Chapter 14
HALLE
It’d been a busy morning of sightseeing.
As well as checking out the Hollywood Walk of Fame and seeing views of the Hollywood sign, we’d also visited the famous Dolby Theatre where they hosted the Oscars and drove to Beverly Hills where the other guests took photos of the sign before we cruised down Rodeo Drive.
Although I could tell Jake hated being here, probably because he’d visited these places a million times before, I got a real thrill from seeing everything in person.
When we drove down Rodeo Drive, I immediately pictured the scenes from Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts’s character Vivian goes into that fancy shop and they were rude to her because they thought she didn’t have any money.
I could relate. All of the luxury boutiques were filled with clothes, shoes and handbags I couldn’t afford.
Seeing the Beverly Hills sign made me think about the times I’d spent watching the Beverly Hills Cop films with my dad.
Although the Walk of Fame wasn’t as glamorous as I’d imagined, it was still great to visit the place where I’d seen so many celebs famously posing with the brass stars embedded on the pavements.
Those weren’t the only revelations of the morning. Jake offering to carry my bag was a surprise. I was glad that he did because I may have gone a teeny, tiny bit overboard on what I’d stuffed inside.
It was kind of him. Especially given how heavy it was. But although he’d commented on it weighing a tonne of bricks, he carried it around like it was filled with feathers. I guessed that was what happened when you had big broad muscular shoulders like his.
Not that I’d been staring at his shoulders or anything because of course I had no interest in admiring any part of his body.
After stopping for a group lunch, our driver had given us a tour of some other popular areas like Sunset Strip and Mulholland Drive and now Sammie had just stood up to let us know about our second activity for today.
I hoped that it was something relaxing like going to Santa Monica beach which was another place I’d heard about and always wanted to visit.
‘Hey!’ Sammie moved the mic closer to her mouth. ‘Did you enjoy seeing the sights and lunch?’
‘Yes!’ the whole coach, well, except for Jake, chorused.
‘Great! Now that our food’s settled, it’s time to reveal our second activity.
’ The coach pulled into a dusty-looking road track and started climbing some hills.
‘Earlier I told you we’d have more opportunities to see the sights and take photos of the Hollywood sign, and I’m a woman who likes to keep her promises.
’ She smiled. ‘Which is why I’m excited to tell you that this afternoon we’ll be doing a horseback riding tour in the Hollywood Hills! ’
As whoops and cheers erupted around me, the blood drained from my face.
The words ‘horseback’ and ‘hills’ were two of my least favourite words in the dictionary.
I had nothing against horses per se. They were pretty and I knew they brought a lot of people joy. But the idea of riding on one made me break out in a cold sweat. I’d had a bad experience when I was in my teens that was enough to put me off going on one for life.
I wasn’t keen on the word ‘hills’ either. A gentle hill in a park, for example, was generally fine. But they were talking about high hills. With a big drop. When you put the two words – horseback and what would no doubt be very steep hills – together, the combination spelt the word: nightmare.
As a flurry of other words like danger and fear flooded my mind, I gripped the armrest, hoping that it would somehow help to steady my nerves.
‘Cool,’ Jake replied and from the corner of my eye I saw a wide grin spread across his face. ‘I love me some horse riding!’
‘Glad you’re excited!’ Sammie added as we pulled into a ranch.
There was a man and a woman both in cowboy hats waving at us as the driver parked up.
‘The coach will be locked so you can leave your bags and heavy items on it. Just bring your phones or a small camera and a bottle of water to keep you hydrated. Let’s get ready to giddy up and ride those horses!’ Sammie said in a very bad American accent.
As everyone filed excitedly off the coach, I wondered if I could sit this activity out.
‘You coming?’ Jake said as he stood in the aisle.
‘Um… I… I’m not sure.’
‘Come on, Smiley.’ He gestured towards the door. ‘It’ll be fun!’
I stood up and trudged reluctantly behind him, racking my brains for an excuse not to take part that wouldn’t make me look like a scaredy cat. I came up with nothing.
The staff welcomed us to the ranch and explained the history and although they said the horses were trained and gentle, it didn’t stop my heart from racing.
Once we’d been briefed, they started handing out the helmets and inviting us to be allocated to our horse. I tried to move, but I was rooted to the spot. My legs felt like concrete and I could feel sweat trickling down my forehead.
‘Halle?’ A deep voice sounded from beside me, but everything seemed to be spinning. ‘Halle? Are you okay? You’re shaking.’
Warm hands landed on my shoulders and my body temperature spiked, snapping me out of my trance.
I blinked then blinked again. That was when I realised that Jake was standing in front of me. His thick, dark brows were furrowed. Concern was etched all over his face.
His large hands had slid down to my upper arms and I noticed again how warm they felt. It was like the sensation of a hot drink heating up your body from the inside out on a cold winter’s night: comforting and soothing.
‘I… it’s…’ I was trying but it was hard to get the words out.
‘Hold on,’ he said, before removing his arms. I instantly missed the sensation. I saw him go over to Sammie and I could see their mouths moving but I couldn’t make out what they were saying.
Sammie nodded and seconds later the group mounted their horses and set off on the trail, leaving me alone with Jake.
Huh?
‘Come on.’ Jake gestured for me to follow him. ‘Let’s sit.’
He sat down on a backless wooden bench and patted the space beside him.
I attempted again to put one foot in front of the other and thankfully this time I was able to actually move.
‘Where did everyone go?’ I asked as I sat down, leaving as much distance between us as possible. Sitting beside him on the coach had been challenging enough.
I’d had to make sure that his muscular legs hadn’t brushed against mine, which wasn’t easy. And his scent wasn’t easy to avoid either. At least now we were out in the air, it wouldn’t be so potent.
Well, that was what I thought until he turned to face me and a cloud of his fragrance assaulted my senses. I swallowed hard, trying to not let it affect me.
‘They’ve gone off to start the trail.’
‘But why didn’t you go with them?’ My head bolted up. ‘You were looking forward to it!’ Jake might not be my favourite person, but I hated the idea that he’d missed out because of me.
‘Because, despite what you think, I’m a gentleman. You seemed like you were freaking out and I wasn’t gonna just leave you by yourself. I’m guessing you’re not a fan of horses?’
I shook my head.
‘Wanna tell me what happened?’
I dropped my gaze to the ground. I couldn’t tell him. He’d laugh at me.
‘Fair enough. We can just sit and wait for the others to come back. The views are pretty great. We have water so we’ll stay hydrated.
And if we get hungry, we can always break into the bus and raid your purse.
You said you had snacks, right? And judging by how much it weighed, we’ll have enough food to survive for a year, so we’re all set. ’
A soft smile formed on my lips. I lifted my head and when I looked at Jake there was kindness in his eyes. He genuinely wanted to make sure I was okay.
He was excited to go horse riding but he was prepared to miss out on it just to sit here with me. That actually meant a lot.
‘It was at a summer camp.’ I started talking.
‘One of my aunts arranged it. I thought it would be relaxed, but when I got there, turned out it was full of rich kids. I was grateful, but I stuck out like a sore thumb. They were always talking about stuff that I didn’t know anything about like going skiing in the Alps and how they’d be joining their family for holidays in the South of France once the camp was over.
And they all had horses. Because I wanted to fit in, I pretended to have one too.
I didn’t think there was any harm in telling a little white lie.
But then I found out that there was a horse-riding activity scheduled. ’
‘Shit,’ Jake winced.
‘Yeah. They all got on the horses like it was the most natural thing in the world, but of course I had no idea what I was doing. When I tried to mount the horse, it was obvious and they all started laughing loudly at me. The horse got freaked out with all the noise and threw me to the ground. At one point I thought it was gonna crush me. It was terrifying. I damaged my shoulder and hurt my leg and since then I just…’
‘You’ve been afraid to go anywhere near them.’
‘Yep.’ I dipped my head, not wanting to see his expression. He hadn’t laughed yet but there was still time.
‘I get it and your reaction is totally normal. Once bitten, twice shy, right? If they hadn’t laughed, you would’ve been fine.
Some horses can get startled if they feel scared or threatened.
But the ones here will be gentle. And no one will be laughing at you.
Nothing beats sitting on a beautiful horse.
There’s something about the sound of their hooves connecting to the ground, feeling the breeze when it moves forward and just being surrounded by nature.
It’s so damn calming. It’s like therapy.
I fucking love it. So if you wanted to try again, I’m pretty sure you’d like it too. ’
‘You seem to know a lot about horses,’ I said, avoiding responding to his suggestion.
‘I spent a lot of time on my uncle’s ranch during the summers growing up. Pretty sure he had me riding a horse as soon as I could walk!’ Jake laughed and the warm rumble sent a strange sensation running through me.
It felt a lot like happiness. He had a nice laugh. It was deep and infectious. I instantly felt my shoulders loosening and my heart rate slowing.
‘That young? I’m not sure toddlers are allowed on horses, are they?’
‘Probably not,’ he grinned. ‘I’m exaggerating, but the point was, because I grew up around them, I learnt not to be afraid.
But if you’re new to it, then I can understand how it can be scary.
I’m not gonna push you to do anything you don’t want to, but the hotel wouldn’t bring us here unless they knew that the horses would be fine for beginners.
And if you want to try, I promise I’ll be right beside you, so nothing will happen to you. ’
I looked into his eyes and saw that sincerity again. I actually believed him.
‘But what if I fall?’ I asked.
‘I’ll be right there to catch you.’
My heart fluttered. That was so sweet. He certainly looked strong enough to do that. With those arms, he could probably carry me and the horse without breaking a sweat.
‘And it looks pretty high up, which means there’ll be a steep drop and I don’t see any railings or anything to stop us plummeting over the edge.’
‘I’ll ride on the outside, so you’ll be safe. I got you, Halle.’
Jake rested his palm on top of mine and as our skin connected a bolt of electricity rocketed through me.
Whoa.
I thought him holding my shoulders before did things to me, but this?
A kaleidoscope of emotions fluttered in my stomach. Goosebumps erupted across my skin and my heart galloped out of my chest faster than a horse racing at the Grand National.
Maybe given the circumstances, thinking about a horse riding fast wasn’t the best analogy to convince me to face my fear, but it was exactly how I felt.
The sensation of Jake’s hand on my skin was reassuring and downright electrifying.
Just as I was revelling in the sensation, he yanked his hand away. And despite it being at least twenty-five degrees up here, suddenly my hand felt like it had been plunged into a bucket of ice.
‘Sorry.’ He shuffled away from me on the bench. ‘I didn’t mean to…’
‘It’s fine!’ I squeaked. ‘Thanks for… talking about it actually helped.’
Jake beamed like I’d just told him he’d scored top marks in an empathy test.
‘Yeah?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Enough to convince you to give horse riding another try?’
I paused.
Could I really do this?
My chest tightened again. The ranch owners had said the horses were gentle and suitable for beginners. I was wearing a helmet and Jake said he’d be beside me and catch me if I fell.
I’d come to the Love Hotel to push myself out of my comfort zone.
Although romance sadly wasn’t on the cards, that didn’t stop me from making the most of this experience.
When else would I get the chance to come to LA and do a horse-riding hike with breathtaking views?
Probably never.
If I didn’t do this, I’d regret it.
As I looked into Jake’s eyes, a wave of reassurance surrounded me.
It was going to be fine.
‘Okay,’ I said. ‘I’d like to try again.’