Page 65 of Beautiful Trauma
“She’s not mad,” he said, rubbing her velvety nose and cooing to her. “She knows she’s the most beautiful girl in the world. She would’ve been the best racehorse in the country had it not been for lackluster training, isn’t that right, Baby?” Bourbon Baby’s ears twitched, and she tossed her head a little from side to side. “She said yes.”
“Climb up on here, and let’s get to it before I lose my nerve.”
Ezra grinned wickedly. “I love it when you talk dirty to me.” He quickly climbed up behind me with the natural grace he exuded in everything he did. Unsure where to put my hands, I held on to Ezra’s thighs. “I like this a whole lot,” he murmured in my ear. Then he clicked his tongue and gave the reins a light tug. I gasped and tensed when Bourbon Baby started an easy trot but relaxed into Ezra’s body and enjoyed the ride.
Ezra guided the horse down several trails through the rolling, dense woodland. He showed me a creek on one trail which turned into a small waterfall farther down on another one. Birds and tree frogs serenaded us during our adventure, making me feel like we were two princes in our own private kingdom. When dusk approached, Ezra guided us back toward the homestead.
“Would you like to take over the reins?” he asked. “Bourbon Baby is gentle, kind, and very patient.”
“Sounds like someone else I know.”
“Brat.” Ezra’s breath ghosted over my ear, making me shiver.
“I’d love for you to teach me.”
Ezra showed me the best way to grip the reins and demonstrated how to steer her in the direction we wanted her to go. “Some horses need a firm hand, but Baby doesn’t. Try it,” he said encouragingly.
I held the reins firmly but gently in my hands then clicked my tongue like Ezra had done when he wanted her to get going. Bourbon Baby started on an easy trot, and I couldn’t stifle the joy I felt. She followed my commands to go right, left, and stop.
“You got it,” Ezra said proudly, tightening his hold around my waist. “Let’s head back to the barn, so we can untack Baby and give her some TLC then pack the Wolverine for our trip up to the ridge.”
“I can’t wait.”
We gave Baby plenty of water then removed her tack before giving her a thorough brushing, first with a sweat scraper then two other types of combs and brushes before Ezra was satisfied she was properly cared for. Ezra looked like he was packing the Wolverine for a weeklong camping trip instead of an overnight sleepover on the ridge.
“This looks soRed Dawn,” I said.
Ezra looked up from arranging all the stuff in the cargo hold in the rear. “Original or remake?”
“Um, original. Swayze, duh.”
“Good call,” Ezra said then shrugged. “I like to be prepared for contingencies.”
“Such as?” I asked, picturing marauding bears or a swarm of bloodsucking mosquitos.
“S’mores.” Ezra packed a hell of a lot more than ingredients for s’mores. He tossed me the keys to the Wolverine then headed to the passenger seat. “By now, you know I love it when you drive.”
Driving up to the ridge felt a lot more dangerous than coming back down, especially when I realized how dark it got in the woods even before the sun fully set. Ezra told me where to find the switch for the headlights, which eased my nerves a lot. I parked about the same place Ezra had the last time, and we backpacked the goods the rest of the way.
“Okay, maybe I packed more than we needed,” Ezra said after the third trip.
“I’ll forgive you once I’m holding a s’more in my hand.”
We worked together pitching the tent, then Ezra rolled out memory foam to lay in the bottom, which would provide a nice cushion for sleeping. “I bought Coleman LED citronella lanterns. They illuminate the dark with pretty colors and keep the mosquitos away. You know how they like to bite my ass.”
“You have plans to expose your bare ass to the night air?” I teased.
Ezra winked in the fading light. “The tent is for sleeping only, Henry. I’m going to lay you out beneath the stars and… Oomph.” I tackled him to the hard ground and straddled his hips. “I thought you wanted s’mores.”
“Later. I have something important I need to tell you.” Suddenly, my nerve left me while Ezra lay smiling up at me with anticipation.
Ezra cupped my cheek tenderly. “Ditto.”
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. “You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
“I do too.”
“What?” I challenged.