The Sweet Life

Home > Other > The Sweet Life > Page 2
The Sweet Life Page 2

by Dakota Star


  Knowing her friends’ excitement to go horseback riding, she made a quick trip to the bathroom, where the toilet barely flushed, and changed out of her travel clothes.

  She pulled on soft jeans that hugged her curves and a green t-shirt that made her blue eyes darker. She no longer owned riding boots, so Alexis settled on hiking boots. It had been too long since horseback riding had been a regular part of her life. After her parents, a plumber and a nurse, had inherited a home in Darien, Connecticut, they had attempted to fit in with their wealthy neighbors who traveled daily into New York City to make a fortune on Wall Street. They also wanted Alexis to feel comfortable with her entitled neighbors. That meant riding lessons at the Stamford Hunt Club.

  She flipped the light switch to the off position and ventured out into the late afternoon humidity to meet the girls.

  Jo Jo grabbed her arm and practically skipped down the long, dusty path until the red barn came into view. “I love it. Just love it.”

  The smell of manure overwhelmed Alexis’s nose for the second time.

  The horses, about thirty-five of them, lazed around in a large, oval, fenced corral, fully saddled and tied to posts. They were as diverse as the clientele. Big and small, thin and fat, ranging in color from bright red to midnight black. She had to admit, they appeared well cared for, with eyes shining bright, tails and manes brushed free of dirt, and feet trimmed and shod. Someone loved these animals. The saddles and tack, though old and worn, were respectable and well cared for, oiled and shined.

  The barn, on the other hand, needed some major renovations. The wood had weathered to a rusted red with wooden shingles askew high up by the loft. Wooden planks were also missing from the fence that corralled the horses and the mounting block looked like it might fall apart when the next person stood on it.

  “I want a big black horse,” Jo Jo said as they waited in line to mount up.

  “Really, now? Big and black is what you want?” Hazel eyes wide, a smirk sat prettily on Nicole’s lips.

  “Enough,” Alexis said. “Let’s keep it PG-thirteen until we hit happy hour.”

  “I’d rather take that anyway.” Candid as always, Nicole pointed. She had changed into a tight white t-shirt that made her tanned, marble-smooth complexion glow dewy in the late afternoon humidity.

  “Subtle.” She followed her buxom friend’s outstretched finger, locking eyes with the wrangler who had checked them in.

  Tipping his hat in greeting, he ambled over. His black cowboy hat was pulled low to protect him from the heat of the day, but Alexis got a glimpse of his clean-shaven jaw, chiseled cheeks, and square chin. His deep voice sent a shiver through her when he spoke.

  “Glad you could make it. Going for a ride, Miss Perez?” The heel of his cowboy boot dug into the dirt.

  “Yes, sir.” She purred like a cat.

  “Follow me.”

  Watching as her two friends found suitable horses and mounted up, Alexis waited for Mitch to return. He tipped his hat and led her to the herd. Feeling clumsy and off-kilter, she followed the rancher over to the available horses, trying not to stare at his long stride and tight backside.

  He stopped in front of a fiery chestnut thoroughbred. “Would you like the mounting block?”

  “I think I can get up from the ground.” The horse appeared taller as she inched closer to it. His intense red coat matched her hair.

  “His name is Blazing Star, but just call him Blaze.” Mitch patted the horse’s neck. “He’s a thoroughbred, but a good boy and won’t startle.” A smile reached his lips as he handed her the reins. “As long as you can get up on the first try.”

  “I’m sure I can.” The words came out harsher than expected. She hated when people doubted her. Scooting to the side of the beast, inhaling the pungent smell of horse that reminded her of college riding, she tightened her grip on the reins, grabbed some mane, and slipped a foot in the stirrup. Yoga helped keep her flexible, but the stirrups sat high and her legs weren’t that long. Hopping a couple times on her grounded foot, she gathered momentum and pushed up and off.

  Hands were on her backside, helping to lift. She plopped into the saddle, riled by the wrangler’s audacity, but when she twisted to tell him how inappropriate he was, the cowboy had already sauntered away to help another patron. Alexis gathered up her reins and led Blaze to the water trough.

  Jo Jo joined her there. “I saw it all.”

  “Saw what?” Her eyebrows furrowed.

  “You flirting with the handsome guide and him helping you on the horse.” Her friend appeared petite on the large horse as she pointed toward the band of wranglers all mounting their rides. “Nice work. Well played.”

  “You’re crazy.” The need to push her friend’s arm down so no one would think they were talking about the staff overwhelmed her, but she didn’t want to let go of the reins and reach over. “I wasn’t flirting and didn’t need his help to get on the horse.”

  “Sure. Whatever you say.” Jo Jo looked longingly at the mounting block. “Next time, I’ll remember to just say no to using the mounting block.”

  Alexis reined her horse away.

  An old and rather weathered wrangler wearing a cowboy hat, denim jacket, and full chaps interrupted their discussion. He rode to the front of the line and got everyone’s attention. “We head out together and then divide up into smaller groups depending on your comfort. Most people will probably stay with the walk group, but you can try out for the trot or the advanced ride if you want. The advanced ride has some long lopes. For now, stay single file.”

  Twenty or more people edged their horses forward in the line. Alexis, who planned to stay with Jo Jo and Nicole in the walk ride, lost sight of them when a group of kids cut in front of her and Blaze. She hadn’t cantered in a while and wasn’t sure she wanted to tempt fate on her first ride out. For now, she enjoyed the moment and focused on the lush woods ahead. She was lost in thought when someone rode up next to her. She turned toward the person, wondering why they left the line, but recognized his presence immediately. Mitch.

  “What ride are you doing?” he asked.

  “Walk.” The word sounded clipped, and she realized she was still peeved about him putting his hands on her ass.

  “You should try out for the advanced.” He made no attempt to hide his appraisal of her. “You’re a natural in the saddle.”

  She put her heels down further in the stirrup. “I rode in high school and college, but not today, maybe on the ride tomorrow.” Her parents, who understood little about the wealthy and well-invested people living in their Darien neighborhood, entered her mind. Her family had wanted the best for their daughter. She played violin, rode horses, and attended summer field hockey camps in order to keep up with her fellow soon-to-be Ivy Leaguer friends. She hated it at the time, but later thanked her parents after she attended Smith College with a full scholarship and rode horses on the IHSA team. After graduating with a master’s degree in consumer psychology in five years, she found her perfect job working for Inventive PR and Marketing in New York City.

  “Why not today?” he asked.

  “I want to stay with my friends.” Alexis waved at them and they returned the wave from much farther up in line, huge smiles on their lips.

  “You can’t beat the scenery on the far trails.” He kicked his horse forward. “You’ll love it.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  As Mitch rode in front of her, he had to twist his body to peer over his shoulder and continue the discussion. “Plus, there are usually less people, so you can really enjoy the ride. You don’t want to walk behind a line of kids.” He faced forward and raised his hand to indicate the children who yelled back and forth at each other. One had already dropped her reins and was leaning precariously over the neck of her horse.

  “Shouldn’t you help her?” Panic rose in her voice. She’d had enough bad falls off a horse not to want to see anyone, especially a child, in danger of the same.

  He shrugged in je
st but started to rein his horse in that direction. “Only if you say you’ll try out for the advanced ride.”

  “Fine, fine.” Her voice rose. “Quick! Help the kid.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I had planned to do just that.” The wrangler spurred his horse into a gallop. With an ease she couldn’t imagine astride his huge mare, he leaned over, grabbed the dragging reins, and handed them back to the girl. Alexis watched as he calmly demonstrated how to hold the reins and how important it was never to drop them.

  A few moments later, the group stopped and divided into walk, trot, and lope rides. She thought about not trying out, but the lope ride did sound fun, and less children were always a good thing. She spurred her horse to the left as indicated by the wrangler. To her chagrin, only one other person followed. It was going to be a really small ride. The idea of being nearly alone with Mitch made her nervous, but she couldn’t turn back now.

  He rode over and smiled. “A woman of your word.” He appraised the teen next to her. “Ride much?” he asked.

  “At summer camp last year.” The girl smiled from under her new helmet. Her paddock boots shined.

  “Let’s see what you can do. See that other guide up by the tree?” He pointed to a woman on a horse who waved back at him.

  “Yes,” the girl said as her helmet slid down on her forehead.

  “That’s Janine. You need to make the horse canter and then stay in a canter until you reach her. Can you do that?” he asked.

  “Sure,” the girl said, but as soon as she reined the horse into action, she couldn’t. As much as she kicked, the horse wouldn’t go faster than a trot for most of the short incline, and when the girl finally cantered, she wobbled, insecure in the saddle. When she made it to the other wrangler high on the hill, the guide directed her back down to the trot group.

  “I guess it’s just you and me.”

  “Don’t I need to try out?” She could always stop the horse from cantering.

  “No, I trust you.” He reined her horse to a path away from the others. Her pulse began to race. Maybe this hadn’t been such a smart idea.

  After a few minutes on the trail, Alexis settled into the ride, enjoying the feel of the horse under her as she rode. The trail was flat as Mitch led them into a meadow full of blooming wildflowers. Having the cowboy so close, his powerful thighs occasionally bumping her, was a bigger distraction than the beautiful blooms. Catching a trace of his minty aftershave mingled with the scent of horses and flowers, nostalgia for her former riding days flooded her senses, but there was something else stirring. A flutter in her stomach. She inhaled it all.

  Silence stretched between them, and Alexis hoped she wasn’t being impolite, but she enjoyed the quiet after the raucous cityscape. Mitch also made her uncomfortable. She found him too handsome and rugged astride his mare. It made her tongue-tied.

  “Where are you from?” he asked after a few minutes of riding in silence. His leg bumped hers as he angled next to her. Rugged features, tanned from hours in the sun on horseback, had created small laugh lines that etched the sides of his light brown eyes.

  His words swam in and out of focus with his body so close. It took a long moment for Alexis to produce the two simple words. “New York.”

  “The big city.” He nodded like he had heard the same thing from many other visitors. “What made you come to the ranch?”

  “Girls’ weekend.” She kept the answer short, not wanting to explain her other reason for visiting. Already enlightened about the ranch and its management, the information would be most useful when planning her rebranding campaign.

  The wrangler persisted with his questions. “This must be a big change from the city.”

  “Yes.”

  “I know you just got here, but are you enjoying the ranch so far?” His eyes turned the color of honey as he waited for her response.

  She didn’t know how to answer. Luckily, the birds sounded like they were singing only for her. “Do you hear that? What are they?”

  He laughed. “They’re mockingbirds. They are the noisiest, most aggressive birds. Glad you like them, but wait until they get going at four in the morning.”

  When they trekked into the deep woods, she was awestruck by the peaceful beauty of the trees, the leaves surrounding them shaded in a variety of designs and colors, from deep avocado to neon green. She caught the scent of conifers. Acorns covered the trail. “It’s really beautiful out here.”

  His hand rested casually on his horse. “Yes, it is.” He eyed her with interest. “Were you born in the city?”

  “No, I lived there after college when I got my job.” She glanced ahead, making sure they were still on the trail, but the horses clearly knew where they were headed.

  “Where did you go to college?” Mitch’s gaze was constant.

  The perception behind his long-lashed honey-and-gold-flecked eyes made her nervous. She stared ahead, sighing when she realized he was not going to let her ride in peace. “I went to school outside Boston.”

  “Me too,” the cowboy said.

  Surprise bloomed into a blush as she faced him again. Curiosity got the better of her hesitation. “Where did you go to school?”

  He chuckled. “I attended Tufts University. I graduated with a business degree, but then I decided to come back here.”

  “Oh.” She faced forward again, taking in the view, mind racing with what she had just learned. “Not just a ranch hand.” She’d meant to think it, not whisper it, and blushed at how condescending she sounded. She shook her embarrassment and bad manners away, trying to make amends. “I like your mare,” she said. “The horse is really striking.”

  “She can be moody and bratty, but I’m good with difficult women.” He smiled and winked, turning forward to scan the trail.

  Another blush rose to her cheeks and left her feeling like the biggest idiot around.

  “This is a good place for a lope.” He motioned ahead. “Want to try?”

  “Sure.” Anything would be better than walking in the now awkward silence thanks to her.

  The wrangler spurred his horse into action. Digging in her heels, she followed. The pair took off at a lope, faster than Alexis ever remembered cantering for competitions. As the horses accelerated into a full gallop, years of riding came back to her. She gripped with her thighs, pulling back slightly on the reins, and enjoyed the natural seesaw movement under her as the scenery rushed by.

  The wind pushed Alexis’s hair out of her face as she remembered how much she loved riding horses before work and responsibility dominated her life. For a few moments, freedom and happiness took precedence. But the lope ended quickly, horses breathing heavily as the pair rode through deep woods.

  It was her turn to break the silence. “What made you come back here?”

  He shrugged. “I wasn’t made for the city, and they needed help here.”

  The horses continued to amble forward, descending a steep hill into a lush valley with a crystal blue lake.

  “I love this.” She took in the breathtaking view, full of green and blue stillness. “But I haven’t ridden in a while. I’m going to be sore tonight.”

  “Too sore for one more lope?” His eyebrow quirked in challenge.

  “I think I can manage,” she replied.

  At her answer, his horse galloped off, with Blaze keeping pace and then gaining on the other horse. Blaze, true to his thoroughbred instincts, surged ahead.

  Alexis jerked back on the reins. Instead of responding and slowing, Blaze shook his head and galloped forward, moving into the lead.

  “Pull him back!” Mitch’s voice boomed from behind her.

  Hearing the wrangler’s directions, she tugged harder on the reins, but Blaze surged farther ahead. Panic and exhilaration rushed through her. Experience and training had kept her on her mount so far, but clearly the thoroughbred had a mind of his own.

  Two large deer sprang from the side of the trail. She tugged hard on the reins to pull Blaze to a stop before colliding
with them. The doe’s startled eyes locked on horse and rider. At the last possible second, the deer scattered, Blaze skidded to a stop, and bucked, which threw Alexis out of her saddle and onto his neck. As the horse danced in circles, she held tight, secure for a few seconds, but then another buck launched her further forward, her foot falling out of the stirrup. Her weight on Blaze’s mane sent the horse into a spin. She slid sideways in the saddle. Only years of training kept her from hitting the ground.

  Alexis squeezed her thighs against the horse and held on until Blaze quieted. The horse dragged in rapid breaths, but stayed in one spot. Alexis pulled herself upright, an ache starting in her arms, her back tense and pinching.

  Mitch dismounted and hurried to her side. Blaze huffed, concern in his eyes as Mitch came close, waving his Stetson. “Are you okay?” He stared up at her, lips set in a thin, tense line.

  She leaned back, stiff in the saddle, hands holding tightly to the reins. “Fine.”

  “I told you to rein him back.” His cowboy hat shook in a clenched hand, his brown hair drooped, sweaty and lank against his forehead.

  “I did.” Holding the reins in one hand, she used the other to push long, escaped curls out of her face. “The last time I rode, I didn’t have deer leaping out of the underbrush.”

  “You need to listen.” He spat the words out, cowboy hat landing on the ground with a dull thud.

  “Maybe you need to train your horses better.” Alexis’s adrenaline ebbed as her anger rose. “I’m not a little kid. I didn’t summon the deer on purpose out of the woods!”

 

‹ Prev