Page 22 of All of Us

“Thank you,” slipped from me when we pulled apart.

He looked up at me from his long lashes. “I think I need to thank you. You make me feel all swoopy.”

“Swoopy?” He pushed my arm.

“You know what I mean.”

I did know what he meant because I had felt swoopy, too. I wanted to stand here and kiss Joe’s sweet lips all day long, but there was a reason we were meeting. In a few weeks, he had to be able to ride and photograph for the dude ranch. We needed to mount up before I melted into him—hopefully, there would be time for that later.

I kissed him again deeply. “Yeah. I am feeling the ‘swoopy’ myself. Let’s get you on Amber. You are going to need to be a good horseman to be able to take pictures while riding.” Doing the right thing was sometimes very difficult.

He gave me one more kiss and then stepped away.

“I’ll just,” As he took a few steps backward, he pointed toward the barn, “be over there getting Amber.” He continued a few steps, smiled, looked me over, then spun around and jogged toward the barn.

I opened the trailer door. “Let’s go, Dusty.” He backed out and spun around. “Buddy, I am in a whole lot of trouble.” He snorted as he followed me.

I saw Joe as he led Amber out of her stall, which showed he was comfortable with her.

Before long, were in the arena, and I explained how to easily guide Amber with the reins and how pressure with his legs could get her to move as well.

“Are you ready to go down to the river? It will probably be an hour each way, but it’s a beautiful day, and Martin Wilson insisted I spend the day with you.” I gave him a smile.

“I feel like Martin might be trying some matchmaking.”

I chuckled. “You are probably right.”

Once we had navigated our way out of the immediate barn area, we headed through one of the back pastures toward a pretty little area I knew about.

“So what do you think about riding now that you have done it a little more?”

“I still feel like I’m really high in the air, but I completely see how people fall in love with it. I’m a little afraid of falling off still.”

“You need to relax. Amber will be your legs while you take pictures. We’ll work more with balance and riding hands-free in our next lesson. I’d like to do this three times a week at least.”

He made a long sigh. “Do you think I’ll be ready?”

I moved Dusty close to him and leaned over into his space. He turned toward me, and I stole a kiss. “I’ll make sure of it.”

He laughed and smiled at me. That happy look on his face was one of the greatest things I’d ever seen—I planned do what I could to see it more often.

We rode along, enjoyed nature, and the quietness of the land. Every so often, we would see a rabbit, and when we got up to the river, we saw a fox scoot away. Amber was a solid mare, never spooked at the sudden movements. It was obvious why Montgomery offered her.

“Let’s dismount, give the horses a break, and let them drink.” Both horses were using bitless bridles, so it was easy for them to lean into the water and slurp. Dusty was particularly noisy, which made Joe laugh.

Dusty didn’t need to be tied up. He was allowed to wander around, but would stay close to me. I wasn’t sure about Amber’s training, so I looped her reins on a tree branch.

Joe and I sat on a log side by side. I could feel him relax next to me. “It’s incredible here. I could probably sit here all day listening to the water. I’d love living near the water, a river, the ocean, it’s such a peaceful sound.”

I had to agree with him. I was distracted because our thighs and hips touched. Creating the urge—need—to kiss him, which swelled up in me. I knew after the kiss earlier that I was probably pushing too hard, but I really couldn’t help it.

There was a hair in his face which I pushed back. When I pulled my fingers back, Joe leaned in for a kiss, which I willingly accepted. My heart beat hard, while I ran my hand to the back of his neck, then pulled him closer to me. Our tongues tangled together, and my body shivered as his hand ran under the edge of my shirt. The warmth of his hand on my skin felt good.

“Gentry?”

“Mmmhmmm?” I loved his mouth on me.

He pulled back. “Kissing you is amazing. I want so much more. Maybe we should head back and put the horses up so we can resume this in a more appropriate location.”