Page 58 of You Met Me There

“Yeah,” I grit out through my tense jaw. “I heard you.”

I look up, squinting at the blue sky and seeing nothing but the blinding sun. I assume they’re still talking about the eagles. All I see is the obnoxious shimmering of the sequins on my vest. I thought wearing something sparkly and pink, along with new pink Western boots, would make this even more fun. Why stop at horses when you can go full-on cowgirl?

But now I see it would have been better to wear something that doesn’t have the potential to blind me. I’m tense from worrying that I’ll fall off the horse and disappointed because I can’t properly see the beautiful view around me.

Luke rests his hand on his thigh with all the grace and leisure of a seasoned rider. He looks like a real cowboy. For the past thirty minutes I’ve stared at his back, his lean muscles rippling under his thin white tee. The material is starting to stick to his skin in the humidity.

Summer in Pennsylvania is hotter than I remember. Florida is hot too, but it’s a different kind of heat. Here, there’s no ocean breeze to cool you down.

Luke effortlessly moves another branch to the side.

“You look like you’ve done this before!” I shout up at him.

He turns his upper body to look around his shoulder at me, a smile pulling at the side of his mouth.

“I used to ride as a kid,” he says.

I move the branch that Luke had touched, my movements far less graceful. “Really? I didn’t know that. When did you stop?” I grip the reins in my fists like that alone will keep me from falling.

“When I was eighteen.”

“Wait. You mean you rode horses until I met you?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” He shrugs and turns back to the trail.

A shadow crosses the sunny path, and I look up quickly to see an eagle fly overhead and out of sight. That must be Hector.

“Why did you stop?” I ask.

He looks back at me. “What?”

“I said, why did you stop riding when you met me?”

Blondie staggers on a dip in the path, and I throw my hand forward to balance myself against her neck. We were told not to do that, but it’s instinct.

“I guess I just didn’t find it that interesting anymore. I found someone else to occupy my time.” He doesn’t turn back or look at me, but I can tell from the angle of his jaw and the motion in his neck that he’s smiling.

The guide calls something back to us again, but I can’t make out what she says; I’m too focused on what Luke revealed. Those early days of us dating and me moving to Florida with his family are so special to me. It was the first time I’d really left home and the first time I’d ever been in love. My stomach dances like leaves in the wind, and I can’t help but smile too.

My pale horse slows her gait, and I’m pulled back to the present. We slow so much that she’s practically not moving at all. I watch as the others get farther and farther away, while Blondie stops in her tracks all together. I don’t know what to do. She lowers her nose to the ground, and I lean backward, trying to stay on her back but afraid I’ll slip down her neck and over her head.

“Come on, Blondie. Let’s go,” I say sweetly.

She doesn’t budge.

Although I have no idea what I’m doing, I nudge her sides with my ankles. It’s something I’ve seen in movies. However, it does nothing to encourage her to walk along. She lifts her head, munching on grass like she doesn’t have a care in the world.

I click my tongue at her. “Walk,” I say, pushing my hips forward, hoping the motion will ease her onward.

She ignores me.

I shout in Luke’s direction. “Hey, wait!”

He’s slipping behind the bend, and then … he’s gone. The trees block my view of the whole group.

“Noooo, no, no, no.” I pat Blondie on the neck, struggling to get her attention. “You can’t just stand here, Blondie. Everyone’s leaving us. We have to go.” Panic laces my voice. What if she never moves? What if we lose the group and get lost?

The horse’s head turns as she looks at me, and I swear she rolls her eyes. It feels like she’s doing this on purpose. She’s testing me, just like Maggie warned.