by Danica Avery
“So when am I going to see a picture of this guy?”
Dove grinned and shook her head, even though a head shake couldn’t be seen over a phone call. It was her friend on the line, calling her from New York City to make sure she hadn’t been kidnapped by hill folk or anything like that. Dove had laughed at Aria’s joke when she made it, despite how she was actually liking Heart’s Peak more than she ever thought she would.
There was a peacefulness in the country. There were no horns blaring at all hours of the night. No traffic jams. No rush to be anywhere. And the scenery around the house was quite lovely. It was like living in the middle of Central Park. Except she didn’t have to share all the beauty, or take a cab to get there. All she had to do was step outside.
New York City also didn’t have Burley Johnson. Of course Dove just had to tell her friend all about him, and of course her friend was eager to see him for herself.
“I don’t have a picture of him,” Dove replied. Aria gasped over her speakerphone. Dove had her phone sitting nearby while she worked at sorting through some of her grandpa’s belongings.
“Well go get one! If this guy is as hott as you say, I need to see for myself.”
“Oh, he is as hott as I say. Don’t you doubt that for a second,” Dove replied and they both laughed.
Honestly, she just hadn’t thought about getting a picture of him. She had taken pictures since arriving. She took photos of the house, so that she could have some nice before and after comparisons for herself. She took some outside, of the stable and the baby horse and the beautiful autumn trees that surrounded the property. She had even snapped a couple to capture the memory of that small town feel that Heart’s Peak embodied.
She was thinking about doing an article on the place. She worked as a travel blogger for a popular website and it was her job to share all sorts of new places with her readers. Usually she went for more exciting destinations, but this place had a charm to it that she thought others could appreciate too.
So why didn’t she have any pictures of Burley? That was easy. Because every time she was around him, she wasn’t thinking about her phone or social media. He had a way of focusing all of her thoughts on him. When he was near, she wanted to see his elusive smile and hear his laughter. She wanted to feel the warmth of his hands and his lips. She lived in the moment with him.
Aria made her realize that she really did need to get at least one picture of him. After she got off the phone with her friend, she decided to take a break from her work and went out to find Burley.
She found him with the horses. He had Mac out with a blanket over the horse’s back. Mac was the white looking horse that he had coaxed her into petting. Dove wasn’t sure why Burley had him out, until she noticed him lifting a saddle.
“Hey, hott stuff,” she greeted him with a playful grin. “You taking Mac for a ride?”
Burley carried the saddle as if it was hardly a burden, even though it was big. Dove didn’t know if she’d be able to pick it up at all.
“Hey yourself,” he replied with a small grin of his own. He carefully dropped the saddle over the horse’s back before answering her question. “Yeah. It’s beautiful today and who knows how many more warm days like this we’re gonna get.”
“Yeah, I guess it would be a nice day to go riding,” she agreed. If one liked to go riding, that is.
Burley nodded. He worked at securing the saddle, then paused, looking back at Dove as if some thought suddenly occurred to him.
“Why don’t you come with me?”
Dove blinked in surprise.
“What, riding? Oh, no, no, no. No way,” she shook her head adamantly and echoed the sentiment with her hands, waving them in front of herself in a negative gesture.
“Com’on, Dove. It’ll be fun. You’re not still scared of the horses, are ya?”
“You might’ve talked me into touching them, but that’s different from riding one! I’d fall off and break my neck!”
That got a chuckle out of Burley. “You wouldn’t fall off. I’ll teach ya what you need to know.”
“No, Burley. I’m serious. I... Where are you going?” she asked. He just walked away from her. He went to one of the horse stalls and opened the door.
“Burley! Don’t you dare bring another horse out here!” she insisted. He wasn’t listening. He looked like he might be amused, as he brought a black horse with white feet out of the stall. He brought it over beside Mac and Dove quickly backed away.
She came out here to get a picture with him and somehow it turned into him bringing a herd of horses around!
“Dove,” Burley said patiently. He left the horses to walk over to her. He took both her hands in his. “Remember what I told you when you first met Mac? I told you I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. And nothing did. You liked it, didn’t you?”
Dove looked up into his eyes and she didn’t want to admit he was right. But he was. Nothing bad happened. Mac had been fine and Violet hadn’t hurt her either. It had actually been kind of fun, getting to pet them. But to ride one?
“I don’t know... I have no idea how to control them. I don’t think they’d even listen to me.”
Burley moved both his hands to the sides of her head and kissed her forehead. “They’ll listen just fine. They’re good horses. Com’on, you can ride Mac. You’re already friends with him.”
Dove looked at Mac. He was nosing at a large leaf on the ground, then he snorted and the leaf skittered away. He looked pretty innocent...
“I don’t know why I let you talk me into things..." she said, but the way she narrowed her eyes at him held no venom. Burley smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, before he pulled away from her and went to saddle up the second horse. He finished with Mac too, then talked Dove into coming over.
“Now look, Mac remembers you just fine. Give him a pet and see for yourself,” he said, stroking his hand down the horse’s nose. Her hand was cautious as she reached out to mimic him. She lightly touched the horse’s face and Mac didn’t seem bothered. He nudged his nose toward their hands. Dove couldn’t help but smile. She shifted her touch to stroke his neck, the way she had the other day.
“You’re a natural with them. Just like Old Man Bennett,” Burley said.
“I don’t think I’d go that far,” Dove said with a scoff.
“Bet you’ll be riding like a pro in no time. Com’on, let’s get you up there,” he said, moving around her to the horse’s side.
Dove looked at him and hesitated to step closer.
“Now the first thing you gotta remember is to mount on the horse’s left side, like this,” he said, not acknowledging her hesitation. He sounded so calm and confident, as he reached for her hand and lightly pulled her close. He moved her hand to the horn of the saddle, behind Mac’s neck.
“Just take hold here, and put your foot in the stirrup there,” he continued to explain.
“Burley... I don’t know about this.”
“Darlin’, I know you’re the type of girl who can do anything you set your mind to. You’re making that house in there look like a brand new place. And you’ve already faced your fears with these horses. So, don’t you wanna see what it’s like to ride one? You really wanna say you never tried?” he said, an encouraging hand caressing her shoulder.
Dove debated for one long moment. His confidence in her felt good. She always thought of herself as a strong, independent woman. She went to the big city and she made a name for herself. All on her own. If she could do that, then she could do this too.
She could do it with his guidance. He knew so much about the horses, and she trusted his judgement. Surely he wouldn’t have her get on a horse that might instantly buck her off, right?
“Okay,” she said, feeling better about the decision. “Okay, I’ll try it.”
Burley smiled and she couldn’t help but smile back at him.
“That’s the spirit. Now get on up there,” he said with some pep in his voice.
Dove gripped the ho
rn of the saddle and lifted her foot into the stirrup, as he had instructed. She pushed herself up off the ground and he helped her with his hands on her hips. Her heart started racing the moment she settled onto the saddle. She was so high off the ground. She was completely at this horse’s mercy. If he didn’t want to listen to her, if he bucked her off...
No.
No. She wasn’t going to think that way. Besides, Burley was right. Mac was calm as could be. Burley handed her the reins and was giving her more instructions, but she was distracted with thoughts of how she was actually doing this. She was actually sitting on the back of a horse!
It was scary, and she was nervous, but it also felt kind of exciting. It was like a new thrill she had never dared before. Something she never would’ve experienced if it wasn’t for Burley. Just how many ways was this man going to change her life?
14
Burley
Dove looked beautiful, sitting on the back of that horse. Mac’s grey coat matched her light blonde hair perfectly. Give her a cowboy hat and no one would ever guess she was from New York City.
Burley was proud of her. She had come a long way with the horses. When she first arrived, she wouldn’t even go near them. Just the slightest movement from the horses and she would jump. Look at her now! She was riding one. It showed him even more the kind of woman that she was. She faced her fears and overcame them. Not many people could do that. In ways, she was stronger even than him.
“I knew you could do it.” He stepped over to push the gate open before he mounted his own horse. “Now don’t be afraid to hold onto the saddle horn, if you need to balance yourself. Don’t pull on the reins. Keep ‘em loose.”
Dove nodded her head. “Okay.”
“To get him to move, you wanna give him a little squeeze with your legs,” Burley instructed. He demonstrated with his own horse, who got the cue and started to walk towards the gate. Mac didn’t move, however.
“It’s not working,” Dove said, sounding slightly panicked.
“You're probably not doing it hard enough. Give him a little tap with your heel.”
“You said not to kick him!”
“It’s not a kick, darlin’. Just tap him a couple of times. Trust me,” Burley said.
“Alright...” Dove breathed out. She moved her foot, tapping Mac like Burley instructed, and the horse started to move. She let out a startled gasp and gripped onto the saddle horn as Mac began walking towards the gate.
“Good, good. You’re doin’ great, hun. But now you need to relax and sit up straight. I’m here with you. I promise I won’t let nothin’ happen to ya,” Burley said. He pulled the reins slightly, so that he could get his horse to walk side by side with Mac once the two of them were outside of the pen.
Dove swallowed hard and did as she was told. She let out another breath, as she straightened up her body.
“The position you ride in is important. If you’re balanced, he’s gonna stay balanced.”
“Okay,” Dove replied.
“Now keep the reins loose like I said. If you wanna turn him left, just sway the reins to the left. Kinda like how you’d open a door,” Burley replied, using his own reins to demonstrate. His horse turned just as instructed.
Dove gave another nervous nod of her head, and she followed his lead. Mac turned left, and a grin came to her face.
Burley smiled. “I told ya you were a natural.”
“I have to admit, this is kind of fun,” Dove replied.
“Just you wait. Once you get the hang of it, you’re gonna be out here ridin’ with me every day,” Burley said. That brought a laugh out of Dove, but she didn’t object.
Burley continued with the instructions, and before long, the two of them were trotting out into a beautiful open field. The grass was already starting to die off, turning from green to a more yellow color. Mountains were in the backdrop of the field, with their tops covered in snow. At the base of the mountains were various trees. Some with different colored leaves, some pine trees that would remain green all through the winter. The sun was out, and the sky was a beautiful bright blue, with fluffy clouds. It was the perfect day. Riding with Dove made it even better.
Burley guided them along a trail that he had ridden so much he knew it like the back of his hand. They passed through some trees. When they came out on the other side, there was a large lake.
“Let’s take a break here, huh?” he suggested, pulling back on the reins slightly to get his horse to stop. Dove did the same. Burley hopped off his horse, then helped her off of Mac.
“It’s so beautiful here,” Dove said, marveling at the large body of water before them. Burley ran his hand down Mac’s neck, giving him a pat before he stepped near Dove. She had walked to stand near the water.
“You won’t find nothin’ like this in the city, I bet,” Burley said. Mac and the other horse casually strolled away from the two of them, nibbling on some of the longer grass sticking out of the ground.
“Definitely not,” Dove said, glancing over her shoulder. When she noticed the horses, a worried look crossed her face. “Won’t they run off?”
Burley looked at her, then at the horses, before shaking his head. “Naw. They know to stay near.”
“Oh, that’s good,” Dove replied, sounding a little relieved. She turned back towards the water and Burley came up behind her, placing his hands on her waist. He lowered his head to give her an affectionate kiss on the cheek. She smiled in response.
“You’re somethin, you know that?” he whispered near her ear.
“What do you mean?” she grinned.
Burley rubbed his hands over her hips, sliding them towards her stomach as he pulled her close against him. “Before you showed up, I was lost... I did somethin’ bad. Somethin’ I didn’t think I’d ever recover from. Then Bennett died, and I’ll be honest, darlin’, it was rough... I never thought his death would lead me to finding somethin’ as wonderful as you.”
Dove moved her hands to rest over top of his. Her fingertips danced over his skin, as he continued, “You make me happy, Dove. Happier than I’ve been in a long time...”
“You make me happy too,” she replied. Her hand ran up his arm and landed on the side of his face. “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but... whatever happened, Burley, I know it’s not as bad as you think it is. I know you. You would never do anything to hurt anyone or anything.”
Burley frowned as he felt her small fingers brush against his bearded cheek. If only he could see himself the way that she did. It was easy for her to think that way about him, because she didn’t know the truth. She didn’t know that what he had done could never be taken back.
Suddenly, she pulled away from him. He released his grip on her, watching her turn around to face him. Her arms went around his broad shoulders, and her blue eyes locked with his brown.
“I don’t care what you did. All I care about is you. This man right here,” she said, moving her hand to his chest. “And this man right here is the kindest, gentlest, sexiest man I know.”
Burley grinned, and before he could reply to her, her lips met his. They were soft and welcoming. He kissed her passionately and deeply, as his hands gripped at her slender hips. It was a kiss that felt like it could last a lifetime, and in that moment, Burley knew. He loved this woman. He loved her wholeheartedly and with all his being. He loved her more than he had ever loved anything or anyone.
Dove Donoghue was the one for him and he would do anything to protect her and make her happy.
15
Dove
The next day, Dove felt she was floating on cloud nine. She always imagined a horse ride would be scary. What with the dangers and the lack of control. But it went as smoothly as Burley promised. She actually enjoyed their ride together. She might not mind going on another ride sometime, which was definitely saying something.
Yet the horse ride wasn’t even the best part of the day. It was that break she took at the lake with Burley. When he held her in his
arms, at that beautiful place, and told her how happy she made him. She smiled now just thinking back on it.
She was in her car, her own car this time, driving the meandering road into town. Pop music played on the speakers. She was alone, making an errand run for some supplies that wouldn’t need a truck to transport. The autumn scenery was worthy of a painting, but her thoughts were on Burley.
She meant it when she said he made her happy too. What was she going to do when it came time to go home? Did he want her to stay? She wondered that, as she recalled his comment about the city having nothing like that beautiful view at the lake. Had that been a hint? She didn’t know, but it troubled her thinking about leaving him.
Would he consider moving to the city with her? If she sold the house and the horses, there wouldn’t be anything holding him here anyway, right? That was definitely a conversation they needed to have. Something that she couldn’t resolve thinking about it on her own.
She never expected to meet the man of her dreams when she came out to Heart’s Peak. That described Burley perfectly, didn’t it? He made her feel so happy. So safe. So comfortable. Even when they argued, it never took long for them to be smiling at each other again. It felt so easy with him. So wonderfully perfect.
She parked outside of the hardware store and fished out her phone. She went to her image gallery and pulled up a picture she had taken yesterday. She finally took some of him before they got back on the horses. He had insisted she take one of the both of them. That’s what she looked at now. Burley, looking just as handsome in a photo as he did in real life, with his arm around her. The mountains were behind them, with the sun kissing the snowcaps. She wore a bright smile and she coaxed a smile out of him too.
It was possibly her most favorite picture ever. Looking at his face on her screen gave her a bubbly warm feeling. She felt like a schoolgirl reading some secret note from her crush.
She could stare at the pictures all day if she let herself. She had already looked at them a lot. Partly because she had to send one to Aria, of course, but mostly because they just made her happy. Burley made her happy.