by Stark, Cindy
She had another month to go before she and her mom would head to New York, and she hoped it would pass quickly. Once she was gone, they would both feel a lot better.
She didn’t belong with these people who traveled by horse over wild terrain. Yes, she’d enjoyed riding with Oliver on the four-wheelers, but she was at his or someone else’s mercy if she wanted to go again. With her lack of skills, she couldn’t get on a four-wheeler or a horse and go riding by herself.
Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt, and she paused.
Maybe she’d looked at this all wrong. Maybe she needed to put more effort into it before she called Oliver a loss.
She stood abruptly and left her half-full glass on the table as she strode outside. Rachel and Oliver had dismounted in front of the barn. Caleb was off in the distance, returning to the hills.
Oliver focused on Rachel as she spoke. When he caught sight of Daisy, he narrowed his gaze, sending a familiar thrill racing through her. There was definitely something between them, and she needed to discover what it was.
One look from Oliver was all it took. Rachel continued speaking for several more seconds without paying any attention to him before she paused and turned in Daisy’s direction.
“Hey, sis.” Rachel’s grin warmed her expression. No doubt, her sister loved having her there.
“Hi.” She glanced between them both. “I want Oliver to teach me how to ride a horse.”
They both remained speechless for several long seconds before Rachel responded with a puzzled look. “Why Oliver? Why not me?”
“Because you’ll be too nice to me and because you’ll be too afraid I’ll get hurt.”
Rachel seemed surprised by her comment. “I’m not that bad.”
“Yes, you are.” She sent her sister the nicest smile she could, softening her words.
“I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.” Rachel sent her a pleading gaze.
Daisy took her hand and squeezed. “I know. You want me to like it here so I’ll come back, and I do, okay? But I’m too bored sitting in the house all day. I want to be out here where the action is, and I might like staying here more if I know how to ride a horse.”
“What about what happened to you when you were little?”
“I’ve grown up since then. We both have.”
A relieved smile warmed Rachel’s face, and Daisy turned to Oliver. “Is that okay with you?” She met his gaze head on, not revealing any emotion.
He stared at her for several long, hard seconds, and she knew what must be going through his mind. “I won’t have you crying to your sister if I’m rough on you like you did after I made you muck the stalls. I’ll treat you like any other newbie ranch hand.” He shot her a dead serious look.
“Agreed.” Her smile blossomed. She’d already handled the worst of the crap, literally, so this had to be better. “When can we start?”
Oliver snorted a laugh. Rachel glanced back and forth between the two of them and then shrugged. “I guess now’s as good of a time as any. I was going to take Oliver into Cody with me to load stuff into my truck, but I can get the guys at the store to do it.”
“Thank you.” Daisy gave her sister a quick hug. “This is going to be fun.”
Rachel turned toward her truck parked in the drive but stopped to glance over her shoulder. “I’ll kill you if she gets hurt,” she said in a low voice directed at Oliver.
“I heard that, and no, you won’t.” Daisy shook her head at her sister.
Rachel met her gaze and then looked back to Oliver. “I mean it.” With that, she was gone.
Neither said a word as Rachel walked away.
Daisy turned to Oliver with a smile. “Thank you for agreeing. I’ve decided I should learn how to ride.”
“You should.” If he was on to her scheme, his neutral expression didn’t show it. “Though there’s not much call to ride in New York City.”
He pinned her with a questioning gaze, but she held her own.
“I might not always live in New York.” She blinked but said nothing else.
He shook his head as though doubting her sanity. “The first thing you need to learn is how to saddle your horse. I have the perfect one for you. She’s the most docile of the lot next to Sugar.”
She allowed herself a grin as she followed him into the darkened barn. As he walked, she admired his broad shoulders and firm butt. She’d had her hands on that body once, and God, she yearned to do it again.
He flipped on the light as he entered the small room near the barn door. Saddles rested on metal stands along one side of the room. Several bridles and other odd things hung on the opposite wall.
“You can use Rachel’s saddle since it will probably fit you best.” Oliver strode forward and lifted a saddle and thrusted it toward her. She instinctively reached out for it.
The weight of the saddle caught her off guard, and she had to make quick adjustments to her stance so she didn’t drop it. “Wow, that’s heavy.”
He lifted a bridle off the wall. “Get used to it if you’re going to ride. You won’t always have someone to saddle a horse for you.” With that, he strode from the room.
Something brewed beneath his surface, making her leery. She struggled to follow behind him as he walked to one of the stalls at the far end. When she reached it, he’d already led the gray-spotted horse out into the hallway.
“Daisy, meet Daisy.” An entertained smile tilted his lips.
She narrowed her gaze. “My sister named a horse after me?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know if she named it or someone else, but yep, her name is Daisy.” He drew a hand down her neck and then patted her side.
Daisy set the heavy saddle at her feet and moved forward. Not caring about the close proximity to Oliver, Daisy pushed between him and the horse. She savored the feel of his chest against her back. Unfortunately, it only lasted a fraction of a second before he moved away.
She lifted her hand for the horse to sniff as she met her soft gaze. “Hello, Daisy. It’s nice to see you again. Oliver says we have the same name, so I guess it’s only natural that we be friends.” The horse nuzzled her hand.
Daisy turned toward Oliver. “Am I doing okay?”
“You’re doing fine.” She earned a smile from him that time. “But, I’ll be impressed once you’re in the saddle.”
“Yeah.” Her, too. She turned to the lumbering saddle and picked it up again. “Do I toss it on her back?”
“First, you’ll need a saddle pad.”
“You’re kidding me.” The longer she held the saddle, the heavier it grew. “Where do I get one of those?”
“Back in the tack room.” He grinned.
She leveled a look at him and dropped the saddle. Dust particles took flight around them.
“Careful. That’s a thousand dollar saddle you don’t want to have to replace.”
She folded her arms across her chest and pinned him with a gaze. “Why are you being so mean?”
“I’m not,” he said. “I’m teaching you to be well-prepared.”
They were back on the same shaky ground as they’d been the first time she’d shoveled shit. “It’s hard to be prepared when I haven’t been given instructions on what I need.” With a huff, she strode to the saddle room and grabbed what she hoped was a saddle pad before marching back to him.
“Bring it here,” he said with a hint of a smile.
She moved close enough to him she could see the sunlight shining in from one of the windows glinting off the hairs on his muscular forearms.
“Pay attention now. I don’t want to have to show you twice.” He placed the pad over the horse’s back. “Make sure it’s even on all sides. This protects the horse so make sure to do it right.”
She blinked away from his engaging eyes and focused on her task. “Make sure it’s even. Got it.”
“Before you pick up the saddle, put the girth and cinch up over the top. Good,” he said as she complied by guessing what was
the girth and cinch.
Her upper arms ached as she lifted the heavy saddle again and walked forward.
“You’re going to lift it and set it gently on her back.”
Daisy inhaled, lifted it as high as she could, and pushed it onto the horse’s back. If Oliver was trying to discourage her, he was doing a damn fine job.
“Not quite.” Oliver grabbed the back of the saddle and adjusted it. “Saddles can be uncomfortable for the horse if they’re not placed right.”
She exhaled partially from exertion and the rest from annoyance. “I thought this would be fun.”
“Are you not having fun?”
Her frustration got the best of her. “Are you angry with me over something?”
He was silent for a few moments. “I’m not angry.”
“Then what’s the problem because I’m certain there is one.”
“Why have you suddenly decided to learn to ride, Daisy? Why pick me to teach you? Be honest this time.”
She blinked, ignoring the sting of his words. “Because you can all ride, and I want to know how, too.” She couldn’t be more honest than that.
His gaze intensified. “Why me?”
“I trust you…and I like you. If it’s going to be a hardship, then I’ll ask Rachel.” She didn’t want to force herself on the guy.
He gave a soft snort as he relaxed his stance. “Never a hardship and you know it.” A smile warmed his face. Somehow, she’d broken through his gruff attitude.
Her heart squeezed, reminding her how much she’d missed his company over the past few weeks. “Thank you.”
From that point on, his disposition was better. He’d returned to the warm and engaging man who’d sparked all kinds of new feelings inside her.
When he finished instructing her on how to saddle a horse, he moved to the bridle. Once complete, she took hold of her horse’s reins and followed Oliver out into the bright sunshine where Cognac waited.
“Showtime. Grab the horn, put your left foot in the stirrup, and then swing your right leg over.” He nodded for her to mount.
She swallowed. This was the scary part. “Okay.” She blew out a breath as she grabbed the horn and then paused.
“You can do it. I’m right here to catch you if you fall.” He scooted close enough to sizzle her senses.
She took a moment to gather her confidence, and then did as he asked. The horse shifted her stance as Daisy mounted, and she grabbed the horn tightly as she found her seat. Exhilaration burst through her like wild fairies. “I did it.” She was sitting on the horse.
“Good job.” He mounted his horse with envious ease. “Let’s go this way.”
He led her around the barn one time before she grew impatient. “Is this all we’re going to do? I thought we could go riding, maybe out to see the river since we didn’t make it last time.”
He lifted a brow as though remembering their previous excursion. “Didn’t think you’d want to go that far since it’s your first time.”
She met his gaze directly. “I do.” She was finished hiding from fear. She wanted to live.
He studied her for a long moment. “Okay. Let’s do it.” He nudged his horse and he began to walk.
Her horse didn’t immediately follow like she’d done before. Daisy tried to mimic what Oliver had done. When her horse didn’t move, she panicked. “Wait,” she called out. “How do you make her go?”
He laughed as he turned around and headed toward her. “What am I going to do with you?”
She didn’t know, but as long as it was something, she didn’t care.
Chapter Seventeen
They’d ridden for a while, mostly in silence, before Daisy saw the Shoshone River. Ahead of them, a winding blue ribbon of water cut its way across the land. Grassy green bluffs butted up next to it, with pines, spruces and aspens growing not far away.
She twisted in her saddle to survey her surroundings. “I can’t see anything but wilderness.”
“Does that bother you?”
She pondered his question for a few moments. “No. I actually like it. The beauty brings a peace to my soul.” She laughed. “I know that sounds corny.”
“It sounds perfect. I told you I’ve wondered why you’d want to live in a city if you could have this.”
She couldn’t answer that question honestly. “There are lots of reasons.” Just because she’d fallen in love with the stunning landscape around her, didn’t mean she didn’t still love the city.
“Name one.”
She searched deep for an answer but couldn’t come up with anything they hadn’t discussed before. “Shopping. There aren’t many stores around here.”
He grinned. “That’s what trips to Cody are for.”
She returned the gesture. “It’s not going to matter what I say, you’ll counter it with something else.”
“Yes, I will.”
“Then don’t ask me to argue it with you.” She loved his self-assuredness, his love for the land around him, and the way he looked damn fine in a saddle.
“Always so sassy.” He grinned.
When they reached the edge of the river, she tugged on the reins like Oliver had taught her. Some of the bluest water she’d ever seen sparkled as it flowed past. A big bird circled overhead.
Oliver stopped next to her. “Osprey.”
“What?” She glanced at him.
“That bird. It’s an osprey. They’re amazing fishers of the rivers around here. If you watch, you might see them swoop down and catch a fish.”
“Have you seem them do that before?”
“Several times.”
“Nice.” With a wistful sigh, she glanced skyward and wished the bird would show its talents to her.
“Are you ready to cross?”
His words startled her. “The river? I don’t think we should.”
It was one thing to cross shallow water on a four-wheeler. Quite a different story when the river was deeper and she’d have to place her trust in the animal she rode.
“The horses don’t mind,” he countered.
“What if mine gets stuck?”
He chuckled. “They’re not like a car that’s going to get stuck in the mud. These horses have all crossed the river many times. It’s perfectly safe. Out of all of us here, you’re the only one who’s worried.”
She glanced at the water that had now taken on a dangerous quality.
Oliver held out his hand. “Give me your reins, and I’ll lead her across. All you have to do is sit there, okay?”
She nodded hesitantly. “Okay.”
He pulled the reins over her horse’s head as Cognac walked forward. Once the slack between them disappeared, her horse followed.
Daisy gripped the horn like a lifeline as her horse stepped into the water. It didn’t look very deep where they walked, but the river rushing past still left her dizzy. Her heart thudded in her chest, even as a small smile crept across her lips.
She relaxed her grasp on the horn and allowed her body to mimic the movements of the horse. Water splashed around the horses’ feet, and she could see where they might enjoy it, too.
Oliver glanced over his shoulder. “Doing okay?”
“Doing great.” She smiled.
Before she could say anything else, her horse lurched as she stumbled and then tried to correct herself. Daisy slipped to one side of the saddle as fear ripped through her.
“Hang on,” Oliver warned.
She was, for dear life. She tried to resume her position on the saddle, but then Daisy the horse did the same damn thing again, and suddenly the weight of her body and the horse’s clumsy actions sent her tumbling.
She gasped as cold water sluiced over her, waking every sense in her body. She was beneath the surface, and then she wasn’t as two firm hands gripped her tightly and pulled her upward.
She coughed up the water she’d accidently swallowed in surprise as Oliver pounded on her back to help.
“Are you okay?” he asked in a fra
ntic voice. “Daisy, are you okay?”
She nodded as he pushed wet hair from her face. Another cough worked to expel more water from her lungs, and then she sucked in a deep breath.
“You scared the shit out of me.” He looked her over as though checking for damage.
“You said I’d be okay,” she croaked.
He laughed then and hugged her tightly against him as water raced around them. “You weren’t supposed to jump off.”
“I didn’t,” she said as he led her and the horses to shore. “She slipped on a rock or something.”
When Daisy was safely on land, she met his gaze, grateful for the sunshine that warmed her. “I’m certainly not bored any longer.”
“Ah, Daisy.” His eyes were full of adoration as he pulled her toward him. He rubbed the shiver bumps from her bare arms, giving her other kinds of chills.
“I guess I should remember that whenever I go with you, the odds are I’ll get dirty or wet.” Her words brought forth another laugh.
“That’s always possible.” His smile warmed her heart more than the sun.
She glanced across the river she’d become intimately acquainted with and shivered. “I don’t suppose there’s a bridge or something so I don’t have to cross again.”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
She released a sigh, wondering about the odds of falling off a second time.
“I’ll let you ride in front of me on my horse if you want. Will that make you feel any better?”
“Yes.” She gave him a sheepish smile. “Are we headed back now?”
“Unless you want to ride around in wet clothes for the rest of the day. I, for one, don’t.” The bottom half of him was soaked as well.
“Me, either.” Which truly saddened her. She’d wanted to spend a good portion of the afternoon with him out here where no one watched, where she could look at him and laugh with him without worrying about Rachel or Caleb catching them. “Maybe we could come back next time.”
He nodded, his expression thoughtful. “How many more days are you here?”
“Two weeks.” In the beginning, she’d counted because she didn’t want to be at Blackwater. Now, she didn’t want to leave.