asked as she climbed in behind Dozer.
“Chuck Brighteyes works with the horses. His ancestors go back to before the colonists landed around Roanoke Island.”
“Is that where the Lost Colony was? I saw that in one of the flyers Patty gave me.”
“They call it the Lost Colony, but they were never lost; they simply moved before others came back for them.” Joe made a right onto Highway 12. “The myth keeps the tourists coming, but like most of history, it’s twisted for modern-day purposes.”
“I’d still love to go see it,” Beth said, sighing like a teenager talking about the latest heartthrob. “I can’t imagine doing what those colonists did. Leaving their homes and all they knew to move to a primitive, unknown world.”
Her words brought back a memory of the day Cassie had handed him an ultimatum. With a mocking laugh, she’d declared she’d rather die than live on his primitive island.Since he’d rather die than live without it, the end of the engagement was an inevitable next step.
“They had their reasons. Besides, primitive just means simple. I, for one, prefer simple.” Joe could feel Beth looking at him, but kept his eyes on the road.
“I didn’t mean it as a bad thing. I just think they were brave for doing it.”
“Yeah, they were.”
Silence fell over the Jeep for the rest of the short drive up the island. Joe went back to figuring out how he’d get Beth to talk about her past. Like when coaxing an animal to cooperate, he’d need to gain her trust. But that would mean spending more time together. Not the most comforting thought.
Then he got a better idea. Sic Sid on her. Girl talk wasn’t Sid’s forte, and since she already didn’t like Beth, convincing her to play friendly wouldn’t be easy. But, if she understood she was doing it for Lucas, she’d go along.
Sid could find out what Beth was hiding, then if there was anything Lucas needed to know, Joe would tell him. A man deserved to know who he was marrying before getting to the end of that aisle. However Joe felt about Cassie, at least she’d revealed her true bitch nature before he found himself shackled for life. For that he’d be forever grateful.
Pulling onto the dirt road next to the horse pens, Joe knew the absence of trucks parked by the barns meant no getting past the gate. “We’re not getting close to the horses today. At least not this morning.”
“Your friend isn’t working?” Beth asked, straining to see over the pen walls. “Can I still see the horses?”
“Sure,” Joe said, pointing toward the raised deck to the right, “you can climb up there and take all the pictures you want. Just let me park in the lot across the highway so I don’t block the gate.”
As soon as he killed the engine, Beth’s feet were on the ground. At the back of the vehicle she turned to Joe, still sitting behind the wheel.
“Are you coming?”
“I’ll stay here with Doze. You go on over.”
“Oh. All right then.”
Joe took a seat on the back gate of the Jeep and barely noticed Dozer panting in his ear. Beth’s white skirt, what there was of it, swung from side to side, then tightened across her ass as she climbed onto the platform. So much for thinking distance would put his body back in check.
“She’s hiding something all right. But she’s not hiding it in that skirt.”
Dozer barked.
“Right. Eyes off the skirt. Got it.”
Beth snapped pictures with her cell phone as the horses grazed and snorted, oblivious to her presence. She could feel Joe watching her, which made her body tingle in places she shouldn’t be tingling. She’d turned once, and instead of pretending he wasn’t looking, Joe waved. Dozer raised a paw and did the same.
She could get used to having these two in her life.
Not that they’d be in her life once she went back to Richmond. Her chest tightened at the thought, so she focused harder on the horses. The term
wild
had led her to think they’d be running across a wide, open
“Chuck Brighteyes works with the horses. His ancestors go back to before the colonists landed around Roanoke Island.”
“Is that where the Lost Colony was? I saw that in one of the flyers Patty gave me.”
“They call it the Lost Colony, but they were never lost; they simply moved before others came back for them.” Joe made a right onto Highway 12. “The myth keeps the tourists coming, but like most of history, it’s twisted for modern-day purposes.”
“I’d still love to go see it,” Beth said, sighing like a teenager talking about the latest heartthrob. “I can’t imagine doing what those colonists did. Leaving their homes and all they knew to move to a primitive, unknown world.”
Her words brought back a memory of the day Cassie had handed him an ultimatum. With a mocking laugh, she’d declared she’d rather die than live on his primitive island.Since he’d rather die than live without it, the end of the engagement was an inevitable next step.
“They had their reasons. Besides, primitive just means simple. I, for one, prefer simple.” Joe could feel Beth looking at him, but kept his eyes on the road.
“I didn’t mean it as a bad thing. I just think they were brave for doing it.”
“Yeah, they were.”
Silence fell over the Jeep for the rest of the short drive up the island. Joe went back to figuring out how he’d get Beth to talk about her past. Like when coaxing an animal to cooperate, he’d need to gain her trust. But that would mean spending more time together. Not the most comforting thought.
Then he got a better idea. Sic Sid on her. Girl talk wasn’t Sid’s forte, and since she already didn’t like Beth, convincing her to play friendly wouldn’t be easy. But, if she understood she was doing it for Lucas, she’d go along.
Sid could find out what Beth was hiding, then if there was anything Lucas needed to know, Joe would tell him. A man deserved to know who he was marrying before getting to the end of that aisle. However Joe felt about Cassie, at least she’d revealed her true bitch nature before he found himself shackled for life. For that he’d be forever grateful.
Pulling onto the dirt road next to the horse pens, Joe knew the absence of trucks parked by the barns meant no getting past the gate. “We’re not getting close to the horses today. At least not this morning.”
“Your friend isn’t working?” Beth asked, straining to see over the pen walls. “Can I still see the horses?”
“Sure,” Joe said, pointing toward the raised deck to the right, “you can climb up there and take all the pictures you want. Just let me park in the lot across the highway so I don’t block the gate.”
As soon as he killed the engine, Beth’s feet were on the ground. At the back of the vehicle she turned to Joe, still sitting behind the wheel.
“Are you coming?”
“I’ll stay here with Doze. You go on over.”
“Oh. All right then.”
Joe took a seat on the back gate of the Jeep and barely noticed Dozer panting in his ear. Beth’s white skirt, what there was of it, swung from side to side, then tightened across her ass as she climbed onto the platform. So much for thinking distance would put his body back in check.
“She’s hiding something all right. But she’s not hiding it in that skirt.”
Dozer barked.
“Right. Eyes off the skirt. Got it.”
Beth snapped pictures with her cell phone as the horses grazed and snorted, oblivious to her presence. She could feel Joe watching her, which made her body tingle in places she shouldn’t be tingling. She’d turned once, and instead of pretending he wasn’t looking, Joe waved. Dozer raised a paw and did the same.
She could get used to having these two in her life.
Not that they’d be in her life once she went back to Richmond. Her chest tightened at the thought, so she focused harder on the horses. The term
wild
had led her to think they’d be running across a wide, open
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