Back in the Saddle

by Caitlin Ricci

  Cameron must have taken pity on us. “Cindy, take them into the house please. There’s clean clothes and fresh coffee. You know where.”

  “You’re not coming with us?” I asked him. Cindy was already leading Lyssa away into the rain and wind, and motioning me to follow her as well.

  Cameron shook his head. “These three need to be untacked and dried off first. I’ll also give them a little extra grain tonight since they got cold. This storm came in a lot faster than the news said it was going to. I’ll be up later.”

  That sounded like a lot of work, but I could have been wrong too. I knew nothing about horses, after all. “I can stay and help.” I was cold, and wet, and it was miserable out, but I felt like helping was the right thing to do since we had taken his horses out on the ride.

  But Cameron shook his head. “You’re shivering. Go inside and change. Put all your wet clothes in the dryer. I have loads of sweats that will fit you all. Cindy knows where they are. I’ll be fine,” he said, effectively shooing me away.

  Chapter Three

  Cameron

  Dion’s offer of help had been sweet, but with how little he knew about horses I figured he would have just been in the way, and I could take care of the horses faster on my own. Besides, he was cold and wet...and he’d looked too good with his shirt sticking to his chest and stomach.

  I shook my head and got to work taking care of the horses. It only took half an hour for me to get them all dry, clean, and resting comfortably in their stalls. The pony got extra grain too, just because he was there sticking his head over the door of the stall and begging for some treats.

  Even though I’d hurried to beat the worst of the rain, I was still drenched as I walked from the barn up to my house a few hundred yards away. It would probably have been better to crash at the barn for a while. It wasn’t like Cindy, Lyssa, and Dion needed me at the house for anything. And I would have stayed dry in the barn. I had a couch and a tiny TV, even.

  But I’d gone to the house, and thankfully Cindy handed me a towel and a mug of hot coffee when I came inside. “Thank you,” I said, smiling at her as I began to dry off after taking a quick sip. Sadly, a towel wouldn’t do a whole lot, but at least I wasn’t dripping wet anymore.

  I needed to change completely. I put my cup down and headed up to my room, and nearly ran into Dion coming out of the bathroom.

  “Hey,” I said quickly in passing. The cold was really starting to get to me.

  I went into my room and closed the door. I yanked off all of my wet clothes and tossed them into my bin. Then I sat, naked and shivering, on the bed for a few minutes wrapped in one of my thick blankets while I waited for my body to adjust.

  By the time I got dressed and came back out to see them all on my couch watching TV, my coffee needed to be microwaved and I was feeling marginally better.

  “The Black Stallion movie is on right now, only about halfway through if you want to watch it,” Cindy called to me.

  It was one of my favorites for sure, but I needed food before I could settle into a movie. I’d planned to just heat something up, but with them here longer than I’d expected them to be I figured we should go out or something. Did I want to go out to eat with a guy I didn’t really know but kind of did all while seriously wondering why I wasn’t in bed with him right then? Not really. But I didn’t want to be rude either.

  “I’m hungry. Was there a plan after you went riding?” I asked Cindy.

  She was cuddled up with Lyssa. They were cute together. I’d known Cindy since I was ten. I was glad to see her happy again. “We could go to Italian,” she offered as she looked to Lyssa and Dion for suggestions.

  Dion shrugged. He was looking at me, checking me out. I knew that look, and exactly what he wanted. That was the one that he’d given me the night we’d ended up in a bathroom stall, and as hot as he was, we were not about to relive that memory in my living room.

  I looked outside at the pouring rain and knew instantly that I definitely didn’t want to drive to a restaurant, sit there for an hour or so, and then drive back in that. Getting take out wouldn’t take out the driving part of it, but it would make it so that we could just hang out in my living room and watch movies or whatever until they were ready to go home.

  “How about I go get take out instead?” I offered.

  “I could go with you,” Dion offered, still giving me that same heated look.

  I could guess where his mind was, and as interested as I was, I just couldn’t take him up on his offer. “I’m okay. I’ll just go get it alone. Tell me what you want.”

  Dion’s eyebrows shot up. “Ouch.”

  I hadn’t meant to insult him, and a quick look at Cindy told me she was annoyed at how quickly I’d turned down what, to her, might have seemed like an entirely innocent offer to go help. But it wasn’t innocent at all. I wanted him. He, if I was any good at guessing clues at all from how he was looking at me, wanted me too. If he went with me I was pretty sure we would be taking a detour to at least make out in my truck, if not fully hook-up again.

  Lyssa frowned. “Maybe we should go...”

  And now I officially felt like an ass. “Dion, if we were alone would you try to get with me again?” Maybe being blunt was the best tactic. Then possibly I wouldn’t look like I was rejecting him because of anything about him necessarily.

  He shrugged. “Yeah. I probably would.”

  “And that’s why I’m going to go get take out by myself. Assuming anyone still wants dinner here. It’s nothing against you. It’s that I don’t want to just have sex right now.”

  At least Lyssa looked less pissed that I’d rejected her friend outright. Dion just laughed. “So, you’d want it too?”

  I blew out an irritated breath. “I’m not willing to be alone with you. That should say enough.” But damn if he didn’t look all smug about it.

  He came over and kissed me on my cheek before walking away, laughing. I hadn’t seen this flirty side of him before. I’d known, and enjoyed, the heated sexy side of him. But this flirty side, it had me smiling.

  I shook my head as I looked back to Lyssa and Cindy. Dion was behind me getting something out of my fridge. I didn’t care. Whatever he wanted in there, he could have. There wasn’t a whole lot to begin with. “Dinner?” I asked them again.

  “Lasagna? The family size?” Cindy suggested.

  “And a salad for us all as well,” Lyssa added on.

  I looked back at Dion to see if he wanted anything, but he didn’t offer me anything more than a gloating smile. Yes, he had me. He didn’t have to rub it in. “You want anything?”

  “I like breadsticks,” he said after a moment.

  I did too. “Okay. Cindy, call ahead, I’ll go pick it up.” It was still pouring out but at least the cold, and the drive, would let me clear my head for a bit.

  Chapter Four

  Dion

  As soon as Cameron left to go get food I figured Lyssa and Cindy would have something to say about our playful flirting, but they surprised me by not saying anything about it at all. Cindy pulled out a cute video of a kitten and a pit bull playing together and she and Lyssa stayed cuddled up on the couch together. I went to the big window that took up most of the living room wall and wondered what it would really be like to have all that land just for myself. What would I even do with it all? I couldn’t begin to imagine. I’d probably walk around naked a lot. And sunbathe naked too. I definitely couldn’t do that where Lyssa and I were living now.

  “What would you two do if you lived out here?” I asked them idly. Would I have a garden, maybe? I didn’t even know how to grow anything, but perhaps it wasn’t all that complicated either.

  Cindy was the one who answered me. “I’d have a house, somewhere quiet. With enough room for just the two of us. Lyssa would have her office. I’d have a desk off the kitchen. We’d have pots of flowers. Maybe a little fountain.”

  I looked over to find Lyssa smiling a
t her. Clearly they’d talked about it. I wasn’t really surprised, but I didn’t want to lose Lyssa as a roommate either. I liked living with her. She was quiet, respectful, and she was always on time or early with her half of the rent. Besides all that, if she lived way out here I’d never really get to see her. “It sounds really nice.” I tried to be positive, but thinking about not being able to see my best friend all the time actually made me really sad. “Maybe you’d get a kitten.”

  Lyssa came over and hugged me from behind and we looked out over the rain-soaked pastures together. “It wouldn’t be for a while, but we are thinking about living together. And one of the guys doesn’t use much of his farm since he just has bees, and Cindy thinks that if she asked nicely he’d let us have a little plot of his land to get a house put on. We’d have to get electricity and a septic tank and we’d run a line off his well, but it’s doable down the road with a little work and some savings.”

  I nodded. “It really does sound nice. I’m not just saying that. And I know you two are great together. And for each other.”

  Lyssa gave me a squeeze. “You could come visit.”

  I appreciated that, but I wouldn’t want to crash their love fest all the time. “We’ll see.”

  By the time Cameron came back with the food I was no longer in a flirty mood. I ate quietly, but the food was good and I was full at the end. I just didn’t like the prospect of living alone someday, or of having to get a new roommate, or of eventually drifting apart from Lyssa. It all felt petty, and maybe it was all just exacerbated by how overworked and exhausted I felt all the time, but as the afternoon continued on I grew more somber until I’d barely spoken in half an hour by the time Lyssa, Cindy, and I got ready to leave.

  The rain had stopped but everything was covered in big puddles of muddy rainwater. It went with my mood. As they were getting ready Cameron came over and stood beside me at the front door.

  “Are you okay?”

  I gave him a little nod. “Yeah. Just thinking.”

  “About?”

  I wasn’t sure why he was so interested. “Lyssa and Cindy are going to move in together someday. I’m going to miss her.”

  “Are you going to get a new roommate? Maybe some cutie you can date?”

  He was trying to play with me, trying to get me to smile, and it worked, a little. “Maybe. Oh, Dion, I can’t pay my rent this month, maybe we could work out a trade?” I snickered. I’d watched too many porn movies, apparently.

  Cameron laughed. “Maybe invite the pizza guy too. Or the plumber.” He bumped shoulders with me. And, for a moment, I just leaned against him.

  “I’m glad I came out today. It was much better than just sleeping and trying to recuperate from working so much.” I had another full day off in eleven days. Maybe I’d sleep in then.

  Cameron was quiet for a few moments. “If you want to come out just to see the horses, or to go riding with me sometime, you could. I’ll give you my number. The horses could use the exercise and having you around didn’t suck.”

  If that was supposed to be his big invite, it needed some work. But maybe if was enough that he was trying. I snorted. “If you want me to come back because you actually want to see me again, ask like an adult or don’t ask at all.”

  Cameron rolled his eyes. “I don’t want me asking to come across as anything more than it is—just an offer of a place to crash and clear your head for a bit if you’ve got the time and are feeling overworked. I know how relaxing being around the horses can be. And you sound like you need a little of that in your life right now.”

  He was right. I did. Desperately. “I won’t read into it. So, do you want me to come back for a visit because you liked having me around?”

  “Dion, I’d like you to come back and spend time with the horses and me if you’re ever feeling overwhelmed and need a break,” he said seriously.

  It was a good invite. And I knew he wasn’t asking me for sex. “I’d like that. Thanks. It’s going to be a bit before I take you up on that offer, though. At least a few weeks. I don’t live close and I don’t get a lot of time off.”

  “I get that.”

  Lyssa and Cindy were ready to go and I headed out with them.

  Chapter Five

  Cameron

  I didn’t seriously expect to hear from Dion at all. I’d given him the invite fully expecting that to be the end of it. And really, I was fine with it. Good sex didn’t automatically equal a good relationship. In fact, in my experience, it never did.

  That’s why I was so surprised when, nearly a month later, Dion texted me.

  I’ve got the evening off, he said.

  I stopped brushing out one of the horses long enough to respond back to him. And? You want to come spend it with me working with the horses? I loved them, and working with them was absolutely what I wanted to do when I had a moment free. But I knew most people weren’t like me, and I didn’t expect him to be either.

  Please?

  I sighed. I didn’t want to be a babysitter to a guy who didn’t know anything about horses, but I had invited him out. Plus, he’d said please. I was always a sucker when someone asked nicely. Sure. Come on out.

  Thanks. I’ll be there soon.

  I surprised myself by how much I was looking forward to his little visit. I had people come help me out sometimes, mainly my brothers or cousins or Cindy, but I rarely had anyone who I was attracted to come out to see me. And as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I was attracted to Dion. He was cute and he flirted without even seeming to try. And when he had been trying, he’d been everything I had wanted and then some.

  It was too much to hope for a relationship to work between us with how far apart we lived, and just how busy he was too, but I definitely didn’t mind a bit of eye candy on my farm for a few hours.

  By the time Dion arrived later that afternoon I was sweaty and sore from being thrown from a young stallion. I didn’t often have stallions at my place. They were a pain and they broke fences often trying to get to the mares when they were in heat. He was supposed to have been gelded right before I’d brought him home from the auction. But the vet had had an emergency and couldn’t get out to see me for another week, so getting him castrated hadn’t happened and now I had a thousand pound terror on my hands.

  Dion pulled up in front of my house and found me sitting on my front porch with a glass of lemonade in one hand and the other holding an ice pack to my ribs.

  “You okay?” Dion asked me as he came forward.

  I winced and pulled the ice pack off. It had been plenty of time already. “Yeah. Just sore.” I looked him over. The dark circles under his eyes made it obvious he hadn’t slept in a while. “You look horrible.”

  Dion chuckled and sat down next to me. “I feel like it too.” He sighed. “I don’t know what I’m going to do about work. It literally sucks ass right now. Someone quit, one person just didn’t show up, and I’ve worked back to back sixteens this week.”

  “So why the hell are you out here with me instead of crashed out in your bed?”

  He gave me a cocky smile and took the lemonade out of my hand for a drink. I didn’t even have the energy to be offended. “I needed to break up my routine a bit. You know, work, get home, sleep, eat something loaded with sugar and so unhealthy for me, shower, go back to work, then come back and sleep. It’s depressing not having time to do anything for myself besides sleep because I’m working so damn much. So yeah, you’re far away, and yeah, I’m exhausted, but I seriously needed to change up my routine. Do you ever get like that?”

  I shook my head. I really didn’t. “You really should just quit.” I would have a long time ago.

  He nodded absently. “I should. I know. But... There’s good things too. Not the pay. Or the hours. God, no. But I like my boss. He doesn’t let anyone give me any crap because of who I am. I can be out at work. And that’s a huge deal.”

  I took my lemonade back. If I was feeling less
like I’d been thrown by an unruly horse right that minute, I would have offered to go get him something. “That’s not an excuse to work yourself to death. If you want something to drink, feel free to grab something for yourself. I’m just going to sit here and hope my nerve endings die soon.”

  He snickered and headed inside. When he came back out he had his own glass of lemonade, along with the pitcher, which he used to refill my glass. “I’m surprised you don’t have anything stronger than lemonade and milk in that fridge. And I tried the milk first, it’s a little rich.”

  “It’s goat’s milk. My brother, Felix, raises them. And we’re all dry here. You won’t find a single drop of alcohol to drink anywhere on Hillcrest.”

  He looked surprised by that, and a little like he wanted to ask the inevitable question of why we were all abstaining. But he didn’t, so I filled in the answers for him. “One of us has had an issue in the past.”

  “You?”

  There was no judgement in his tone. Just simple curiosity.

  I shook my head. “Asher, my cousin, did. He’s better now, but yeah, when we found out that he had a problem with alcohol we all stopped full force. I might get a beer sometime when I’m out, like when I was at the club where we met last year. But none of us ever bring any of it home.”

  Dion looked impressed, but I had no idea why. Family was supposed to take care of each other.

  “What happened to your ribs?”

  I touched them. Yep, still tender. I was such a dumbass. “I got thrown. My ribs landed on the horn full force in the middle bounce of a buck.”

  Dion raised his eyebrows. “All right then.”

  “At least I didn’t land on my dick or something.”

  He laughed and drank his lemonade. “Hooray for small miracles. If you want me to look at it, I will.”

  “Are you going to kiss it better too?” I joked with him.