by Cindy Stark
"Exactly." She sent him an exaggerated pout. "Now, if we could only gallop again."
He laughed and shook his head. "You keep riding, and it won't be long."
* * *
Lily pulled back on the reins as they reached the edge of a wide, gently moving river. The horse slowed, but continued forward. She tugged harder, afraid Charlee would go right into the water.
"She just wants a drink." Luke let his horse step close to hers. The beautiful black stallion dipped his head.
Lily loosened the reins and let Charlee move forward. Late afternoon sunlight fractured on the gently moving river, making the water seem as though it was made of diamonds and mirrors. Rounded rocks and pebbles lay discarded along the edges. Larger rocks still hunkered here and there in the middle of the stream, causing the water to cascade over or around them, creating small patches of white water. The river twisted and turned until it disappeared around a bend and into the trees.
She studied the handsome cowboy, wishing she could steal his hat, place it on her head and give him a sweet kiss. "Thanks for bringing me here." It meant a lot that he'd taken the time to show her his special place. "It's amazing, just like you said."
He shifted in his saddle as he grinned. "You are more than welcome, but this isn't all we're going to see. This is just a rest stop."
She raised her brows, and he kneed his horse, giving Hades the signal to move forward. "Come on." His horse plodded through the water to the other side.
She sucked in a breath and gripped the saddle horn. It appeared her adventures were not over yet. The water splashed as her horse made her way across, but it was the incline on the other side that gave her the next adrenaline rush. She held on tight, but Charlee made it up the steep bank with no problem whatsoever.
A silly, stupid grin curved her lips. What a rush. Horses could do some pretty amazing maneuvering.
She followed Luke as he led them on a worn dirt trail through the trees, her gaze traveling over the contours of his strong back. He belonged on a horse. Hades seemed to be a natural extension of Luke's body, and together, they were a powerful combination.
The afternoon sun warmed her back as she followed him up a trail that led deeper into thicker trees. She liked these trees with their white bark and heart shaped leaves that shimmered when the soft breeze blew through them.
Luke finally halted Hades in the middle of a dense grove. "We'll need to leave the horses here."
"Here?" Lily looked around. They were like, nowhere.
He slid off his horse and helped her off Charlee, tying both animals to nearby branches. "Come on. You'll want to see this."
She followed him as he pushed his way through the thick trees. As she walked, the muscles in her legs cried out from being stretched across the horse's back, but it was a good kind of soreness.
The ground was uneven and several branches tugged at her hair as they moved forward, but when they came out on the other side a few minutes later, she inhaled a surprised breath.
"I didn't realize we'd climbed this high." She could follow the twists and turns of the river by following the winding line of trees. Beyond that lay the sweet, grassy fields, and in the far distance, she was sure she could see Luke's ranch.
"This is where I like to come to think. It kind of puts everything in perspective, you know?"
She could definitely see that.
Luke walked out on a large flat rock that over shot the edge. In a fluid move, he sat on the outcropping, his boots scraping the rock as he swung his long legs over the edge. "I especially love to watch thunderstorms roll in over the horizon. Unfortunately, I usually get soaked, but it's worth it."
A need to experience the complete picture enticed Lily forward. Below her tumbled a rocky ravine that would do some serious damage if a person were to fall over. She kicked a pebble and watched it cascade into sheer nothingness and drop a hundred feet to the floor below. Good thing she wasn't afraid of heights.
She stood at the edge of the rock, glancing across the horizon, wishing a thunderstorm would blow in while she was there so she could live the vision Luke had painted. Too bad there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
Lily ignored her sore muscles as she sat down next to him, very much aware of the energy sparking between them. It might have been a mistake to join him on this ride, but she couldn't regret it at the moment. He was handsome and charming, and it wasn't like she would take this any further.
"Worth the ride?" he asked, staring out at the setting sun.
"So worth it." She could easily admit she'd never seen anything quite this striking. Except, of course, the man sitting next to her.
They sat in silence for several minutes, but it didn't feel awkward. It was as though the splendid scenery before them deserved their reverence.
A warm energy flowed from Luke's direction, and she basked in the happiness she found in that moment. "I didn't know this kind of quiet existed."
Luke acknowledged her statement with a soft chuckle. "I've sorted out all kinds of life's problems from up here."
She wished she had a similar place where she could find solace. Her gaze wandered from the luscious beauty to the man sitting next to her. She eyed him from the corner of her eye, taking in his strong hands, following the dusting of hair up his arms to the attractive contours of his biceps peeking from beneath his t-shirt. She was pretty sure he'd earned his muscles through hard work and not a gym, and his tattoo only added to his appeal. There was something totally alpha about him, and she couldn't deny she found him extraordinarily attractive. He was a man. A real man. And the woman in her responded to him.
It was probably a natural, instinctual attraction, something passed down from her ancestors, back when a woman needed a good, strong man to protect and provide for her. Still, she couldn't deny what she felt.
"How long have you been coming here?"
He tilted is cowboy hat back farther on his head, giving Lily a perfect view of his stunning green eyes. A swish of butterflies tickled her emotions.
"My grandpa brought me here when I was little. It was our special place. He passed a few years back, so now I come here alone."
"That's such a happy, yet sad memory." Two of her grandparents had died tragically young, and she regretted that she hadn't really known them. "It must have been nice, though, to have him so close. Family wasn't really a priority with my parents. We were scattered across the country, and no one made much of an attempt to see anyone else. I have one set of grandparents living in South Carolina, but I haven't seen or talked to them since I was little."
"I can't imagine. Most of my family is within fifty miles of here."
She widened her eyes, trying to keep a sad smile from registering on her face. She sighed. "The only close relatives I have—had," she corrected, "was my sister. We had a serious falling out a while back, so I pretty much count Hannah as my only family."
"What happened between you?"
She had hoped he wouldn't zero in on that comment, but knew he would. Maybe that's why she'd mentioned her sister. Maybe she wanted to share her heartbreak with someone who seemed compassionate. Besides, there was no sense in hiding what had happened, she supposed.
"She slept with my fiancé." Even now, the image of finding Ethan bending her sister over Lily's kitchen table sent a sharp spear through her heart. Katrina had claimed it meant nothing, that it was just a quick and dirty, but it had left her with a broken heart.
Luke narrowed his eyes and winced. "Ouch. That's not very sisterly."
"Yeah." She forced a laugh. "Better to have found out before the wedding, though."
He studied her, his scrutiny making her uncomfortable. "You seem to be taking it pretty well."
"I've had some time to recover, and it wasn't as though I'd been given a choice in the matter." She swallowed the lump in her throat. She was so over them, both of them. They might as well like each other, because she didn't want either of them anymore.
The feeling of Luke's strong
hand covering hers startled her. "You know what I think? I think you do a damn good job of burying your emotions."
That he noticed what she wasn't saying brought quick tears to her eyes. She blinked them away. She didn't want him to be that nice to her.
She'd rejected becoming bitter about the whole thing, refusing to give up the dream of true love, but she had to be careful with her heart. She dabbed the stray moisture from her eyes.
"What about you? Have you ever been engaged or married?"
He ducked his head. "Nope."
She straightened. "Nope? There's obviously more to the story than your one-word answer."
He raked the back of his hand over the scruff on his chin before he eyed her again. "Hannah pretty much made sure no one in this town would give me a chance, but there was a girl back in college." He chucked a rock over the ledge. "Things didn't work out." He leaned back and looked out over the valley. "She wouldn't have been happy here, anyway."
Lily furrowed her brows. "Why not? This place is gorgeous."
He gave her a sideways glance and grinned. Her breath quickened. "Let's talk about something else. The past is the past, right?" She inhaled pure oxygen and blew it out, hoping it would settle her out-of-control heartbeat. "What's the latest gossip? Aren't small towns supposed to be infamous for their gossip?"
He laughed then, and the intensity of their discussion blew away with the breeze. "I believe you are the talk of the town these days."
"Me?" The idea surprised her. Besides being in the bar that first night, she hadn't made much of an appearance. "How do they know who I am? I've only met a few people."
"You're the pretty gal with the sexy pink shoes. I believe Mrs. Parker called them hooker heels."
She dropped her jaw. "I don't even know Mrs. Parker." But she'd known Hannah's idea of going out on the town dressed as they had been would cause a stir.
"Don't worry. I'll spread the word that you were seen sporting a pair of Nikes and riding a horse. Not quite the same as cowboy boots, but people will stop referring to you as Miss Hollywood."
"Maybe you shouldn't say anything." She might be stuck with the Miss Hollywood title, but she'd have to suffer the consequences.
He drew his brows into a quizzical frown. "Why not?"
She twined her fingers together, wondering how would be the best way to phrase it. She groaned. "Why do people have to know we were together?" She clenched her fists and waited for the fallout.
The attractive energy cycling between them shut off like a turned valve. He'd closed her out, leaving her with an empty, cold feeling.
A look of disappointment settled on his face. "So what, I'm your dirty little secret?"
"Luke." This time she put her hand on his. "You don't understand. I'm not worried about what people think, but Hannah's been good to me, and I don't want to throw that in her face."
"Really? Hannah again?" He rolled his eyes. "Fine. I guess. I don't want to come between your friendship."
There he was being all gallant again. Each minute she spent in his company made it hard to continue to believe Hannah's version of events and easier to see Caroline's point of view.
This outing had turned out to be much more emotional than the fun horseback ride she'd expected. "Do you think we should go? The sun is starting to set." She hadn't paid attention to how long it had taken them to reach the top of the hill, but she was pretty sure horses didn't come equipped with headlights.
"Yeah. I suppose our time is up." He stood and held out a hand to her.
If her heart could have, it would have reached out and tugged him to her. Despite what Hannah claimed, she could tell he was a good man. Maybe he'd gone through some stupid adolescent period where he treated girls like toys, but she doubted he was still the same man today.
He started to say something and then stopped. He turned toward the direction of their horses, but quickly turned back again. "Lily? If I ask you a question, will you promise to answer it honestly?"
Luke's request took her by surprise. She couldn't imagine what it could be. "Sure."
"If I'd met you some other place, some other time where Hannah didn't exist, would you have given me a chance?"
An emotional wrench torqued her heart. There was no doubt. "You know I would." She tried to smile, but a sudden sadness overwhelmed her. This whole situation sucked.
He nodded, looking as unhappy as she felt. They walked in silence toward their horses. When they reached them, Luke untied her reins and handed them to her, before walking away.
"Wait," she called to him, and he turned back. She took a step forward, tilting her head and gazing into his intense eyes. She took his hand, knowing she was treading into dangerous territory, but also knowing she couldn't leave things like they were.
"Thank you for bringing me here. I'm sure this place will linger in my memory for a long time."
He studied her for an endless moment, and she wondered what he was searching for. "You're welcome."
When he started to pull away, she tightened her grip. Before she could change her mind, she lifted on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.
He stood, frozen, as though he didn't know how to react. His haunted gaze pierced her, pulled her forward. Wariness shadowed his features.
She narrowed her eyes in concern and touched his cheek. He still did not move, did not make a play for her like a player would. The stubble along his jaw tickled the tips of her fingers. She stood on tiptoe again, locking her gaze with his and brushed her lips against his. She hadn't been able to erase his kiss from her lips, either.
He tasted of sweetness mixed with potent desire.
Heat licked at her, begging her to sample him again. She shouldn't do it. She should get on her horse and ride away while they were still just friends.
Or was it too late already? She'd never forget the way he'd made her feel when he'd held her, when he'd kissed her.
Luke released a weighted breath and took a step back, obviously being the one to keep his head about him. But Lily was thirsty for something, and right now, that something was still within her grasp.
"No. This isn't right." She dropped her horse's reins and grabbed Luke's shirt, stopping him in his tracks.
He warned her with a heated look, but she ignored it. She locked her arms around his neck and pulled his head toward hers. His lips were warm and intoxicating. She moved hers against him as though she were a match teasing dry timber. When he responded, she thought she might die from pleasure.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him, and she knew her kiss had unleashed something he'd kept tethered inside. Her heart thundered as his body heat mingled with hers. She loved the intense emotional draw she experienced when she was close to him. It was unlike anything she'd experienced.
He ended the kiss and cursed. She filled her lungs, immediately missing him, refusing to move beyond his grasp. He pinned her with a burning gaze, his lips mere inches from hers. "Don't play with me, Lily."
She tried to breathe. "I'm not."
"Then what the hell was that? One second you tell me you need to be loyal to Hannah, and the next you're kissing me."
"I don't know." Her heart warred with her brain. She wanted this man so badly and knew she'd regret it if she let him walk away without figuring out what was between them. But Hannah's issues with him left her with a serious dilemma.
She stepped back this time, ashamed that she'd taken advantage of his desire for her. "I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to kiss you. I'm truly sorry."
He rolled his eyes in obvious frustration. "Damn it, Lily. I'm so tired of Hannah and her lies. She's given me enough misery to last ten lifetimes. I'm fine with her hating me, but she's turned half the town against me. Just when people seemed to have forgotten, she shows up and everyone's whispering again."
"I'm going to talk to her, Luke, when we get back. Maybe I can get her to confess."
He picked up her horse's reins and handed them to her again. "Don't hold your
breath." He untied and mounted his horse.
Lily climbed on Charlee and scrambled to keep up with Luke as he headed down the hillside.
Luke made it quite a distance back toward his property before Lily was able to get close enough to talk to him. She'd had to gallop her horse to make that happen.
"Luke?" she called out when he nudged Hades to go faster. "Stop."
The worry in her voice must have reached out to him because he slowed his horse and then stopped to face her. The last sliver of sun dipped behind the horizon, and it was hard to read his expression in the waning light.
"Luke? Please tell me what happened between the two of you." She moved her horse in close to his.
"I'm not going there, Lily." His voice vibrated with dark emotion. "I've already told you, she started the lie and she'll have to be the one to fix it. I can't. No one will believe me now."
"I'd believe you," she said quietly into the night.
"No, you wouldn't. You've already made it perfectly clear your loyalties lie with Hannah." He urged Hades to start walking again, and Lily followed.
"Why won't you try?" She didn't understand. "If Hannah lied all those years ago, why don't you just tell the truth?"
"Because me telling you won't change things. Hannah has to speak up. She has to clear the air, and she refuses." He glanced at her with a pointed look.
"That doesn't mean—"
An eerie screech stole her words, and she froze. "What was that?" she whispered.
"I don't know," Luke answered, also speaking softly. He shifted in his saddle and then pointed west, in the direction of town. "Look? Do you see those lights angling into the sky?"
Lily turned. "What are they?"
"I'm not sure, but I think something's wrong." The worry in his voice raised the goosebumps on her arms. "There aren't any lights out that way. If it was just headlights from a car on the road, they wouldn't be angled like that and they'd be moving." He dismounted his horse, holding his arms up for her. "Come on. You need to ride with me. I'm going to ride hard, and I don't want to worry about you getting hurt. I'll tether Charlee to Hades."