Page 84 of Yours To Take
“Oops?” I smile back at him. “If it makes you feel better, you’re a true Dixonite now.”
“You’re only saying that to make me feel better.”
Dick comes around the table, clapping Blake on the shoulder. “I only give it to the people I like. Welcome to Dixon, son.”
Blake is beaming as he turns back to me. “Hear that, Gem? I’m a true Dixonite now.”
If only.
ChapterTwenty-Two
BLAKE
“Horseback riding? Really?”
I give a hesitant look to the hulking animal in front of me. With a chestnut coat and a white diamond on her head, she’s beautiful.
Doesn’t make her any less terrifying.
“I will not make you do jumps.” Gemma fixes the saddle, adjusting the…footholds? I have no idea what they’re called.
“What if she throws me off?”
Gemma steps closer to me, placing a peck on my cheek before walking around the horse.
“Buttercup is our sweetest horse. Even the grumpiest of people do well with her.”
“Are you telling me I’m grumpy?” I pout my lips at her.
“No. I’m saying that even those who hate horses love riding her. She’s good to everyone.” Gemma gives her an affectionate pat. “I promise, you’ll be in excellent hands.”
“Can’t I just walk along beside you?”
I’ve lived in the city my entire life. It has never crossed my mind to ride a horse. It’s a foreign concept to me.
“Your story will be terrible.”
“What?” This time, I’m confused.
My story. The show. The whole reason I’m here in Dixon.
After getting the call from Clint during family dinner, the deadline of my time here is getting closer and closer.
I should be fucking ecstatic that the execs are loving my show. I am. But that means I’ll need to be back in LA sooner than I want to be to start preproduction.
It’s easy to picture the two of us doing this every weekend. Fishing. Riding horses. Spending our nights together.
Fuck. Growing up like I did, places never felt like home.
Gemma? I can see it so clearly with her. Making a home here in Dixon.
“You want horseback riding in your show, right?” She pulls me away from those dangerous thoughts.
I nod.
She beams up at me. “Then you need to get your ass up in the saddle and learn to do it. Make it authentic.”
Gemma comes around to my side, keeping one hand on Buttercup.
