Page 92 of Riding the Curve

The way riding could shake me out of my thoughts in mere seconds.

I’ve been trying to find a time to sneak in a ride for the past month, but every day has been so busy that by the end of the night I’m too exhausted to do anything else but sleep.

As we step into the barn, I’m surprised to see two horses already saddled up and awaiting their riders. The Appaloosa mare is the one I notice first. I could spot that beautiful umber coat with freckled white spots anywhere.

I gently brush my palm over her soft muzzle, and she lets out soft snort and tickles my forehead with her lip. “Hi, Lily. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

As if she agrees, she nickers toward me, her muzzle investigating both of my pockets. “Sorry, sweet girl. No peppermints in those tonight. Autumn always had a pocket full of them for you, didn’t she?” My words trail off at the memory of Em’s Mama, emotion gathering pressure inside my chest.

“Here you go, Lil.” Emerson holds out a mint in his hand, and she devours it. When I catch his gaze, we both share the same moment of emotion. Sadness and happiness, colliding together all at once.

We also share a silent understanding. That we need to embrace all the wonderful memories we shared with her and follow her advice. Make each moment full of life.

“Figured your first time back in the saddle should be with a lady just as special as you.” He winks then walks back to his dusty gray quarter horse, Angus.

Em’s already mounted and ready by the time I come back to my senses.

“Any time now, Trouble. I want to make it to our next surprise before the sun fully sets, and before my hair turns gray,” he snickers.

“Oh, we better hurry, girl,” I say to Lily. “We don’t want this old man to be up past his bedtime. He’s already cranky enough.”

His lips purse as I walk past him. Once I’m mounted, we walk the horses outside the barn. Em takes the lead, which I’m thankful for, because I have no idea where we’re headed.

The sunset paints a beautiful backdrop to our ride. Our walk gradually turns into a steady trot. I let my eyes fall shut, feeling the wind sweep across my cheeks and weave through my hair. When I open them, I see the lake come into view.

Our properties are large, but the beauty of being neighbors is that we both share the lake. I always loved that no matter which house we were at, we were only a short distance away from the water. The only bad thing about being on the Lane side is that they don’t have my favorite part, the tree swing. My lips twitch up at the memory as I look at Em.

His dark chestnut hair dances in the wind. Every muscle in his arms pulls and constricts as he holds the reins. I’m thankful for the fact that I’m sitting because my knees have gone weak. The man beside me is breathtaking.

I pinch myself just to make sure this isn’t the longest dream ever. Ow. Nope. This is real.

“Feeling like a little race, Trouble?” Emerson yells across to me.

“Are you sure you want to take that challenge? You may know how to handle your Porsche, but I’ve always beaten your ass when it comes to riding a horse.” I smile smugly.

“Bring it on.”

Already leaning forward, I squeeze my thighs and shorten the reins.

“Challenge accepted!” I shout as I leave Em in the dust.

A string of swear words echoes from behind me, and I toss my head back in laughter.

He inches closer, but I already know there’s no way he’s going to catch me. I’ve got him beat.

As the lake comes closer into view, my heart stumbles at the sight before me. Even from here I can see all he has done.

There's a large flannel blanket spread out on the hill, a wicker basket and ice chest holding down the corners. A small canvas tent is set up beside it. The whole area is lit with warm, golden light from the lanterns spread about. There are even some hanging from the tree, alongside what looks like . . . No, he didn’t.

A tree swing sways gently in the night breeze.

I fall back into the saddle and Lily slows down to a trot, just as Emerson flashes by at lightning speed. Effectively pulling off the ‘W’ in the last second.

Slowing Lily all the way down to a walk, I make our way over to the winner’s circle where Angus and Em are waiting for us. Emerson wiggles his brows up and down as he takes the reins from my hands and ties them around the tree next to Angus.

“You cheated,” I sneer.

“Nah, I’m just good at understanding my opponent. I’m a strategist, baby.”