hand. Dipping his head almost as if he was thanking her, he munched in contentment.
Adam patted his shoulder. “Are you used to riding?”
“No,” she answered, stroking Stride’s mane again. It was so soft. “I used to go to the stables at the house where I worked whenever I could, but I never got to ride. I just liked being with the horses.”
“Well, we’ll have to fix that.” He placed his right foot into the stirrup and swung effortlessly into the saddle. Then he held out his hand to her.
She stared up at him. The back of a horse seemed suddenly so high. “I... uh...”
Adam leaned down towards her, looking into her eyes. “Trust me.”
For a few seconds she couldn’t tear herself from his gaze. How were eyes that blue even possible? Almost of its own volition, her hand rose to meet his.
His smile widened and he grasped her arm. “Hold on.”
Afterwards, she had no idea how it happened, but somehow she was swinging into the air and onto Stride’s back behind Adam. She gave a little yelp of surprise.
“You OK?” he said.
She looked down at the ground which was very, very far away. “Mm hmm.”
“I’ll keep it slow to begin with, but if you’re not used to it riding can feel unsteady. So you’re going to need to hold on.”
She looked around. “What to?”
He glanced back at her. “Me.”
Her stomach shivered a little. “Oh. Yes.” Trying not to slide off, she shifted her position so she was directly facing his back and tentatively slid her arms around his waist. “Is this OK?”
“You might want to hold on a bit tighter, but yes, that’s OK.”
She didn’t want to hold on tighter. Her heart was already trying to pound its way out of her chest at Adam’s proximity, she certainly didn’t want to be any closer. Although with the limited room on Stride’s back, she wasn’t sure how much closer she could get. She kept her arms loose.
Adam clucked his tongue to Stride and pulled on the rein to turn him towards the gate. Everything lurched beneath her. Heart jumping into her throat, Amy immediately tightened her hold around Adam’s waist. She wasn’t certain, but she may have felt him shaking with suppressed laughter.
“I have a question,” Adam said as they rode towards the edge of the town. “If you’ve never been on a horse, how were you planning to ride all the way to San Francisco if you couldn’t go by train?”
Embarrassment burned Amy’s cheeks and she was glad he couldn’t see her. “I thought I could pick it up as I went along. Well, more hoped, really. I didn’t know what else to do.”
He was quiet for a few seconds. “You must have been real desperate to leave.”
“I was,” she said softly.
His silence went on for even longer this time. “Well, horses can be dangerous if you’re not used to them so maybe it’s a good thing you’re staying for now.”
Bumping around on Stride’s back and holding onto Adam as if her life depended on it, Amy couldn’t help agreeing with him. “It is much more... wobbly than I thought it would be. And a lot further off the ground.”
He laughed and touched her hands at his waist. “Don’t worry, Stride would never let you fall and neither will I. I could teach you to ride, if you’d like.”
Amy smiled at the back of his head. “I’d like that very much.”
After a few minutes they left the outskirts of the town and joined a tree-lined track that ran along the edge of a field of gently waving wheat. Or barley. Or whatever crop it was. Amy had no idea.
“How are you doing back there?” Adam said. “Do you think you’re up to going a little faster?”
She looked nervously down at the ground. “How much faster?”
“Not galloping or anything,” he answered. “Just a faster walk.”
A faster walk didn’t sound so bad. “All right, I think I can live with that.”
Adam did something with his legs and Stride picked up the pace. He was still technically walking, but the resulting extra movement
Adam patted his shoulder. “Are you used to riding?”
“No,” she answered, stroking Stride’s mane again. It was so soft. “I used to go to the stables at the house where I worked whenever I could, but I never got to ride. I just liked being with the horses.”
“Well, we’ll have to fix that.” He placed his right foot into the stirrup and swung effortlessly into the saddle. Then he held out his hand to her.
She stared up at him. The back of a horse seemed suddenly so high. “I... uh...”
Adam leaned down towards her, looking into her eyes. “Trust me.”
For a few seconds she couldn’t tear herself from his gaze. How were eyes that blue even possible? Almost of its own volition, her hand rose to meet his.
His smile widened and he grasped her arm. “Hold on.”
Afterwards, she had no idea how it happened, but somehow she was swinging into the air and onto Stride’s back behind Adam. She gave a little yelp of surprise.
“You OK?” he said.
She looked down at the ground which was very, very far away. “Mm hmm.”
“I’ll keep it slow to begin with, but if you’re not used to it riding can feel unsteady. So you’re going to need to hold on.”
She looked around. “What to?”
He glanced back at her. “Me.”
Her stomach shivered a little. “Oh. Yes.” Trying not to slide off, she shifted her position so she was directly facing his back and tentatively slid her arms around his waist. “Is this OK?”
“You might want to hold on a bit tighter, but yes, that’s OK.”
She didn’t want to hold on tighter. Her heart was already trying to pound its way out of her chest at Adam’s proximity, she certainly didn’t want to be any closer. Although with the limited room on Stride’s back, she wasn’t sure how much closer she could get. She kept her arms loose.
Adam clucked his tongue to Stride and pulled on the rein to turn him towards the gate. Everything lurched beneath her. Heart jumping into her throat, Amy immediately tightened her hold around Adam’s waist. She wasn’t certain, but she may have felt him shaking with suppressed laughter.
“I have a question,” Adam said as they rode towards the edge of the town. “If you’ve never been on a horse, how were you planning to ride all the way to San Francisco if you couldn’t go by train?”
Embarrassment burned Amy’s cheeks and she was glad he couldn’t see her. “I thought I could pick it up as I went along. Well, more hoped, really. I didn’t know what else to do.”
He was quiet for a few seconds. “You must have been real desperate to leave.”
“I was,” she said softly.
His silence went on for even longer this time. “Well, horses can be dangerous if you’re not used to them so maybe it’s a good thing you’re staying for now.”
Bumping around on Stride’s back and holding onto Adam as if her life depended on it, Amy couldn’t help agreeing with him. “It is much more... wobbly than I thought it would be. And a lot further off the ground.”
He laughed and touched her hands at his waist. “Don’t worry, Stride would never let you fall and neither will I. I could teach you to ride, if you’d like.”
Amy smiled at the back of his head. “I’d like that very much.”
After a few minutes they left the outskirts of the town and joined a tree-lined track that ran along the edge of a field of gently waving wheat. Or barley. Or whatever crop it was. Amy had no idea.
“How are you doing back there?” Adam said. “Do you think you’re up to going a little faster?”
She looked nervously down at the ground. “How much faster?”
“Not galloping or anything,” he answered. “Just a faster walk.”
A faster walk didn’t sound so bad. “All right, I think I can live with that.”
Adam did something with his legs and Stride picked up the pace. He was still technically walking, but the resulting extra movement
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