Chapter 20 #2
He looks so good in his simple outfit of jeans and a T-shirt with the stable’s logo. His thighs fill his pants so well I wish to bite into their plump flesh.
“You outdid yourself.” I stroke Brisket’s neck, so happy to be back on my horse.
“There's more surprises coming,” Kyle says with a wicked grin that makes me want to pat his clean-shaven cheek.
“What else could you have possibly come up with? I don’t think my leg is ready for bull riding.
” Though I’m definitely strong enough for him to ride me.
I steal a glance at his ass shifting in the saddle ever so slightly as he moves with the horse.
He winks, and while our mutual attraction has long stopped being a surprise, I feel my cheeks heat, as if I’ve been caught taking a peek under a girl’s skirt.
“Oh, you will need all the energy for physio. I’ll go gently on you,” he says and nudges Snickers into a faster gait.
I follow before I can even think about it, enjoying the breeze, the freedom, and Kyle’s company. It might be a silly thing to care about, but I love that he rides so well. Most people don’t understand how much commitment horses require, but he does.
“I might be barely out of the brace, but Brisket is ready!”
The sun hides behind clouds, but it’s still the middle of the day in June, so the woods are warm, bright, and the trees stretching everywhere my eye can see, smell of freedom.
My thighs, which haven’t been as active as usual, ache a bit, but I don’t voice it, eager to let this ride continue while birds sing in the leafy crowns above.
Jekyll lets out a short bark and dashes off the path. He’s heading for a thick fallen tree dappled with moss, but as a long, silvery creature dashes along the trunk, I realize the dog has spotted a squirrel.
Kyle tries to call him back, but Jekyll is in his element and as the squirrel leaps onto a tall oak and proceeds to run up, defying gravity, the beast narrowly avoids colliding with the tree.
He gives an annoyed huff and circles the trunk, but when Kyle calls him over with a whistle, he reluctantly joins us.
We follow a path running alongside the creek, and its calming whisper helps me forget about the physiotherapy in my future. In a clearing ahead, beyond the trees, I spot a picnic blanket and a basket covered in a layer of sheer plastic, so I ride up to Kyle and point it out to him.
“Look, someone’s got a little picnic.” I lower my voice and snigger. “Do you think they left it to go bang in the bushes?”
Kyle stops his mount. “They could have.”
I look around, bringing Brisket to a halt as well. “You know there’s a mountain lion around here, right?”
Kyle snorts. “No, there’s not.”
“There is! I’ve heard of a sighting.”
“So what you’re saying is that a mountain lion swallowed someone whole and left their picnic basket?”
I smirk. “It’s not unheard of.”
Kyle slides off Snickers’ back, presenting his appetizing ass to me yet again. But then he leads the horse to a young tree close to the blanket, and I realize that I might have seen it before. At the stables.
“We shouldn’t let the food go to waste,” Kyle says and ties the horse to a branch.
I’m about to protest when it hits me. I don’t know if I’m this dumb or simply not used to someone planning surprises for me.
Because of course this is the next part of Kyle’s plan.
He’s spent all this time and effort on making my day special even though we’re not having sex.
He’s just this caring. No boyfriend or girlfriend has ever done such a thing for me.
I don’t know if it’s because I’m always the pursuer, or if I chose partners badly, but his care makes me all warm inside.
I play along with a widening smile. “True. If they left it all behind, it’s only fair we have a bite.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Kyle says, and as I tie Brisket to the tree, he sits on the blanket and opens the massive Ziploc bag that has kept the picnic basket safe from ants and other critters. “Let’s see what they left us, shall we?” He flashes me a grin and opens the basket, revealing my Tupperware.
I stretch my legs on the blanket and watch the creek flow by, carrying little sticks and leaves.
While the weather seems to change, with the sun dimming as clouds gather above the trees, nothing could have made this day more perfect.
Well, maybe with the exception of Kyle riding me on this blanket. Reverse cowboy preferably.
I scold myself, because what if I’m just horny and zeroing in on the guy who’s most available? I don’t want to ruin the friendship we have built by reigniting his attraction to me.
Kyle has prepared sandwiches with various fillings, fruit salad, and there’s even homemade cookies for dessert.
Every single thing on the menu is among my favorites, and I find myself disarmed by how thoughtful the surprise is.
He must have gotten up early to prepare all this before work, even though I wouldn’t have missed something that wasn’t promised.
“My sister called me today,” I say because it might be a good opportunity to broach the subject.
Kyle swallows a piece of tuna sandwich and smiles. “Oh? How is she?” he asks and offers Jekyll a bit of ham, which the dog consumes, stretched between us.
I grab myself a sandwich with slow-cooked brisket, already salivating to dig in.
“Sorry, Brisket,” I mumble to my horse as I take the first bite.
“She’s good. She won a trip to Europe so, long story short, I’ll be going to Texas for two weeks in August to help around the ranch.
But… I mentioned you while we were talking.
As a secret, of course, because you probably don’t want gossip, and she told me your family doesn’t know where you are.
What’s the plan there? How long will you keep them in the dark? ”
He stiffens so visibly I worry he might get cramps. “You know we didn’t part on the best of terms. They’re probably just worried that I might be fucking every single guy I meet on a road trip through America, or something like that.” He exhales and puts down his sandwich. “Will she tell them?”
“No. If she’s told something is for her ears only, she sticks to that. I’m sorry for spoiling the mood when you prepared this great surprise for me, but I want you to know you can talk to me about anything. What’s the plan? Will you call them at some point?”
Kyle exhales and opens a bottle of water to wash down the food, though he might just be using it to get more thinking time.
“I don’t know. They’re religious, but not in a crazy way.
But when I left Madison, it’s as if something switched in Mom’s head, and she employed Jude and one of his buddies to have a serious talk with me.
Like, they wouldn’t let me out of the room, and I didn’t want to fight them either, so I stayed for this lecture from our pastor.
But once I was free to go, I knew I didn’t want them to know where I was.
I’m not a minor, and they can’t technically force me into anything, but I felt like they might still try. ”
My stomach clenches with discomfort, and I have the urge to jump on my horse, ride all the way to Texas, then punch Jude in the face.
I sit closer and put my arm around him. “I’m so sorry, Kyle. They’re in the wrong, I hope you know that. No one’s finding out where you are until you want them to.”