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“The kiss? Are you paying attention to me?” she grumpily asked.

“Goldie, I am trying to make sure we find that horse.” I chuckled, and then I heard a humph coming from her direction. “Besides, you said you didn’t wanna talk about it.”

“Okay, well, yes, but—”

I stopped and spun around. “Why is this such a big deal to you?”

She blinked, her rosy cheeks turning a deep shade of red. “Well, we kissed, and I just want to know how good I was.”

“You want feedback on how good of a kisser you are? Wouldn’t—” I stopped talking as the blush covered her entire face, and she turned away. “That was your first kiss. Ever. Wasn’t it?”

As she spun her head in the opposite direction of me, her braid swung around her waist and smacked her side. “Just focus on finding Bud,” she snarled.

“No, no, no, Goldie. We are talking about this.” I grinned. Could she not get any cuter? And confusing, but that was for a different day to deal with.

“I don’t want to talk about it!” she snapped and whipped her narrowed, doe eyes back to me. She was trying to intimidate me, but I was still running on the glee from kissing her, and this new information only added to my rather peachy, blissful feeling.

“I don’t get it, though,” I said, wandering around a bend as the sun began to sink on the horizon.

“Get what? That it took twenty-eight years of me living to get my first kiss?”

“Yeah, actually. A girl as pretty as you?”

She shook her head. “I’m surprised you kissed me. I mean, look at you. Besides, it’s not like I’ve been that nice to you, and I told you I don’t like you.”

“All things I got past, fairly quickly,” I teased, and she rolled her eyes. The soft orange of the sunset set her golden hair on fire.

“Well, you wouldn’t have been so eager to kiss me had we met in high school. I was a few inches shy of six feet tall by the time I was a sophomore. Let’s just say the number of high school boys that wanted to date someone taller than them was a big fat zero. Add onto that my lack of curves in any form, and even after high school, people weren’t lining up at my front door,” she said, her voice quiet and defeated.

“Well, you’re wrong about something, Goldie.” I pushed some branches back.

“And what’s that?”

“I was six feet tall by the time I was fifteen, and I was homeschooled. But regardless of that fact, we wouldn’t have met in high school no matter what.”

“That’s not as reassuring as you think it is,” she mumbled.

“Goldie, I haven’t looked at a girl twice in over three years, and I’ve definitely looked at you at least twice,” I explained and turned to her. “And you are also wrong about something else.”

“What’s that?” she timidly asked.

“I was already taller than you when you were sixteen and would’ve had no issue kissing you then. But be glad we didn’t meet while you were in high school.”

“Why? Because you wouldn’t have been attracted to me enough to kiss me?” she snarled, and I turned around.

“It would’ve been illegal for me to kiss you. I was an adult when you were fourteen,” I replied and lifted a brow.

She opened her mouth as the loudest grumble, full of vengeance like a bear that just lost his final meal before hibernation, echoed in the darkening clearing.

“What…” I stared at her in shock. “What in the world was that?”

“My stomach…” Briar whined on top of the horse and pushed her bottom lip out. It took every ounce of self-control, all the strength left in my bones from walking this long, to not laugh. Tears pushed against the edges of my eyes as I choked down the jokes that were begging to be released into the world.

“Let’s—” I cleared my throat. “Let’s get some food and make camp for the night.”

“But what about Bud?!” she cried out, and I sighed.

“Briar.”