by Rachel Hanna
Sophie sat back in her chair. “Yes. If I get accepted to any universities I’m going to go for it.” She had eventually decided against moving out and getting a job regardless of whether she was accepted or not. “I’m hoping I’ll be accepted for Psychology. My community service really opened my mind to the possibility. There was something very rewarding about talking to people and trying to help them with their problems and vice versa. If it wasn’t for the community service I never even would have considered applying.” She had eventually applied because her parents had refused to let up on badgering her until she did so. They didn’t have a particular course choice in mind, they were just determined that she would apply for something. At the peak of her problems back home she had decided she would refuse any acceptances she received just to spite her parents. The idea had seemed very appealing at the time. Now, however, she desperately wanted to be accepted somewhere, even if it wasn’t for Psychology.
“I’m really pleased, Soph.” Miller was glad that she had decided on a direction. He’d been worried about her initial plan to leave home and get a job and an apartment but her plans had changed once she’d decided to stay in San Francisco with her dad. She loved the city and being able to stay at home would certainly help to lower tertiary education expenses.
“Either way, I’m going to have to work my ass off to bring up my grades.” Sophie sighed as she took another sip.
“I have complete faith in you that you’ll be able to handle that no problem.”
“Here’s hoping. So do you have any resolutions?”
“Work hard, do well in the army and hopefully get promoted as soon as possible. The extra pay will make getting my own ranch that much more achievable.”
Sophie smiled at him. “You know what? I have a suggestion for a resolution for you.”
“Really? What’s that?”
“Do one crazy thing.”
“Such as?”
“Doesn’t matter, as long as you consider it crazy.”
He contemplated her words. “Why would I do that?”
“Because you’re such a moral, upstanding citizen who does everything by the book.” She winked at him. “You should give yourself at least one opportunity to do something crazy that you’ll look back on and it’ll hopefully make you smile.”
“I’ll consider it.”
“No, that’s not good enough. It has to be a resolution.”
He looked thoughtfully at her before speaking. “Okay, I’ll do it on one condition that I can come up with a resolution you have to do.”
Sophie grinned. “Okay. What do you have in mind?”
“Make peace with your parents, especially your mom.”
Sophie’s grin faded. She knew things would be initially strained at home with her dad but over time they would get better. With her mom however…well that wouldn’t be so easy since she was moving to New York. Plus the relationship between her and her mom was far more damaged than the one between her and her dad. “You’re asking a lot, Miller.”
“Aren’t New Year’s resolutions meant to be hard?”
“No, they should be easy so you don’t break them.”
“Sophie, I think this is important for you. You might not want to admit it now, but you’ll feel better if you at least make an effort. If it doesn’t work then it doesn’t work; the point is that you have to try.”
She sat still for a while, debating internally with herself. Eventually sighing, she took a long drink before murmuring “Whatever crazy thing you do, it better be epic.”
Miller smiled encouragingly. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes.”
A voice came over the speakers as somebody announced it was two minutes until the New Year. Looking down in surprise at his watch, Miller confirmed the time. “Wow, didn’t realize it was so late. How’s that beer of yours, need a new one or are you set?”
“I’m good.”
“I feel like I should be wearing a party hat and standing on a table.”
“You can have your hat back,” Sophie reached up to remove the hat but he stopped her.
“No, it looks much better on you. Come on.” He took her hand and pulled her to her feet, leading her to the center of the barn where everyone was congregating. As the seconds counted down, Miller let out a moan. “Darn it, I should have used this whole resolution-making thing to get you on a horse!”
Sophie laughed. “Wouldn’t have worked! I would have just refused.”
An idea suddenly occurred to him and he grinned wickedly. “Sophie, I dare you to get on a horse the next time I bring one to you ready to ride.”
“What are you doing?” She looked suspiciously at him.
“You don’t back down from dares.”
“I know that.”
“So?”
“You think you’re so clever, don’t you?” She smirked at him. “Well how it works with dares is that I always have a forfeit option.”
“You never mentioned that.”
“Hey, the fact that it’s there doesn’t mean I don’t do the dares.”
He pondered for a few seconds. “A forfeit option…hmm.” Suddenly a brilliant idea occurred to him, something that she would never go with, so he would be guaranteed to see Sophie Morgan on a horse before she left. “Okay, I have one.”
She looked at him expectantly. “Yes?”
“I dare you to get on a horse the next time I ask or else you have to kiss me.”
She eyed him as the seconds continued to count down. “Okay.”
“Excellent. I promise you, you won’t regret being on a horse.”
The ten-second countdown commenced and they joined in, shouting out the numbers as the excitement intensified until they reached one and cheers of Happy New Year erupted as a multitude of hats flew into the air. Miller’s own cheer had barely left his lips before Sophie had stepped close to him, taken hold of his shirt collar and pulled his mouth down to her own as she kissed him. Completely taken off guard, he acted on pure instinct, one arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her body against his own as his other hand reached up to the back of her neck, drawing her deeper into the kiss.
He didn’t know how long the kiss lasted but when they eventually pulled apart, an immediate urge welled inside him to claim her mouth again. She’s leaving soon. Get a grip. His heart hammering, he released her and took a step back, slipping his hands into his pockets to stop them reaching for her again. At a loss for words, he simply stood and looked at her.
“Told you I wouldn’t get on a horse.” Sophie smiled nonchalantly but he could detect the faint blush in her cheeks as she shrugged and took a sip of her drink.
“I wasn’t expecting you to forfeit. I wouldn’t have suggested a kiss if I’d known you didn’t want to get on a horse so much.”
“Maybe I just wanted to kiss you.”
“Sophie –”
Noting by his tone that he was about to be the voice of reason, she interrupted him. “Hey, there’s no need to make a big deal out of this. It was just a forfeit of a dare. Nothing more. I’m going to go wish my aunt and uncle Happy New Year and catch up with them for a bit. I think I saw your parents on the other side of the dance floor if you want to go find them.” Turning around, she headed off quickly through the crowd, leaving him staring after her.
It was nothing, hey? He watched her as she reached her aunt and uncle and exchanged hugs with them. It sure as hell hadn’t felt like nothing to him. He’d imagined what it would feel like to kiss her. The real thing was nothing like what he’d imagined. She was heat and energy and…wild, he supposed was a fitting term. A rush of abandonment had swept over him as he’d kissed her. For those seconds he didn’t care what was happening around him, who saw…until his voice of reason had knocked impatiently on the inside of his skull, demanding what exactly he thought he was doing.
He should be grateful she wasn’t making a big deal of it. It wasn’t like anything could come of it. She was going back to San Francisco in th
ree days. While she was in university he would be continents away in the army. It was hopeless and pointless to pursue anything further than friendship with her. You’re doing the right thing. Taking a swig of beer, he swallowed with a sigh before making his way across the barn to his parents. He knew it was the right decision…but sometimes doing the right thing still felt like crap.
Chapter Eight
“I got in!”
Miller chuckled at the excited squeal on the other end of the line. “I never doubted you would. Congratulations, Sophie.”
“Thank you! Aaah! I’m just so relieved and happy and excited and just buzzing all at the same time.”
He heard her laughter and smiled. “We’ll have to celebrate when I see you.”
“I know! I can’t wait to see you guys. So what are you doing right now?”
“Digging a ditch.”
“Sounds fun.”
“Oh yeah, I’m sure you’re dying from envy.”
“Uh huh, you bet.”
“So what are you doing?”
“Getting ready to go to the beach.”
He could hear the smugness in her voice. “So you’re going to look like a lobster and get sand all over you. Sounds fun.”
“The word is ‘tan’. I’d teach you how to do it if you came here and could bear not to be active for an hour or so.”
“It sounds really boring.”
“You sound really jealous.”
He didn’t have to see her to know she was smirking. It was evident in her tone. “Well I’ve got to get back to work. It’s not all fun and games for everyone, city girl. I’ll see you soon.”
“Bye, Miller. See you soon.”
Slipping the phone back in his pocket, he resumed his digging, shaking his head with a smile. He was really glad Sophie had gotten into the University of California, San Francisco. He knew it was her first choice and no doubt she’d be happy there. When he was done, he headed back home to do an hour’s workout before grabbing some lunch and carrying on with the rest of the tasks he had to complete that day. He finished off a few extra jobs so that he would have some free time the next day to collect Sophie from the airport. By the time he hit his pillow that night he was shattered and slept soundly until early in the morning when he rose for his morning workout.
Shortly after Sophie had left, Miller had begun to implement an intense workout regime. He was already fit from his work around the ranch but he now implemented morning runs with weight training exercises during the afternoon and at night. In the three months since he’d last seen Sophie he had honed his body to a point that far surpassed the army’s basic level of required fitness. As he borrowed Philip’s truck and drove to the airport, he couldn’t help but hope that Sophie would be impressed.
Standing in the waiting area wearing a simple black t-shirt and jeans, his male pride was gratified when he saw the look of surprised awe on her face as she spotted him. Making her way towards him, she simply stood and stared.
“Wow…somebody’s gone hardcore soldier since I last saw him.”
He grinned at her reaction as he opened his arms and pulled her into a hug. “Hi, Soph. It’s great to see you.”
She wrapped her arms around him, unable to stop an appreciative murmur from escaping her lips at the feel of him. “Damn, Miller, you’re nothing but rock solid muscle.”
He laughed as he hugged her close before releasing her and taking her suitcase. Leading her outside to the truck, he opened the door for her before storing her case and sliding in. On the drive back they didn’t bother with the radio, simply enjoying being back in each other’s company and able to talk in person rather than over the phone or via email.
Kay was overjoyed to see her and pulled her into the kitchen for iced tea and cake, insisting she tell her all about what she’d been up to since they’d last seen each other. When Philip arrived half an hour later all of them sat down to lunch together and Sophie told her aunt and uncle about her university acceptance. They were thrilled for her and repeatedly told her how proud they were of her.
Sophie fell back into the routine of life on the ranch easily. She had come for a week during Spring Break, as it would be the last time she would see Miller before he left for the military. They spent as much time as they could together, whether it was carrying out chores or simply enjoying a stroll. However, halfway through her stay Sophie found herself in the stable, regretting she had ever agreed to give in to Miller’s request. Staring between Blizzard and Miller, she let out an unconvinced huff.
“Exactly how is this going to benefit me again?”
“It won’t. It will make me happy though.”
“What? You said I would enjoy it.”
“Yes but I’ve said that so many times and you keep asking me, so you obviously don’t believe me.”
Sophie scowled at him. “Not doing your cause any favors, you know.”
“I’m going to be right with you.”
“Fine.” She grimaced. “Let’s get this over with.”
Miller grinned as he moved her into position. “Right, put your foot in my hands and I’ll give you a leg up. Remember, swing your leg over.”
She did as he directed and found herself a few seconds later sitting astride Blizzard. She felt distinctly uncomfortable and made sure he knew it. “You know, you might have been born in the saddle but I don’t think I’m cut out for this.”
“Just relax, you’re doing fine.”
“I’m sitting still. I’m not doing anything.”
He laughed as he indicated the reins. “Okay, hold on. I’m going to lead her out.”
Sophie took a breath and gripped the reins as Miller began to lead the horse outside. The horse felt huge and powerful beneath her and for the first time she truly appreciated how easy the ranch hands made riding look. Miller walked the horse over to a nearby arena, looking back at her every so often. Shutting the arena gate behind him, he gave her directions and stood back as she urged the horse to walk forwards. After a minute of sitting in the saddle as the horse plodded slowly around the arena, Sophie began to relax. This wasn’t so bad, she supposed. After a while Miller encouraged her into a trot, which was decidedly worse and required much more action on her part. Still, Miller kept calling out reassurances, informing her she was doing well, though in her opinion she felt like the most uncoordinated rider ever to sit on a horse’s back.
Eventually Miller called a halt to her trotting and came towards her to ask if she fancied a gentle horse ride to the nearby stream. She agreed in order to humor him, wanting to make him as happy as possible before he left for the army. Leading her back to the stables, he saddled one of the other horses before mounting it elegantly and leading the way outside and along the path that would take them to the stream. They took things at an easy walk and Sophie had to admit it was rather pleasant as the horses ambled along the path in the late afternoon. The stream was only a fifteen-minute ride away, leaving them plenty of time to get there and back before sunset.
“How you doing?” Miller turned around in his saddle and smiled at her as the horses walked in single file down the path.
“Fine, I guess. I much prefer the walking to the trotting.”
Miller laughed. “You’re doing really well for your first time on a horse.” He engaged her on a variety of topics as a means of distracting her from focusing on what she was doing and was pleased to see the way she unconsciously relaxed as they chatted. On reaching the stream, they let the horses drink before turning them around and making the sedate walk back to the stable. Miller was extremely pleased that Sophie had agreed to the ride because he’d wanted to share one of his favorite activities with her. He felt completely at home in the saddle, with an incredible sense of freedom, but he didn’t want to push his luck with Sophie. She’d ridden far more on her first try than he had expected her to.
They were five minutes away from the stable when Miller suddenly heard Sophie shriek. Whipping his body round, he saw Blizzard rear up on
her back legs before she bolted forwards past his own horse. He just managed to catch sight of the snake as it slithered into the underbrush on the side of the path. Urging his own horse forward, he raced after Sophie, yelling at her to pull the reins to the side to force the horse’s head to turn but before she could act she lost her balance and went toppling off the saddle, hitting the ground with an audible thud and going limp where she lay.
Miller cursed at the sight and was already dismounting before his horse had come to a complete standstill beside her. Dropping to his knees, he leaned over her and spoke her name urgently, noting her closed eyes and the grimace on her face. “Sophie! Look at me.”
Gingerly she opened her eyes, gazing up at him without moving. “Miller…”
“Tell me where it hurts.”
“Lower back.” She gritted her teeth as she stared at him.
“How bad is it? Do you feel like you could move?”
“It feels like it’s going to leave one hell of a bruise…I really don’t feel like moving now.”
He scanned her body before asking “Does anywhere else hurt?”
“Nothing feels broken...”
He nodded quickly. “Okay. Soph, I’m going to help you to sit up.”
“Do I have to?”
“Yes. Come on, you can do this.” Bending low, he slipped his arm under her neck and began to raise her gently to a sitting position. She hissed in pain before wedging her arms underneath herself and pressing against the ground so she could raise her lower half slightly off the ground to relieve pressure. “Dang…my back really hurts.”
“Sophie, I’m going to feel around your back. I promise I’ll be gentle.” Reaching around her waist, he let his fingers drift slowly across her lower back until she winced.
“Ow! Don’t do that again.”
“I think I know what’s happened. You’ve hit your coccyx in the fall.”
“Well whatever I’ve done, I could do with a packet of painkillers.”
“Come on, I’ll help you stand up.” Supporting her weight, Miller helped her to a standing position with a few choice curses on Sophie’s part. It was too painful to ride back so they walked the rest of the way to the stables where Miller was able to hand off the horses to one of the ranch hands who happened to be inside before he helped Sophie to the main house.