrens, while above us, birds of prey circle and dive.
It doesn’t take long until we reach the stream crisscrossing our path. It’s the one that runs through the village and is just as crystal clear. I figure we’re going to walk alongside it, but Thunder walks straight up to it and steps right in.
And so does Sunday.
I hadn’t realized how fast it was flowing until I felt it pushing against Sunday’s legs. It’s high enough to brush along the bottom of the stirrups, but he gets us safely through, and I relax back into his undulating stride.
Lando’s meticulous as he checks over the land we pass. His eagle eye misses nothing. Twice, he dismounts to examine a fence post loosened from the dry earth and calls back to the yard to have it fixed.
Just like he did with the staircase.
After riding through fields for thirty minutes, we haven’t seen a single building. It’s all horses, cows, and sheep.
“Is all this yours?”
Lando nods, and there’s gravity to him when he speaks. “Yes. Fifteen thousand acres, including the village. It’s all mine.”
I can barely manage a small backyard. I can’t imagine what it must be like to have this much space.
“A lot of work.”
“Yes, but I love it,” he replies, leaning forward to rub Thunder’s ears. And I see the love all over his face. I can hear the emotion in his voice. It’s how I used to feel when I walked onto a film set. Lando sweeps his hand around. “This is what my father left me. It’s where I grew up, and it’s why I work so hard. Alex leads the international subsidiaries because I want to stay here. I want to make my father proud.”
“I’m sure he’s very proud,” I tell him because how could he not be? “What’s your favorite place?”
“You’ve been there, remember?”
He turns to me. There’s definitely insolence to the smile curving his mouth, and I can’t stop staring at it.
It’s a beautiful mouth.
“The waterfall?”
He nods, and a heavy throb begins between my thighs. I haven’t been to the waterfall since I saw him there.
After what happened in the kitchen this morning—or what didn’t happen—the coiled spring inside me is quick to tighten.
There’s no mistaking my meaning when I reply, “How ’bout you show me why you love it so much?”
Lando’s eyes blaze. “Okay, Hollywood. You ready for a gallop?”
If it’s possible, the glen is even more beautiful and magical via the entrance Lando leads us through. Dark vines coupled with trailing wisteria create a curtained appearance, like we’re walking into an exclusive club for two, while Thunder and Sunday stand guard, tied up to an exposed root of the tree.
The echo of water hitting the pool is quieter than I remember, and the dappled sunlight breaks through the spray, creating an eerie glow around us.
The impulse to dive right in has me easing off my boots while Lando looks on in amusement.
“How deep is it?”
“Deep enough.”
