Chapter Four
Emily smiled when she opened her cabin door to see Daisy. “Hi,” Emily said.
Daisy grinned and pointed to the sweatpants and t-shirt Emily wore with her tennis shoes.
“Just got back from a jog, I see?”
“Yes. The air here is so clear and crisp it felt amazing. It wasn’t far. I just ran down to the end of the driveway and back, but it felt good to stretch my legs. Can you come in?”
Daisy shook her head. “No, I can’t right now. I just wanted to tell you about a trail ride that’s going to start in twenty minutes. I didn’t know if you had time to go through the schedule we left on the counter?”
“You’re right, I haven’t seen it. How long will the ride take?” Daisy looked down at her phone when it beeped.
“About half the day. I know you just got here last night, but I really think you’d enjoy it. The trail they’re taking the guests on is one of my favorites.”
A tremendous feeling of excitement raced through her. It had been so long since she sat on a horse and felt the peace only those animals could give her. “I would love that. Where do I need to go?”
Daisy pointed at one of the large white barns.
“Go to that one on the left. Neil is setting up everyone with a horse depending on your experience.”
Emily noticed people had started to gather. Some held the reins of horses, and others stood around and talked.
“I’ll change into some jeans and head up there.”
Daisy grinned. “Great. You’ll enjoy yourself. I’ve gotta go. There is a problem up at the house.”
Concern darkened Emily’s eyes. “I hope it’s not too serious.”
Daisy smiled. “No. Not at all.” She turned and headed back toward the house and raised a hand. “See you later.”
Emily hurried to change and get to the barn just in time. When she strolled up, Neil was leading another animal out.
“Hey, Emily.”
“Hi, Neil.”
“Are you going on the ride?”
“Yes.”
Neil smiled at the excitement in Emily’s tone.
“Cool. How experienced are you at riding? I want to get the horse you’ll be comfortable with. On a scale of one to ten?”
Emily laughed. “I would say six or seven, although it’s been a couple of years.”
Neil laughed and patted her on the shoulder. “Once you learn, you never forget how to ride. I think I have the perfect horse. I’ll be right back.”
“Thanks, Neil.” Emily pushed her hands into her jeans, looked around, and tried hard not to look for a particular man.
Her sleep had frequently been disrupted the night before with images of Cole.
The things Cole did to her were things she’d only heard of or read about and never experienced.
She awoke several times achy with need. That man was already driving her crazy, and she hadn’t talked to him again since that first day.
A woman’s startled cry caught her attention and made her turn. A nervous horse was side-stepping and pulling on the reins as a terrified woman held onto them while her young son sat in the saddle, clutching the saddle horn in fear and crying.
Emily took a few quick steps and put one hand on the mother’s shoulder. She took control of the reins. Emily pulled the horse’s head down and whispered into his ear, being careful to watch for the horse’s hooves so as not to have it step on her own feet.
“Shh. You’re okay, boy. Shh.” The horse quieted instantly. Emily ran her hand down the horse’s muzzle and kissed the side of his face.
Emily smiled reassuringly at the scared young woman.
“It’s all right, honey. Let go. I’ve got it.” Without waiting for the mother to release the reins, she turned to the boy and placed a hand on his knee.
She talked in a calm, soft voice.
“You’re okay, sweetie. Don’t be afraid of this guy.” Emily smiled reassuringly. “He just wanted to dance a little.”
A giggle burst from the boy’s mouth even as tears still slid down his face. “Dance? Horses don’t dance.”
Emily laughed. “Sure, they do.”
“You’re silly.”
Emily grinned, patted his knee, and turned toward the woman, concerned about how pale she was. “Are you okay?”
The woman had her hands clasped tightly as color started to return to her face. “Yes. Thank you so much. As you can tell, I don’t have a lot of experience. The horse beside us got startled and then had this one nervous, and I panicked because of Timmy.”
“Carmen. I’m so sorry.” Neil said as he stepped toward them, a horse trailing behind him. “If you still want to go, I’ll put you both on lead.” Carmen looked confused.
“What does that mean?” the woman asked.
Neil handed Emily the reins of the horse he’d brought out.
“Can you take him?”
“Sure.” Emily reached for the other reins. She murmured to both horses as she stood between them.
“It means both of your horses will be tethered to my horse and another ranch hand. That way you don’t even have to hold the reins. You can just relax and look at the scenery.”
The woman looked up at her son. “What do you think? Do you still want to try the trail ride?”
Timmy nodded. “Yes, Mommy. I can do it.” Carmen reached out and patted her son’s leg.
“Okay, honey.” She turned to Neil. “We want to try, but I would feel better if someone else had control of our horses.”
Neil smiled. “Absolutely. I’ll put Timmy on lead with my horse, and I’ll have Roy be your partner.”
Carmen smiled and took a relieved breath. “That’s great.”
“Thank you for all your help.” Neil latched onto the reins of the horse Timmy sat on. He patted the other horse Emily had a hold of. “This is Spiker. He’s an excellent ride with just the right amount of spunk. Watching you the last few minutes makes me think you could handle him just fine.”
Emily smiled and combed her fingers through Spiker's forelock. The horse was medium-sized, black with white and tan circles over his coat. The gelding nudged her with his nose, making Emily laugh. “I think we’ll do just fine. Won’t we, big guy?”
Neil patted her on the shoulder and walked off to help another guest.
Emily ran her hand down the horse’s neck. “You ready?” She ran her fingertips over the horse’s satiny skin between his nostrils and breathed in the beautiful aroma of the horse. There were very few things in her life that felt or smelled as beautiful as these magnificent animals.
She grabbed onto the horn and put her foot in the stirrup and pulled herself up before throwing her other leg over the horse until her butt landed on the saddle.
Emily made sure her feet felt comfortable in the stirrups before nudging the horse forward.
A sense of peace settled over her instantly.
Until then, she hadn’t realized how much she needed this.
Her eyes closed, and she breathed in the crisp country air.
Neil frowned in concern at the look on Emily’s face.
“You okay, Emily?”
Emily opened her eyes and smiled down at Neil.
“I’m perfect. How can you not feel peace when you’re on a horse?”
Neil laughed. “I know exactly how you feel.” He patted Spiker's neck. “Why don’t you get in line? We’re pretty close to heading out.”
Emily smiled, turned her horse, and walked him toward the row of horses ready to head out.
She looked around for Cole, on the one hand, hoping he was coming with them, and on the other hand dreading it.
As much as she wanted to be in his presence, she knew it would end up badly for her.
She could see herself having feelings for him very easily, and there was no way he would ever feel the same about her.
She couldn’t understand and was surprised at the piercing disappointment she felt when she didn’t see him. She’d just met him the night before. She needed to get a grip and just enjoy this experience.
The group started off, and Emily soon became enthralled with the countryside. The views were picture-perfect and something she’d never get used to or forget the rest of her life.