15. Sarah
Sarah
Ihold Luca’s gaze across the bathtub. His dark eyes search mine.
“You scared of me?” he asks.
I move through the water until I’m kneeling in front of him.
“Will you always protect me?”
His answer comes without hesitation.
“Always.”
“Will you ever hurt me?”
His hand comes up to cup my cheek.
“I’d rather die.”
I search his face for another second before shaking my head.
“Then no.” I wrap my arms around his neck. “I’m not scared of you. Not even a little.”
He reaches for me with both hands, his fingers wrapping around my waist as he draws me forward.
My knees slide along the surface of the tub until I straddle his lap.
His mouth finds mine, tongue gliding softly against mine while one hand stays at the small of my back and the other moves through my damp hair.
He pulls back, his eyes locking onto mine.
“I love you so much, Sarah,” he murmurs.
I kiss him hard again.
“I love you too.”
Morning light slips through the curtains, warming the hardwood floor at the foot of my bed.
I blink awake slowly, taking in the familiar room around me.
The quilt covering us is the same one that sat on this bed for as long as I can remember, stitched by my grandmother before I was born.
My dresser still sits beneath the window, and the shelves Mama decorated years ago are lined with old photographs of school dances, horse shows, and family vacations.
Coming home always feels a little surreal, like stepping into a version of myself I tucked away years ago.
I turn my head toward Luca. He’s still asleep beside me, one arm draped loosely across my waist. Without his tailored clothes, expensive watch, or the weight of responsibility he carries every day, he looks almost boyish.
It’s a side of him very few people ever get to see, and I never get tired of being one of them.
I smile to myself as I brush a piece of dark hair away from his forehead. His eyes open almost immediately, meeting mine before a sleepy smile spreads across his face.
“Morning, Baby Girl.”
“Morning.”
He leans over to press a gentle kiss against my forehead before settling back onto the pillow. “Sleep okay?”
“Better than okay.”
We take our time getting ready before heading downstairs.
Mama already has breakfast on the table by the time we walk into the kitchen, and the four of us settle into an easy meal together.
Most of the conversation revolves around the ranch and what Daddy has planned for the morning.
Mama chimes in now and then, mostly to remind him not to work Luca too hard on his first day in the saddle. Daddy doesn’t make any promises.
Once breakfast is over, Luca and I carry our plates to the sink while Mama waves us away, insisting she’ll finish cleaning up. Daddy grabs his Stetson from the hook by the back door, and we follow him outside.
The morning air is crisp as we cross the yard toward the barn.
Daddy slides the barn door open, and the three of us step inside.
Horses shift in their stalls, ears flicking toward us as they recognize Daddy’s voice.
The tack room sits just beyond the aisle exactly where it’s always been, every bridle hanging from its hook and every saddle resting on its rack.
Daddy disappears into the tack room, and I follow him.
He reaches for his saddle while I grab mine from the rack beside it.
Luca stays a few feet away, watching everything we do.
His eyes follow Daddy as he slips a halter onto Buck and leads him from the stall.
Then they move to me as I do the same with Daisy.
Daddy ties Buck in the cross ties before disappearing into the tack room again. When he comes back out, he’s leading Jasper.
“This one’s yours,” Daddy says to Luca. “He’s steady.”
Luca steps closer, letting Jasper stretch his nose toward him before running a careful hand down his neck.
“He’s bigger than I expected.”
“Most horses are,” I say with a smile.
Daddy clips Jasper into the cross ties across from Buck while I drape Daisy’s saddle pad over her back.
Daddy works in practiced silence beside me, settling Buck’s pad into place before lifting the saddle onto his back.
I cinch Daisy’s girth while he moves on to Jasper, checking the saddle pad twice before swinging the saddle into position.
Luca doesn’t interrupt. He watches every buckle, every strap, every adjustment Daddy makes, his attention moving from one horse to the next.
Daddy explains what we’re doing as we go, pointing out the parts of the saddle and bridle and the reason behind each step. By the time we’re finished, Luca has a basic understanding of how everything fits together, even if he isn’t ready to do it himself yet.
Once all three horses are tacked up, Daddy leads them out into the yard. He hands me Daisy’s reins before turning his attention to Luca.
Daddy gives Luca a quick rundown of the basics while the three horses stand quietly beside us.
He points out the reins, the stirrups, the horn, and explains how to hold the reins without pulling on the horse’s mouth.
Luca listens closely, asking a few questions while Daddy answers each one before moving on to the next.
When he’s satisfied, Daddy steps over to Jasper and lays a hand against his neck.
“All right,” he says. “Your turn.”
Luca moves to Jasper’s left side, gathering the reins the way Daddy showed him.
“Left foot first,” Daddy reminds him.
Luca slides his boot into the stirrup and reaches for the horn. He pushes himself up, swings his right leg over Jasper’s back, and settles carefully into the saddle.
Jasper doesn’t move. Daddy reaches up and adjusts Luca’s left stirrup another notch before checking the right.
“How’s that feel?”
Luca shifts his legs experimentally.
“Better.”
Daddy gives the cinch one last tug, then steps back.
“Good. Sit up straight. Let your legs hang. You don’t need to squeeze him.”
I swing into Daisy’s saddle beside them while Daddy mounts Buck in one practiced motion. Daddy looks between the two of us before nodding toward the pasture.
“Let’s go.”
Daddy clicks his tongue, and Buck steps forward without hesitation. Daisy follows a second later, leaving Luca’s gelding to bring up the rear.
For the first few yards, Luca’s entire focus stays on the horse beneath him. His hands are steady on the reins, but I can see the concentration written across his face as he adjusts to the movement.
“Don’t overthink it,” Daddy says, glancing back over his shoulder. “Let him walk.”
Luca loosens his grip.
“That’s it,” Daddy says. “He knows what he’s doing.”
We leave the barn behind, following the worn path that cuts through the pasture. Cattle graze in the distance, barely acknowledging us as we pass. The only sounds are the steady rhythm of hooves against the ground and the occasional swish of a tail.
“How’s it feel?” I ask.
Luca looks over at me.
“I’ve been in faster cars.”
I laugh.
“I’d hope so.”
“But...” He looks down at Jasper before lifting his eyes again. “I get it.”
“You get what?”
“Why you love this.”
I smile.
“I missed it.”
“I can tell.”
Daddy slows Buck as we reach the far fence line.
“All right,” he says. “We’re going to make a wide circle. Don’t fight him. If you want him to turn left, open your left rein a little. Same thing on the right. Nice and easy.”
Luca nods.
His first turn is wider than Daddy probably intended, but Jasper follows the cue anyway.
“Good,” Daddy says. “Now straighten him back out.”
Luca does, his movements already looking more relaxed than they had five minutes earlier.
“You’re sitting too stiff,” I tell him.
He gives me a sideways look.
“I’ve never done this before.”
“I know.”
“So cut me some slack.”
I smile.
“Breathe.”
He lets out a quiet breath through his nose, and almost immediately his shoulders drop.
“There you go,” Daddy says. “The horse can feel every bit of tension you’re carrying.”
We continue around the pasture at an easy walk. Daddy points out little things as they come up—how to keep his heels down, where his hands should stay, how much pressure to put on the reins before asking the horse to change direction.
Luca listens to every word, and by the second lap, he isn’t watching the horse anymore. He’s looking ahead instead, letting Jasper do what he’s been trained to do.
Daddy notices it too.
“Better.”
Luca glances over.
“Yeah?”
“You’re starting to ride instead of trying to manage every step.”
“I’ll take that.”
“You should.”
I grin to myself. Daddy doesn’t hand out compliments unless someone’s earned them.
We spend the next half hour circling the pasture at a walk.
Every lap, Luca grows a little more comfortable in the saddle.
His posture relaxes, his hands grow steadier, and before long, he reaches down to stroke Jasper’s neck without even thinking about it.
The horse flicks an ear back toward him before continuing on as if they’d been doing this together for years.
I smile.
“I think he likes you.”
Luca looks at the gelding and then back at me.
“I was hoping the feeling would be mutual.”
“It is.”
Daddy glances over his shoulder.
“Horses are good judges of people.”
Luca’s eyes meet mine for a second before he looks back down the trail.
“That’s good to hear, sir.”