she’d head into the woods and relieve her bladder to ensure she would be trailing him.
“I’ll catch up,” she shouted to Blake with forced cheerfulness and gave her stallion a good nudge. She didn’t turn around to watch his reaction, her focus solely on the obstacles before her. The tree was large, the partially unburied root ball and limbs elevating the trunk off the ground. She liked the challenge. It was both high and wide. Her whole body became taut, her legs vising her to the horse like an extra appendage.
A moment later , they took to flight and cleared it with one of Viper’s back hooves grazing the tree. Even if she hadn’t heard the contact, she would’ve known by his landing that he had touched but it didn’t stop her from heading straight for the stream.
She knew her horse, knew his abilities – could feel when he met his limits and knew the stream offered little challenge. Viper jumped the five feet from bank to bank easily.
Meredith turned to check Blake’s progress and found his eyes on her. She waved and headed into the woods to heed nature’s call. Twenty to thirty yards should afford her privacy from the road she calculated and slowed her mount to negotiate the dense vegetation.
A branch grabbed her skirt and she reined her mount to untangle herself.
Suddenly, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Viper snorted and pranced as her gaze turned towards the movement.
Four Dakota braves and two boys gathered around a tiny fire, all turned towards her, their weapons in hand. They obviously heard her coming and were ready to defend their camp.
Meredith barely made eye contact with one before her flight instinct took over. She wheeled her horse around, the fabric of her skirt rending a small hole and fled as quickly as the horse could pick through the dense trees.
As soon as she hit the clearing, her heels contacted Viper’s flanks sending him into a gallop towards Blake.
“Indians,” she called.
His eyes automatically shifted to the spot where she emerged from the forest and he could make out the outline of a brave concealed in the shadows. He kicked his horse to match Viper’s gait despite not being followed. They did not slow down for a good two miles.
“You will not do that again!” he stated when they began to feel the danger ebbing.
“I had to go – I still need to go.”
He reached out and took Viper’s reins to stop her. “That’s not what I’m talking about you know it. I don’t want you further away than speaking distance. No more riding ahead, no more riding away to show off your riding skills. Do you want to exhaust your horse? If you need privacy, we will make sure it’s safe before you are alone and I will be very close by. Do you understand?”
“I am not a child you can order around,” she said with her hands on her hips.
“No,” he said with something akin to disgust tingeing his words. “You’re my wife and you vowed to try to obey. Maybe this is one of those times you should put forth a little effort into the attempt. I’m not trying to bend your will. I’m trying to protect you.”
Her shoulders sagged as she worried the inside of her lip. How she wanted to defy him because he hurt her but what he asked was not unreasonable.
“I’ll try,” she acquiesced sounding like a petulant child.
“Good. Let’s see if this would be a good spot for us to empty our bladders.” At her horrified expression , he was quick to add, “Well, not together.” He led her about ten feet into the woods. “This is far enough. Go behind the bush and I’ll wait on the road.”
She made no move to dismount.
“I’ve already seen you completely naked including that adorable mole on your left hip. Furthermore, the idea of watching a woman go is not an enticement to me – to some men perhaps, but not to me.”
“I don’t have a mole on my hip,” she protested as she dismounted.
Blake cast a wicked smile at her. “Yes, you do.”
He took
“I’ll catch up,” she shouted to Blake with forced cheerfulness and gave her stallion a good nudge. She didn’t turn around to watch his reaction, her focus solely on the obstacles before her. The tree was large, the partially unburied root ball and limbs elevating the trunk off the ground. She liked the challenge. It was both high and wide. Her whole body became taut, her legs vising her to the horse like an extra appendage.
A moment later , they took to flight and cleared it with one of Viper’s back hooves grazing the tree. Even if she hadn’t heard the contact, she would’ve known by his landing that he had touched but it didn’t stop her from heading straight for the stream.
She knew her horse, knew his abilities – could feel when he met his limits and knew the stream offered little challenge. Viper jumped the five feet from bank to bank easily.
Meredith turned to check Blake’s progress and found his eyes on her. She waved and headed into the woods to heed nature’s call. Twenty to thirty yards should afford her privacy from the road she calculated and slowed her mount to negotiate the dense vegetation.
A branch grabbed her skirt and she reined her mount to untangle herself.
Suddenly, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Viper snorted and pranced as her gaze turned towards the movement.
Four Dakota braves and two boys gathered around a tiny fire, all turned towards her, their weapons in hand. They obviously heard her coming and were ready to defend their camp.
Meredith barely made eye contact with one before her flight instinct took over. She wheeled her horse around, the fabric of her skirt rending a small hole and fled as quickly as the horse could pick through the dense trees.
As soon as she hit the clearing, her heels contacted Viper’s flanks sending him into a gallop towards Blake.
“Indians,” she called.
His eyes automatically shifted to the spot where she emerged from the forest and he could make out the outline of a brave concealed in the shadows. He kicked his horse to match Viper’s gait despite not being followed. They did not slow down for a good two miles.
“You will not do that again!” he stated when they began to feel the danger ebbing.
“I had to go – I still need to go.”
He reached out and took Viper’s reins to stop her. “That’s not what I’m talking about you know it. I don’t want you further away than speaking distance. No more riding ahead, no more riding away to show off your riding skills. Do you want to exhaust your horse? If you need privacy, we will make sure it’s safe before you are alone and I will be very close by. Do you understand?”
“I am not a child you can order around,” she said with her hands on her hips.
“No,” he said with something akin to disgust tingeing his words. “You’re my wife and you vowed to try to obey. Maybe this is one of those times you should put forth a little effort into the attempt. I’m not trying to bend your will. I’m trying to protect you.”
Her shoulders sagged as she worried the inside of her lip. How she wanted to defy him because he hurt her but what he asked was not unreasonable.
“I’ll try,” she acquiesced sounding like a petulant child.
“Good. Let’s see if this would be a good spot for us to empty our bladders.” At her horrified expression , he was quick to add, “Well, not together.” He led her about ten feet into the woods. “This is far enough. Go behind the bush and I’ll wait on the road.”
She made no move to dismount.
“I’ve already seen you completely naked including that adorable mole on your left hip. Furthermore, the idea of watching a woman go is not an enticement to me – to some men perhaps, but not to me.”
“I don’t have a mole on my hip,” she protested as she dismounted.
Blake cast a wicked smile at her. “Yes, you do.”
He took
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