Chapter 28
Gia
Aknock on the door pulls me out of my hyperfocus. I grin down at my iPad. I’ve been drawing a cartoon version of Lauren and Leah from when we went sledding a couple of weeks ago. It’s turning out way cuter than I expected, and I can’t wait to show them.
Answering the door, my smile grows wider. “What are you guys doing here?”
Leah pushes her stocking cap up her forehead. “We comed to inbite you to Sunday dinner.” Lauren nods her head next to Leah while Holt stands behind them with a grin.
“You did? Well, I’d love to come to dinner. Why don’t you come inside while I get changed?”
“Actually, what you’re wearing is perfect.”
I glance down at my jeans and hoodie. They’re both worn-in and comfortable, neither of which feels appropriate for dinner with Holt’s family.
I’ve attended a few of their dinners over the month and a half I’ve been living in Pine Creek Falls, and I still get nervous going out there.
I have no idea why. His family is incredible.
They’re always so welcoming to me and have made me feel like I’m a part of the family.
“Maybe grab a coat, some gloves, and a hat, and you’ll be good,” Holt adds.
“If you say so.” I turn to the hook on the wall and grab my puffy black coat. My gloves and earmuffs are kept in the pockets so I never forget them.
The girls start giggling suspiciously as we walk out to Holt’s truck.
I narrow my eyes at them. “What’s going on?”
Leah slaps her hands over her mouth to keep her thoughts from spewing out, and Lauren starts to say something, but Holt interrupts her. “Nothing is going on. We just wanted you to join us for dinner.”
“Yeah, Pop Pop is making a ham,” Lauren says.
We get into the truck, and the girls start debating about what sides go best with ham—mashed potatoes, according to Lauren, and rolls, according to Leah. I know I won’t get anything out of them now that they’re talking about food. It’s the only thing I’ve ever seen them argue about.
Holt reaches across the seat and grabs my thigh. His fingers are spread out just far enough to tease. It’s plain mean, and I make sure my expression tells him so. Instead of moving his hand, he just smirks.
I spend the drive out to the farm thinking about ways to get back at him for stoking the flames in my body without following through. There are usually opportunities to sneak some moves in when his family is distracted. We’ve only been caught once, and Muriel just winked at us.
I was mortified. Holt thought it was hilarious.
We pull into his parents’ long driveway, but instead of parking at the house, Holt drives up to the barn. He gets out of the truck, and the rest of us follow suit. The girls race inside the massive structure. Holt takes my hand and follows behind them through the open sliding door.
“Uncle Cam! We’re going riding today!” Leah’s excited voice comes from the other end of the barn. Stalls line both sides of the building with a wide alley separating them. Horse noses poke out from their windows at the commotion.
Camden is pulling things out of a storage room with a wide grin on his face. “I heard. Who are you taking out today?”
“I wanna ride Minnie. I asked Uncle Reese already.”
“Can I ride Mouse?” Lauren asks him. “Gia is going to ride Huck, and Daddy is prolly gonna ride Tiny.”
I raise an eyebrow at Holt, missing Camden’s response. “I don’t know how to ride a horse.”
Holt wraps his arm around my shoulders. “We thought you might want to learn today. There’s a prize at the end if you do it.”
“One with or without the girls?”
He smirks. “Both. But the second one will have to wait until bedtime.”
I breathe out a laugh. “Yeah, okay. Let’s give this a whirl.
” What I don’t say is that I’m freaking the fuck out on the inside, especially when Holt leads a horse out of the stall and I realize just how massive these creatures really are.
Huck stands incredibly still while Holt walks me through every piece of equipment.
I pet the horse’s neck, taking the time to settle my nerves.
I think Huck knows I’m on edge because he keeps nosing me as if he’s checking to see if I’m okay.
“Here. He’s searching your pockets for a treat.” Camden hands me a carrot and then shows me how to hold it out to Huck.
He takes it immediately, his huge teeth chomping down on the vegetable. I try not to think about how easily he could bite down on my fingers.
“Okay, are you ready?” Holt asks once Huck has been saddled.
“Not even a little bit.”
He laughs. “Come on, scaredy cat. I’ll help you.”
Holt places a step stool next to Huck and walks me through how to get on the horse. It sounds easy enough, but I have a feeling I’m going to fail spectacularly.
“You got this, G!” Leah cheers.
After a deep breath, I stick my foot into the stirrup and hoist myself up. Only, I don’t go anywhere. My stomach presses into the side of Huck’s saddle, and my left leg just hangs uselessly next to my right one.
“You gotta swing your leg up there,” Holt says behind me with a hint of laughter.
“Throw your leg over!” Lauren shouts.
I try to, but I can’t lift it high enough to get it all the way over. Exhaling, I slide my left foot back down to the stool. “My legs aren’t long enough to go all the way over.”
“You have to make it all one motion. Step into your stirrup, grab the pommel, and use the momentum of lifting yourself to swing your leg over.”
“This is fucking embarrassing,” I murmur to myself. Holt snorts, and I throw a glare at him over my shoulder. He winks, not even the least bit intimidated by my evil eye.
I try again, following Holt’s instructions. This time, I manage to get my leg over and almost slide off the other side. Holt grabs my thigh to help keep me upright.
But now, I’m on a fucking horse. They’re a hell of a lot taller than you think they will be, and panic begins to build in my chest.
“That’s it, Rainbow. Take a deep breath. Feel how sturdy Huck is underneath you? Find your balance in the center of your body and try to move with Huck. Don’t fight it.”
My wild eyes find Holt’s steady gaze. There’s pride in his expression, and the sound of the girls cheering me on helps me unlock my muscles. I nod my head to tell him I’m okay.
“We’re going to walk around the paddock a bit to help you get a feel for the movement. Ready?”
“No. Yes.”
Holt grins as he begins to lead Huck around. I’m stiff as a board until it finally kicks in that I won’t fall off. Once I start to relax, balancing becomes easier. The clomp of hooves makes me look up to see Lauren and Leah riding into the field together. They make it look so easy.
Holt must notice me watching them. “They’ve been riding since they were old enough to sit up. Hannah and I would take a kid each, and they’d ride with us on our laps. Leah just got tall enough to ride by herself.”
“Here ya go, Holt,” Camden says from the edge of the fence.
“That’s Tiny?” The horse is almost taller than Camden, and he’s like six-five.
Holt laughs as he leads Huck and me over to where Camden is waiting. “We didn’t think he’d be as big as he is when we named him.”
“No kidding.”
Holt double-checks all the straps on Tiny before he swings himself onto the horse’s back. Then my vagina takes a punch when Holt turns around to look at me.
Why does he have to look so goddamn hot?
If I had a checklist for all the things you want a hot cowboy to look like, Holt just marked off every one of them: jeans stretched tight over his legs, the Carhartt coat, a cowboy hat, and sitting confidently astride a horse. Goddamn, he’s sexy.
“I think you’ve got a little drool there.” Holt reaches out to tap my chin, startling me a bit. It hadn’t registered that he’d gotten so close to me. I was too busy watching the way his hips rolled in his saddle.
“I do not.” But I wipe my mouth just in case.
Holt grins. “You shouldn’t need to worry about steering. Huck will follow any one of the three of us on the trail. If you need to stop or you think you’re gonna fall off, shout at me and we’ll help you, okay?”
“Okayyy,” I draw out with uncertainty. This is happening. I’m riding a horse in the Colorado mountains. Who the hell am I?
“Come on, you four. Come get some hot chocolate to warm up.” Muriel waves at us from the front porch.
We’re all bright-eyed and pink-cheeked after our ride. My smile is a mile wide, and the girls are full of giggles.
Holt took us to a beautiful lake that was iced over.
It’s too late in the season to ice skate, but there was still enough snow on the ground for me to instigate a snowball fight.
Holt got the short end of the stick when the three of us girls teamed up.
Then the girls staged a coup and came after me.
I hadn’t ever seen Holt laugh that hard before. Even the girls noticed how happy he was, and I felt incredibly privileged to be a part of it.
We hang all of our wet outer layers in the bathroom to dry before we sit down at the small eat-in table in the kitchen. Stan is at the stove, stirring something I can’t see, but whatever it is smells amazing.
It isn’t long before the room fills with the loving chaos of Holt’s brothers. Being surrounded by them makes me miss my family. I video chat with them regularly, but it’s not the same as seeing them every day.
“You okay, Rainbow?” Holt asks in my ear. He wraps his arms around my shoulders, pulling me back into his chest.
“Yeah, just missing my family a little.”
“You should invite them to come out. Mom and Dad have a crap ton of space out here. We could all stay together for a few days.”
I turn my head to look up at him. “Really? You’d want to do that?”
“Of course I would. They’re a part of you, and I’d love to meet them in person instead of through the phone.”
“I’ll ask Ginny when her tour starts. Maybe they could come out before she gets too busy.”
“Let me know, and I’ll clear it with Mom and Dad.”