her in for a hug with a kiss on the cheek. She blushed and snuggled into him before letting go.
“I have Heartbreaker all saddled up for you,” she said, bouncing with excitement. She bit her lower lip, and it took everything he had not to kiss her. That lip deserved to be kissed, not bitten. “I was half afraid you weren't going to come.”
“I wouldn't back out on you,” he told her. “I'm not letting you get away again.”
Her smile came back full force. He couldn't get over how beautiful she was.
“I guess I'm still nervous about how we ended up last time,” she admitted. She shrugged, trying to look like it didn't matter when it obviously did. He hated that he'd hurt her, even a little bit. He reached out and touched her cheek.
“There are no secretaries this time,” he told her. He grinned. “Unless you have a horse named Secretary that carries you off. I can't help that one.”
She laughed, filling the barn with the sound. Her laughter was musical.
“This way,” she said, grabbing his hand. He liked how right it felt in his as she pulled him through the barn to one of the stalls. He followed, enjoying the fact that he could check her out as they walked. She had on a cute long sleeved t-shirt that hugged her curves while still looking practical and her hair was up in a cute ponytail that bounced as she walked.
But it wasn't her ponytail that he was really enjoying. It was the tight jeans and tall boots she had on. She had a perfect ass, and as she led him along like a pony, he was able to ogle without her noticing.
“Here's your helmet,” she said, dropping his hand and handing him a hard hat. He nearly dropped it because he wasn't paying attention. His mind was still on her posterior.
“Helmet?” he asked, turning it around. It looked rather goofy and not at all like something a cowboy would wear.
“It's required on campgrounds,” she told him, putting her hands on her hips and giving him a no-nonsense look. “Carter wears one.”
“Yeah, well, Carter does a lot of things,” he retorted, but he put it on to make her happy. She grinned at him and put hers on as well. Hers looked a lot cuter than his did.
“So, where are we going?” he asked. Now that he was dressing for the ride, he was suddenly less excited about it. Plus, it meant she would be sitting rather than walking in front of him.
“I have a plan,” she replied, a wonderfully wicked gleam in her eyes. “You'll like it. Promise.”
“You sure?” he asked, adjusting the helmet on his head. It wasn't the most comfortable thing he'd ever worn, but he would wear it to make her happy. Plus, he probably would fall off the horse, so wearing it wasn't the worst idea.
“I want to say thank you for last night,” she answered. “You went above and beyond. I want to do the same.”
He touched her shoulder before she could walk off to find more gear. “You deserved it. That and so much more.”
Her smile was soft and sweet this time. He couldn't resist her any longer, so he leaned over and kissed her smiling lips. It was a little awkward with their helmets, but he made it work. Kissing her was worth the work.
She pulled back with her eyes still closed and sighed with pleasure before opening them. “Come on,” she said, grabbing his hand and leading him along. “The horses are out in the arena.”
“How are the kids doing this morning?” he asked as they walked through the last bit of the barn and into the big horse arena.
“It's like they were never sick,” she said with a chuckle. “They both slept through the night and asked for pancakes in the morning. My friend Elena's watching them today, and she says they've kept everything down and are driving her crazy with their energy.”
“I'm glad,” he said. “They looked so miserable last night.”
“I know,” she agreed. She turned as they walked through the arena toward the two horses tied to the far railing. Soft dirt smushed under his feet and the morning sunlight filtered through the rafters. “You should come by again. They asked about you. They liked you.”
The compliment made his chest swell a little. It could have been ego, but he was pleased they liked him. He liked them. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” she assured him. “They want to watch that scary-looking movie with the vampire on it, but they want you around for it. Just in case they get scared.”
His chest definitely puffed out a little this time. He would keep those kids safe from any vampire movie. Even the scariest ones. Even Twilight.
“Here's your horse,” she said, motioning to the darker of the two horses. He was huge. And black. And giving Ethan a gaze that said the horse was not impressed. Ethan swallowed hard. Mia looked at him and then back to the horse. “Have you ridden before?”
“Once or twice,” he replied, but his voice cracked slightly. “Or never.”
She giggled and reached for his hand.