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DYLAN

“You just don’t get it, Dylan!”

“Amber, I promise you?—”

“You need to embrace ranch life! You need to ride a horse! You need to breathe the air!”

“I’ve been breathing the air this whole time?—”

Amber and I were going back and forth, as we stood in front of one of the barns on the ranch. I couldn’t even remember how this conversation started, maybe something about how the horses couldn’t be trained to dance in time for the reception. This was typical of my wedding planning discussions with Amber, though. She’d say something way out of left field, and I’d go chasing after it, trying and failing to explain what was possible and what wasn’t.

“But money’s not even an object!” She threw her hands up. “How is this not just a money problem?”

“I’m sorry, but there are some things that even a billion dollars can’t buy?—”

“That’s it!” Amber took a few steps closer to me. “We’re getting you on a horse.”

“What? Why?”

“Because you just don’t get it! And you’re not going to until you have an intimate experience with one of these beautiful creatures.” She nodded towards the barn. “I know I might seem crazy to you, but once you spend time on a horse, I promise you’ll get it. You’ll get me.”

“Amber—”

“Please?” She let out a deep sigh. “I just want you to understand where I’m coming from, Dylan. That’s all?—”

“What are you two fighting about now?” Cole walked up to us, a huge cowboy hat in place on his head. I wanted to believe that it looked stupid, but I couldn’t deny that it was working for him. His stupid cowboy hat and his stupid spurs and his stupid shirt?—

Shit.

He was looking at me again. Probably having the same thoughts about what I was wearing.

“We’re not fighting. Dylan is about to get on a horse.” Amber grinned. “Right, Dylan?”

“Amber—” I stopped and started, trying to find the right words. “I want you to know that I hear you, okay? But I’ve never been on a horse before, and I don’t think starting right now is going to resolve anything?—”

“You’ve never been on a horse before?”

“I’m a city boy, remember?” I scoffed in his direction. “Are you really so surprised?”

“I would say you’re full of surprises, actually.” Cole’s tone was sincere.

Too sincere.

Is he making fun of me?

I shook my head, unwilling to spend another minute thinking about him. “Look, I’m sorry, Amber, but I’m not getting on that horse?—”

“You should get on the horse,” Cole interrupted.

“What?”

“Amber’s right. Whatever you two are disagreeing about… you should still get on the horse. Just to try it.” He shrugged. “It could clear your head. Give you a different perspective.”

“And you care about me getting on the horse because…?”

“Just being a peacemaker.” Cole nodded towards the barn and walked into it. Amber flashed a smile as she followed behind him. I took a deep breath before joining them, running through excuses in my head as fast as I could. A few moments later, we all stood in front of a chocolate brown horse with expressive eyes, something about its face curious and playful.

“Ursula, meet Dylan,” Amber started the introduction. “And Dylan, meet Ursula.”

“Hi, Ursula.” I felt a little silly greeting the horse, but she seemed to recognize her name. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You can pet her, right on the neck,” Cole said, his hand already in place. He reached to grab my hand?—

But then seemed to think better of it, keeping his palm to himself. “Here. You try.”

I stepped closer to Ursula and copied Cole’s motion, gently petting her on the side of her neck. It was calming somehow, showing her this sort of affection. Somewhere mid-pet, Ursula nuzzled against my arm, and I felt myself melt right then and there.

“Oh, my God. She likes me. That means she likes me, right?” I looked back at Cole and Amber.

“Oh, she likes you.” Cole grinned. “Ursula’s an excellent judge of character.”

“Let’s get you saddled up!” Amber nearly jumped for joy as she ran off to grab a saddle on the other side of the barn.

I nervously watched as Cole prepared the saddle.

Amber was standing in front of Ursula, cooing and petting her, like she was her favorite. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched them together, wondering if Amber’s tendency to commit to the most outrageous option applied to the way she loved Ursula as well. I imagined that Ursula was the most spoiled horse of the 21 st century, eating imported food and wearing designer horseshoes.

Definitely the happiest horse in the world.

“Here we go.” Cole finished setting up the saddle on Ursula’s back. “Come on over, Dylan.”

I tried and failed to push down my anxiety, my arms trembling a little bit as I walked up to the saddle. “So, what do I do? Just hop right up?”

“I can help you, since it’s your first time,” Cole replied. “It can be a little tricky getting up there if you haven’t done it before.”

“Isn’t this the part where you make fun of me?”

“What?”

“The city boy who’s literally shaking before getting on a horse?” I laughed but it came out flat. “I don’t even know why I’m so nervous. Ursula seems perfectly lovely?—”

“It’s okay to be scared. You’re trying something new.” Cole smiled. “It’s enough that you’re even willing to try it. Most city boys would’ve run the other way.”

“And there it is?—”

“But you’re not like most city boys, I think,” he continued. “Which is something I… respect about you.”

“You respect me now?”

“Don’t push it.” Cole smirked. “Now, do you want my help getting on the horse or not?”

“Honestly? I’ll take all the help I can get.”

Cole nodded before he casually placed his hands on my waist. “Put your foot in the stirrup. Push up.”

I did as I was told, stepping up into the stirrup. Cole’s grip on my waist only got tighter, keeping me safe until I was in place on top of Ursula. When I was settled on the horse, I looked back down at Cole at my side, his gaze piercing as it locked onto mine. As we looked into each other’s eyes, it was like everything fell away for a moment, no barn, no ranch, just us…

Breathe.

I need to breathe.

I suddenly forced down a mouthful of air, having forgotten about oxygen for a full minute.

What the hell?

What was wrong with me? Cole didn’t even like me. Just because he was nice to me once I forgot how to breathe?

The stress of planning this wedding was definitely getting to me.

“Let’s go, girl! Come on.” Amber led Ursula out of the barn and onto the ranch, directing her slow and steady. I held on for dear life, every so often making sure Cole was still by my side. If I was going to somehow fall off the horse, I wanted him?—

I wanted someone?—

There to catch me.

“You’re doing so good, Dylan!” Amber shouted up at me. “How does it feel? Good, right?”

“Actually, yeah…” I smiled as I spoke. “This is… really nice. Comforting. Ursula is quite the lady.”

“That’s why she’s my favorite.” Amber smiled too.

After a few laps around the corral, we returned Ursula to her stable. Just as he’d helped me onto the horse’s back, Cole helped me off her too. Again, his hands were on my waist, and again, I felt my chest get a little too tight. It was embarrassing, but it was also a sign that I needed to maybe get some time away from the ranch.

I hadn’t crushed on a straight guy who was sort of mean to me since high school…

And I wasn’t about to start again now.

There had to be a cute, available, non-mean, non-straight guy around here somewhere…

But where?