Chapter Five
They had been on the trail for not quite a half an hour, and Emily was genuinely relaxed for the first time in ages.
“How are you doing, Emily?”
Emily’s head jerked around. “Where did you come from?”
Cole chuckled. “My mother.”
Emily snorted. “That’s not what I meant.”
Cole’s eyes scanned her in the saddle.
“I was about a mile away. You have a good seat. Have you been riding for a long time?”
“I have been around horses in one capacity or another my whole life. But I’ve not been on one for many years.”
“Why?”
Emily shrugged. “I was raising children and taking care of my husband.”
“Where’s your husband?”
Emily looked away for a moment before turning back to him.
“That’s kind of personal, isn’t it?”
Cole leaned his forearm on the horn of the saddle as he leaned forward in a relaxed pose. “Yes, I would say it was personal.”
Emily nodded and looked at the horse in front of her, thinking, hoping the subject was closed.
“So, where is he?”
Emily rolled her eyes and then looked back at him. “For one thing, he’s my ex...”
“Good.”
“And he’s currently living in Dallas with his new bunny.”
Cole laughed. “Bunny. I like that. I’ll want to hear more about it later.”
She shrugged. “Nothing to tell.”
He waited a moment. “Don’t you want to ask me about my ex?”
Emily snorted and then laughed. “Not really.”
Cole slapped a hand against his chest. “That’s hurtful, Em.”
A piercing pain hit her midsection as she thought about the memories of a happier time. There was a moment of silence. “My uncle used to call me that.”
“What? Em?” He continued when she nodded, “Where is he?”
“My aunt and uncle are gone.”
“Shit, I’m sorry. It's hard losing people you love. I lost my parents not too long ago.”
“I’m sorry for you.”
Cole nodded and looked around. “By the way, I divorced my ex because she loved—hell, needed—and was obsessed with needing constant male attention, and it didn’t matter where it came from.”
Emily looked toward Cole. The man was so incredibly handsome and funny.
He had a confidence about him that steadied her and made her feel safe somehow.
So far, he had been unbelievably sweet to her, and Emily got the impression the night before that Daisy had thought the world of him.
How could any woman not feel blessed to have this man?
Emily gritted her teeth. “She was an idiot.”
“Thank you for that. But the worst part was the drugs and the way she treated Cain, our son.”
Emily’s heart hurt for him and his son. She couldn’t imagine abusing her girls. They were the best part of her.
“I don’t understand how a person can mistreat a child, much less their own,” she whispered, mostly to herself.
Cole heard, nodded, and then looked ahead.
The horses walked along a curve in a large hill until they came to an open vista of color.
Emily pulled back on the reins and gasped. The scene before her was almost too much to take in. So many different colors and shapes. She could sit there all day and not see every little thing.
Cole smiled as his eyes scanned the valley before them, coming to rest on her expressions of wonder and amazement at the area.
“Yeah, I feel that way every time I come here, and I’ve probably been here over a hundred times.
Emily’s heartbeat increased, and her breath stalled in her chest at the splendor. “I think this is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.”
The land dipped down into a deep valley.
In the distance, there were small mountains that met the few clouds in the sky, and in front of them, at the bottom of the valley, was a bubbling brook that snaked its way across the field and into the forest. The trees and flowers grew in so many different colors and sizes and all in abundance.
She thought it was as close to heaven as she’d ever been.
Other horses moved around them, following the group up ahead. It took a minute for Emily to realize she’d been staring silently and that everyone but Cole had moved forward until they were out of sight.
Emily shook herself and shot a quick glance at him. “I’m sorry.”
Cole reached over and placed a large hand on Emily’s knee.
“Don’t be sorry. It pleases me very much that you find one of my favorite places on earth beautiful.”
A sizzle of energy raced through her. She pulled her eyes from Cole’s face. “It’s more than beautiful.”
His hand squeezed her knee before he moved away and sat back into his saddle.
She nudged her horse forward, reluctant to move away from the view. After a second, she heard his saddle creak as he moved in behind her, and a shiver ran down her spine.
“So where did you come from today?”
“I was on the north side checking on a small herd of cattle we put in that pasture, and then I heard you decided to take the trail ride, and I didn’t want to let this opportunity go.”
Emily looked over her shoulder. “What opportunity?”
“To talk to you. Get to know you.”
Her shoulders tensed, and she turned her face away from his. “Now why would you want to do that?” she asked, trying to make her voice sound mocking.
There was a slight pause.
“Because I’m very attracted to you, and I want to get to know you.”
She shook her head. “I think you’re a nice man...”
“Ah, oh,” he said.
Emily coughed out a chuckle. “No, really, I do. But I’m only here for a short time, and I don’t think it’s wise to ... to become friends.”
“Oh, I want to be more than friends,” his voice was gentle but had an edge to it to show how serious he really was.
She pulled up on the reins to stop the horse and then turned.
“Why? There is no way you could possibly be attracted to me. Jesus, Cole, you are so out of my league it’s not even fun—”
Cole moved his horse up beside her, turned in his saddle, and looked at her, incredulous. “What the hell, Em. How can you say there is no attraction between us? The very first time I saw you, my heart felt like it would explode, and I know you felt something, too.”
Emily sighed and turned away from him. “I admit I am very attracted to you, but I know nothing can come of it, so I suggest we not try for anything that will just hurt me in the end.”
Cole’s eyebrows rose. “Why do you think I’ll hurt you?”
Her gaze swung back to him. “Because I’m leaving in three months.” She didn’t say the rest of what she was thinking. He’ll get bored with me, or he’s just doing this because I am the only single woman around.
“How about we become friends?” Cole suggested. He watched her struggle with an answer before she nodded. “You can never have enough friends, right?” he asked.
Emily didn’t comment as they caught up with the group that stood in a small field.
The people moved around while the horses chomped on grass and rested.
She swung her leg over the back of the horse and dismounted, making sure she kept a grip on the reins of her horse.
She gasped when a pair of hands gripped her waist.
“Are you steady?” Cole asked.
Emily locked her knees and nodded. Her one hand went to the horse’s neck, and the other still clutched the saddle horn. Her legs were a little shaky, but otherwise, she felt great.
“Yes. I’m good. Thank you,” she murmured without turning.
Neil shouted, “Everyone, Roy and Mark are handing out bottles of water. Try to drink as much as you can. You get dehydrated out here very easily. This is the point that you can either move on with the group or go back to the ranch. A few of the guides will take whoever wants to go back. But I suggest if you’re sore now, you should head back because we're only one-third of the way into this ride.”
Emily heard the people mumble, not really catching any of the words. She was dealing with the heat that Cole’s hands left behind when he walked away.
Cole grabbed two bottles of water that one of the men handed him.
“Thanks, Mark.”
“No problem, boss.”
Cole opened one of the bottles before handing it to her. He paused a moment to make sure she was drinking before downing half his bottle.
Emily looked up at Cole, who had come to stand beside her.
“Thank you.” It tugged at her heart, the little things he did to take care of her, like opening up her bottle or making sure she ate or was steady after the ride. Her husband hadn’t done anything like that, ever, and it was disconcerting to her that she’d let it happen.
She drew in a deep breath as she watched his throat move as he drank. How could someone drinking be sexy?
“Are you staying, Em?”
Emily looked up into his eyes and then nodded. “Yes. I’d like to continue on the ride.”
Cole narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you sure? I don’t want you hurting later.”
Emily smiled. “I’ll be fine.”
He slid one of his hands over her back. “All right, good. Do you mind if I ride with you?”
His lips lifted when she knew he felt the shiver that ran through her.
Emily stared up at him. She should say no, but she enjoyed being with him. Enjoyed talking with him. He was easy to be with. What could it hurt if they were friends?
“Sure. We’re friends, right?”
Cole’s eyes darkened, and her heart thundered in her chest.
He nodded. “Yes, we are.”
Cole walked Emily around a bit, the horses trailing behind, snatching clumps of grass when they could reach.
“How do you get anything done? Your ranch is so beautiful, it’s hard to concentrate on anything but the colors and splendor?”
“It’s sad to say, but I’ve lived here for so long, I take it for granted most of the time.”
Emily’s gaze moved over the land. “I don’t think I’d ever get used to it.”
Cole’s eyes swept over her features. “I like looking at it through your eyes, Em. It’s like seeing it for the first time.”
Emily turned toward him. He was easily a foot taller than her and his shoulders twice the size of hers. He made her feel small and extremely feminine around him.
“I can’t imagine getting used to your ranch. Everything about it is so beautiful and brings me such peace. You’re a fortunate man.”
Cole raised his hand and brushed his thumb over her cheek, then smoothed her loose hair back from her face, before gripping her chin in the palm of his hand. “I feel pretty lucky at the moment.”
Emily froze, unable to look away from the swirling emotions in Cole’s blue eyes. Her breath stalled in her lungs. She jerked when her horse nudged her, and Neil’s voice shouted from a few yards away.
“Okay, everyone, let’s load up and head out.
Gary is the one with his arm up.” Neil pointed to a man who sat on a horse a little away from the group with his hand raised in the air.
“He’s the one going back, so move toward him.
If you're done with the water, I’ll take the bottles, but if you’re not, there is a small saddlebag attached to the left side of the saddle.
You can put your water there. It’s easy to reach when you need a drink.
If you want more, you just have to ask one of us. ”
Emily looked around as a group of guests started back.
The mother and son still seemed happy, if a little tired, and were still attached to two of the ranch guides that were headed back to the ranch.
Only five guests were left out of fifteen that came.
Herself, a husband and wife, and two younger men that looked like they could be brothers.
Most of the guides went back with the larger group, and just two guides, not counting Cole, stayed with them.
“Saddle up,” Neil shouted before moving on up the trail.
Emily and Cole moved in behind the group that would take them deeper into the wilderness.