by Krista Lakes
It was a good thing that her horse was doing the walking, or she would have stopped in the middle of the path. He kept on riding like it was nothing, but she felt incredibly special.
“Really?” she asked, urging her horse to go a little bit faster to ride next to him. “You've never taken a girl out here?”
“I guess if you want to be technical, I have come out here with Laura,” he replied. “But, since she's an employee, and I think of her like my little sister, then I don't think it really counts.”
“So, I'm special?” she asked. Her cheeks heated as soon as she realized she'd said the words out loud.
He turned, focusing the full power of his blue eyes on her. When he looked at her, it was as if there were nothing else in the world. He made her feel like the center of everything. It was a heady experience that left her a little breathless.
“Yes.” He said it like a simple truth and her insides went to mush.
“Thank you,” she whispered. He nodded, not releasing her from his gaze. She cleared her throat, her heart fluttering in her chest with his direct gaze. “So, do you come out here with Laura often?”
The corners of his mouth twitched up in a smile. “Jealous?”
“Maybe a little,” she admitted, and he laughed.
“We go out about once a week when I'm here in Silver Springs,” he told her. He glanced up at where Laura was explaining something about riding to Lily. “When I first bought this place, I hired Laura to run it. She had amazing recommendations. I went riding with her and they were all well-deserved. I'd owned this place for two years but only came to visit a handful of times. No one really knows that it's mine.”
His horse walked calmly next to Mia's, the two horses in sync as their riders talked. In front of them, the kids enjoyed their horseback ride.
“There’s some local gossip that a billionaire bought this place, but no one knew which one. Most people think it's going to be turned into houses at some point,” Mia replied.
“I have no plans to do that,” he assured her. “I like this place as it is. It's too wild and beautiful to be a block of homes.”
“Do you plan on staying here?” Mia asked. Her throat tightened at the last word, surprising her with how much she hoped the answer was a long time. She wanted him to stay forever.
“I'm not sure,” he said after a moment. “I didn't expect to be here this long, to be honest.”
“Oh.” Mia's face fell and she looked off toward the mountains so he wouldn't see.
“It's not that I don't want to be here,” he said quickly. “It's just that my business is back in California.”
“So why are you here then?” Mia asked.
“It's complicated,” Carter replied. He sighed. “I'm hiding out here. No one knows that I'm at this ranch, or even in the state.”
“Why?” Mia turned to look at him.
“There have been some threats,” he said, his voice emotionless.
Mia's eyes widened. “Oh my god! Why would someone want to hurt you?”
“That's what I'd like to know.” His expression was grim and his eyes distant. For a moment, he looked much older and worn than he really was, but then he shook himself and smiled at her, bringing back the light to his eyes. “It's nothing to worry about,” he promised. “It's more precautionary than anything. Please, forget I said anything.”
Mia suspected there was more to it than that, but she didn't want to pry. She tried to remember if the internet had said anything about him being in danger, but nothing came to mind. “If you need anything, let me know,” she offered. “Even if it's just someone to talk to.”
His eyes softened as he looked at her and he smiled. “Thank you.”
“I mean it,” she said. “Anytime.”
The horses caused their legs to bump into each other. He reached out and touched her leg, sending electricity straight to her brain. How was it that he had this effect on her? Just a casual touch had her body aching for more of him. She found herself hoping he'd take her up on her offer.
The horses moved apart as the path widened again. She missed his touch already.
“So, are you seeing anyone?” he asked. Mia nearly fell off her horse.
“No, I mean... the kids... I...” She regained her poise and cleared her throat. “No, I'm not.”
Carter chuckled, obviously enjoying that he caught her off guard.
“What about you?” she asked, her heart starting to pound in her chest. He probably had half a dozen swimsuit models on speed dial, so she was trying very hard not to get her hopes up. Not that she even had a chance with him, anyway.
“Not currently,” he replied. He glanced over at her. “But that could change.”
Mia's heart went into overdrive. “Is that so?”
He grinned at her and she suddenly understood how women could swoon at the sight of a man. If she'd been standing, the force of that smile would have made her knees buckle. She was just glad she didn't fall off the horse.
The man was dangerous with that smile.
Mia decided to take control of herself.
“So I told you all about myself the other day,” she said. “But, what about you? Tell me about yourself.”
“I'm sure you've read my biography online,” he replied. “What else do you want to know?”
“I only skimmed it,” she told him. “And it didn't have your favorite food. Or color. Or what you like to do on a Saturday night.”
He chuckled. “Pizza, blue, and, you can't tell anyone this, but on Saturdays, I put on a special suit and fight crime.”
“You're Batman?” Mia made sure to put enough awe into her voice and widen her eyes like she was surprised.
“I'm Batman,” Carter said, his voice going low and gravely. Mia couldn't help but giggle. Carter shrugged. “It's expected of billionaires these days to be a superhero. If you don't fight crime, you lose status.”
“That actually makes a lot of sense,” Mia replied, nodding. “Who is Bill Gates, then?”
“I don't reveal other superheroes' identities,” Carter told her. Then he glanced around as if someone might be watching before leaning over to whisper. “He's actually Superman. How do you think he came up with the idea for his computers? They're from his home-world.”
“Things make so much more sense,” Mia said. “I've always wondered about that. How is it being a superhero?”
“Pretty awesome actually,” Carter told her. He grinned at her. “You want to see my gadgets? I have a big Batarang.”
“That sounds almost dirty,” Mia replied, giving him the side-eye.
“Only to dirty minds.” He waggled his eyebrows at her and winked.
Mia laughed. “Where do you keep it? In the garage? Under the barn? Where is your Bat-cave?”
“If I told you, I'd have to kill you,” Carter replied, shrugging his shoulders as he guided his horse along the path.
“Wait, Batman doesn't kill people. It's one of his things,” Mia said.
“That's why I can't tell you,” Carter explained. “If I don't tell you, then I don't have to kill you.”
“That makes perfect sense,” Mia said, nodding and chuckling. “If you're a superhero, who are the super villains? Other billionaires?”
“No, not other billionaires.” He leaned over again to whisper. “The bad guys are actually just millionaires. That's why it's so easy for us to defeat them. And why there's so many more bad guys than good guys.”
Mia chuckled. “I guess that's where the expression, 'crime doesn't pay' comes from. Since millionaires keep losing to billionaires.”
Carter laughed, the sound going all the way into the mountains with his joy. Mia loved it and felt the warmth of pride from making him laugh fill her. She wished she had the power to make him laugh like that all the time.
“So, I've always wondered, how do you order all the gadgets without anyone suspecting?” Mia asked. “I mean, I buy one thing online and suddenly I have ads all for everything related. How do
you not have Amazon know what you're buying?”
“The guy who owns Amazon is a billionaire too, you know,” Carter explained. “He has his own secret superhero identity and thus makes sure that we all get to preserve ours. It's a group effort.”
“I guess that means you know all the other heroes,” Mia said. “I've always wanted to meet Green Arrow. What's he like?”
“Boring,” Carter said quickly. “He's totally and completely boring and you don't ever want to meet him. Batman is way better. And stronger. And better looking.”
“Is that so?” Mia pretended to think for a minute before smiling at him. “Batman always was my favorite.”
“Good.” Carter grinned at her. “So, you want to see my Batarang?” He waggled his eyebrows and glanced down toward his saddle with a naughty wink.
Mia nearly fell off her horse laughing.
Chapter 10
Mia
Laura led the line of horses up a path away from the ranch. They were still in the foothills, but it was close enough to a mountain ride to feel on top of the world. Wildflowers, pine trees, and panoramic views for as far as she could see surrounded her. The scent of pine and dry grass warmed by the sunshine filled her nose. Peaceful was the best word Mia could think of to describe the beauty of the mountains.
Mia and Carter talked and laughed as they rode their horses. They stayed slightly back behind the kids, enjoying their private conversation. Mia couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed this hard. Carter kept cracking jokes and flirting with her the entire ride up into the foothills. This was the best day she'd had in a long time.
After about an hour, the path opened to a small meadow. The yellowing grass waved gently in the cool breeze with the mountains capped in snow behind in the distance.
“Who wants to go a little faster?” Laura asked the kids as Mia and Carter caught up with them. “This field is safe for us to run the horses in.”
“I do!” Lily shouted, urging her horse closer to Laura.
“I figured you would,” Laura said with a chuckle. She moved her horse so that she was next to Lily. “Use your legs and match the horse's rhythm as she goes up and down. Keep your hands low. You can rest them on the horse's neck if you want.”
“Okay,” Lily replied, mimicking Laura's movements. “I can do that.”
Laura grinned. “Start with a canter, then lean forward. Use both your legs to ask the horse to go faster- not the reins,” Laura instructed. “When you want to stop, steady the pace with your reins and sit back into the saddle. No jerky movements.”
“But that's what they do in the movies,” Alexander said, pretending to pull back on his reins. His horse looked back at him like he was crazy, but didn't react to him pulling on the reins.
“Movies aren't real life,” Laura reminded him. “Be gentle with the reins. Would you like someone pulling hard on your mouth?”
Alexander thought about it for a moment and then relaxed his grip. He leaned forward and whispered an apology to his horse.
“Ready Lily?” Laura asked.
The grin on Lily's face was huge. She looked ready to fly with joy. The girl was so excited she could barely contain the excited nod. It made Mia's heart surge. Lily's life was all about taking care of her siblings and surviving. She deserved some fun in her life. All kids did, but especially kids like her with the weight of the world on their shoulders.
Lily followed Laura's instructions to the letter. She looked like a professional rider to Mia's eyes as she urged her horse faster and faster. The sweet mare did what she was asked, even going to a gallop for a short time before slowing. The boys cheered their sister on.
Lily's cheeks were flushed and she grinned wildly as she returned. She was on cloud nine and Mia had a feeling this was the happiest moment of her young life. Mia wished she could give this experience to all of her kids.
“Good job,” Laura told her. “Anyone else want to try?”
“My turn! My turn!” Alexander chanted, urging his horse up to where Laura was.
“Okay. Show me how you hold yourself,” Laura said, making sure he knew what he was doing. When she decided he was ready, she rode alongside him, encouraging him and reminding him what he needed to do. Mia held her breath as Alexander took off, but Laura was right with him.
“We went so fast!” Alexander announced, breathless and grinning when they came back. “Did you see me, Mia? Did I look like a cowboy?”
“You sure did,” Mia told him. She was grinning at his excitement. When those horses ran, they were free from their pasts and their worries. If she had a million dollars, she'd have kids do this all the time.
“What about you, Grayson?” Laura asked, coming alongside the youngest kid. “Would you like to go faster?”
Grayson bit his lip and shifted his weight. He looked down at his horse and shrunk slightly. “Um...”
“You don't have to go as fast as Lily did,” Laura told him. “You can trot, which is like walking only bouncier. It's a lot of fun.”
Grayson chewed on his lip for a second and then lifted his chin. “Okay,” he said with a brave nod.
He sat up straight in his saddle, his head lifted and shoulders back. Slowly, his little horse gained speed with Laura right beside him. As the horse increased speed, Grayson started to grin. He lost the trepidation and urged his horse to get ahead of Laura.
“What about you?” Carter asked, coming next to Mia. His leg grazed hers as their horses found a comfortable position to stand. Her heart involuntarily sped up.
“Me?” Mia asked, looking over at him and squinting in the sunshine.
“Yeah, you.” He chuckled and motioned his head toward the field. “You ready to go a little faster?”
The way he said it made her heart thud in her ears. He couldn't possibly have a second meaning, could he? Of course not. She pushed the idea out of her mind.
“I'd love to,” she replied. She meant it both ways, just in case.
“I'll stay right with you,” Carter said. He clucked to his horse and moved out into the field. She followed him out onto a nice dirt path that was perfect for the horses to up their speed safely. It was smooth and hole free, reminding Mia of a racetrack rather than a path. Considering Carter's wealth, she wouldn't have been surprised to find out he'd had this path made just for running his horses safely.
She kicked her heels into the muscled sides of the horse and urged him to increase his speed. The bounce and the rhythm took a second to get used to, but she loved the way it felt. Carter was right beside her, his own gelding keeping steady alongside her.
She laughed and kicked again, up to a canter. Her body naturally matched her horse, falling back on those lessons from so long ago. The wind streamed through her hair and she glanced over at Carter. Without giving him warning, she kicked again, telling the horse to stretch his legs and run.
Jasper was ready. He extended his legs out as far as he could while she leaned forward, keeping her center of gravity down on the horse like a jockey.
Carter let out a surprised sound but quickly urged his horse to match hers. Together, their horses raced along the dirt path. Each horse wanted to win the imaginary race to an imaginary finish line, so they kept pace with one another until the dirt path came to an end.
The horses came to a stop, each of them breathing hard. Mia laughed, feeling free and light. When she was on horseback, nothing could touch her. There was no problem she couldn't outrun. There was nothing but freedom.
“You're a natural,” Carter told her as they turned their horses around to head back to where the kids were waiting. They went at a gentle trot now, letting their horses recover from the sprint.
“I haven't done that since I was a kid,” Mia breathlessly told him. She was grinning like an idiot.
“Didn't look like it,” Carter remarked. He smiled at her as they rejoined their group and she felt her cheeks heat with the compliment.
“I want to do that!” Alexander shouted. He looked ready to
take off.
“Next time,” Laura told him. “You still need to work on the trot and canter.”
Alexander looked sly. “So, that means there's a next time?”
Laura laughed. “If you're good.”
Alexander whooped. Lily grinned, and even little Grayson looked pleased with the idea of going riding again. To be honest, Mia wanted to do this again. This was a perfect day. The weather was good, the kids were happy, and the company was amazing.
She looked over at Carter. He looked so confident up on his horse. It looked like he belonged there, as much as he looked like he belonged in that garage. Both versions of him were incredibly attractive.
He caught her looking at him and grinned. She blushed hard and turned her horse back in the direction of home. The last thing she needed was for the billionaire to know she had a crush on him. She could only imagine the way he'd smile at her if he knew how much she liked him.
Laura was in the lead once more, leading the parade back to the barn. Alexander and Lily were animated up front, talking about how they wanted to practice their riding so they could gallop like Mia and Carter did. Laura was giving them pointers and promising to help.
Mia didn't see what spooked Grayson's horse. All she saw was the small gray mare suddenly shy at something on the ground and then take off running.
Time slowed, and Mia saw every blade of grass, every fiber of the horse blanket, and every hair on Grayson's head as the horse panicked and took off at a gallop through the field. It happened in the blink of an eye.
“Grayson!” Mia screamed, urging her horse to go after him. Her horse refused to budge. She had no idea what she was going to do, but Grayson was in big trouble. The horse was flying across the meadow and he was barely hanging on, his hands tangled in the mane and his little legs gripping on tight.
Carter was three steps ahead of her. He knew what to do and had his horse ready to go. Using his larger horse's speed, he easily caught up to Grayson's panicked mare. He was able to use his own horse to slow down the terrified mare and finally bring her to a stop.