Be with Me by J. Lynn

tingled. “I’m showing Tess the horses.”
    Mr. Winstead eyed his son. “Well, I’m going to be out back if ya’ll need anything.”
    “We’ll be fine, Dad.” Jase started to turn.
    “Wasn’t tellin’ you.” He looked over at me, mischief in his eyes. “If this boy’s improper with you, you let me know and I’ll take care of him.”
    “Oh God,” Jase groaned, rubbing a hand down his jaw. “She’s a friend, Dad.”
    “Uh-huh.” His father backed up, picking up the bucket. “Friends with a pretty gal like that, then you’re doing something wrong, son.”
    My smile reached my ears as I turned to Jase slowly.
    “Don’t even think it,” he warned. He looked like he wanted to strangle his dad as he reached down, wrapping his hand around mine. “Come on, before I embarrass my father with a good ole-fashioned redneck thumping.”
    His father chuckled as he gave our joined hands a pointed look. “Friends?”
    “Dad.” Jase sighed.
    I giggled as he tugged me toward the fence and his father disappeared back into the barn. “I like your dad.”
    He snorted. “I’m sure you do.”
    “He acted like you don’t bring . . . girls here a lot.”
    “I don’t.” Stopping, he let go of my hand and faced me as he stepped over a small retaining wall. “Then again, you just met my dad, so I’m sure you can understand why.”
    Part of me was flattered that he had brought me to his home, a place where no other girl had traveled. But I was his friend and the other girls probably weren’t that.
    “Here,” he said, placing his hands on my hips and lifting me up over the wall like it was nothing to him. “There you go.”
    “I could’ve done that,” I murmured.
    He shrugged. “I know.” Taking my hand again, he carefully led me through the high grass, toward the edges of the split-rail fence. “Be careful. There’s a damn groundhog or a family of them living on this farm. Holes everywhere.”
    “Okay.” I wasn’t thinking about farms or groundhogs. Focused on the weight and feel of his hand wrapped firmly around mine, I had little room in my mind to worry about holes in the ground.
    He was quiet as he guided me toward the gate in the split rail. Letting go of my hand, he unhooked the lock. Hinges groaned as the metal gates swung open.
    I hesitated. “I don’t know about this.”
    An easy grin appeared as he swaggered up to where I stood. “Tess, come on. You said you trust me.”
    Shifting my weight from foot to foot, I stared over his shoulder. At the other end of the large pen, two horses grazed, their black tails flicking idly. “I do trust you.”
    “Then come with me.”
    One of the horses, its coat a mixture of black and white, reared its massive head. It turned, angling its muzzle toward our side of the fence. Neither of the horses had saddles on.
    “They’re not going to trample you to death.” He took my hand again. “And I don’t even expect you to get on one.”
    My chin jerked up. “You don’t?”
    He smiled slightly as he caught a piece of hair that blew across my face, tucking it back. “No. This is a horse meet and greet.”
    “I’ve never done a horse meet and greet before.”
    “You’re going to love them.” He pulled me forward, and my lips twitched. “They really are gentle. Jack’s been on them a million times, and if I thought they were dangerous, he wouldn’t be anywhere near them.”
    That was a good point. “Okay,” I said, taking a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”
    He didn’t give me a chance to second-guess myself. Within seconds we were inside the pen. Another steel bucket sat on the ground, full of grain. “I’m going to call them over, okay? They’re going to come flying. It’s close to feeding time. So be ready.”
    Throat tight, I nodded.
    My fear seemed a little unreasonable up until Jase lifted two fingers to his perfectly formed mouth and let loose a high-pitched whistle. The horses’ heads jerked up and then they took off, their