Laura glanced over, noticing that his knuckles were a bit white from holding the reins so tightly. Looking at his confident smile, she'd never have guessed.
“You did well,” she said, with a warm smile. “Let's head back to the barn. Just follow me and hold on. Use your core.”
She then made a clicking noise with her tongue. Immediately after, her horse began to trot down the trail. Now that they were past the technical area of the ride, Ethan was able to keep up with ease. Laura stood up in the saddle and gently tapped the horse's side with her heel. Within seconds, they sped up from a trot into a gallop.
The moments when she was riding fast enough so that all she could hear was the wind as it whipped past her ears, sending her hair outward beyond her back, those were the times that she cherished the most about riding. There was nothing like it.
However, somehow it was even better knowing that Ethan was right behind her, sharing the same experience. She loved that he was there, seeing the same beautiful trees as they passed by and breathing the same, sweet summer air that she was.
At the speed they were riding, it didn't take long for them to get back to the paddocks. Laura didn't even have to tell her horse what to do. He slowed down on his own as soon as they broke through from the trees and into the pasture where the ranch was.
“Good girl,” she said, patting the back of her horse's neck. “Let's get you settled in.”
Ethan rode up next to her, smiling from ear to ear. “That was incredible. Especially the last part.”
“It wasn't too scary?” she asked, with a playful smirk.
“I'm man enough to admit it was a little scary at first,” he said. “But after a few seconds, I got comfortable riding at that speed. Thanks again for taking me out. Seriously, I have a new appreciated for horses. Makes me wish I had given them a chance a long time ago.”
“Better late than never,” she replied, as she walked her horse toward the barn. “Let's get these guys back in their stalls so they can get some water and rest.”
“That's a great idea,” he said. “Plus, didn't you say something about a surprise?”
“I did,” she said, flashing a wink. “I'll show it to you as soon as we get the horses settled in.”
They rode side by side into the barn, then hopped out of the saddles. Ethan passed Laura the reins, and she walked both of the animals into their separate stalls. She made sure that they had enough water and hay, and then stepped back out. She'd asked one of the stable hands to help her brush them down when she got back so she could give Ethan his surprised.
She turned to see Ethan standing in the center of the barn, dusting the front of his jeans off with his hands.
“Come with me,” she said, beckoning him with a finger. He raised his eyebrows but crossed the barn with her. She led him to a ladder leading up to the hayloft. The smell of hay was strong here.
“Where are we going?” Ethan asked, looking around the barn.
“Up,” she said, pointing to the ladder. “And no staring at my butt.”
“I make no promises,” he replied.
She shook her head, put her foot on the first rung and started to climb. It was a quick climb up to the hayloft. Sunlight filtered through the open hayloft door on the side of the barn. The ranch was quiet. No one would bother them up here.
She stepped to the side and made room for Ethan to come up. He was definitely staring at her butt.
Hay was stacked on all three walls of the loft. They were getting a new batch in a few days, so there was more room than usual. Directly in the middle of the area was a clearing about the size of a small living room. In it, there were two bails of hay for seats, and one picnic basket, filled with a homemade lunch for them both.
“Have a seat,” she said,
keeping her eyes on Ethan to see his reaction. “Here's your surprise.”
At first, he looked a bit confused, at least until he saw the picnic basket. Then his expression softened and his lips tipped upward into a smile.
“You did this?” he asked. “For me?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I mean, it's nothing too fancy obviously. It's just lunch.”
“No, no,” he said. “It's not just lunch. It's better than that. Seriously, this is really thoughtful, Laura.”
Her cheeks began to tingle a bit, and she knew that she was blushing. She looked away for a moment, hoping that her face would return to a normal color before he saw.
“This is the best surprise,” he said. “Thank you.”