Fated for Love (8 page)

He liked that. He liked it a lot.

Ten minutes later, Christine, Kathie, and Bonnie sat on the fence watching as Wes gave Callie a quick lesson in horse etiquette.

“Okay, before we begin, are there any other surprises I should know about?”

Callie fidgeted with the stirrup. “I told you in the library that I didn’t like deep water, or heights, or spiders, snakes, or—”

“Christ, you did.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I should have known that you wouldn’t like being on top of the boulder. I won’t make the same mistake again.” He explained what each piece of equipment was used for and talked to her about using her body to give the horse direction. “Remember, a sharp kick will send her running, and she’ll pick up on subtle movements like pressure with one leg harder than the other, leaning, and easing or tightening of the reins.”

“I’ve got it. Okay.”

He lowered his voice and leaned in close. “Callie, are you sure? If you’re nervous, the horse will pick up on it, and you’ll be more likely to make sudden movements.”

She pressed her lips together. “I’m fine.” She’d show them that she could do more than read books or be the girl who
knows her books
.

“Okay, let’s get you on the horse.” He looked down at her thin cotton skirt. “You sure you don’t want to put on jeans or even shorts?”

“I didn’t bring any.”

“You didn’t—”

She rolled her eyes again. “They said we were going to a spa, remember? And they offered to share, but I’m smaller, so…”

“What size do you wear?”

She pressed her lips together like he should know better than to ask that question.

“What is it with women and sizes? If you said twenty-eight or two it wouldn’t mean anything to me. I was just going to see if one of the women on my staff had a pair you could borrow.”

“I’m a petite four and no, thank you. I’m fine. It’s not like anyone’s going to be looking up my skirt.”

He felt his lips curl up and she pushed his chest playfully. Oh yeah, he was totally in over his head. Even that little touch had his groin tightening.

“ARE YOU GOING to get on the horse today?” Kathie hollered.

“Trying,” Callie answered. Last night, when she’d finally gone inside, her friends had bombarded her with questions. She’d been too upset to tell them much, and admitting that she’d recognized the moment when Wes had gone from considering kissing her to putting space between them had shifted her mind-set. She’d be damned if she was going to be a weak girl who fawned over some guy. That’s how she was able to stand firm and demand a tougher horse.

Now, as she lifted a foot to the stirrup and tried to hoist herself up in the way the girls had told her to during their how-to-ride-a-horse lecture this morning, she promptly faltered and landed back on the ground with a
thud
.

Without a word, Wes’s hands found her hips and lifted her easily into the saddle.

So much for standing firm
.

“Okay?”

Oh, heck yeah. Maybe I should fall off again just so you’ll do that again
. “I could have done it.”

He leaned in close, one hand on the thing that stuck up in the front of the saddle—dangerously close to her crotch—and the other on the back of the saddle. “I know you could have, but your friends sounded anxious to get started.”

Callie imagined that low, husky voice saying her name in a dark bedroom. She looked away to avoid embarrassing herself any further, and Kathie gave her a thumbs-up.

Being up on the horse wasn’t so bad. It had a wide, stable back, and Callie was surprised at how confident she felt. Wes settled the reins in her hands and kept one hand on her thigh.

“Remember what I said about not pulling back too hard. Nice, easy movements. She’ll take her cues from you.” He looked down at his hand on her leg. “You’re shaking. Do you need more time?”

It’s from your hand, not the horse
. “I’m okay.”

“I’m going to take a step back, and you can lean forward a little to give her a cue to walk, and remember, not too—”

“Ow!” Callie jerked her heels back and leaned to the side to swat at something on her leg. It stung her again, and as she jerked her heels back again, the horse took off running.

“Help!” She was flying—literally. Her butt lifted off of the saddle as the horse bolted across the pasture.

She heard Wes and the girls yelling, but she had no idea what they were saying. Her mind was screaming,
Holy shit! Holy Shit! I’m going to die!
She tried to remember what to do, and when the horse turned and headed back toward the barn at full speed, she just held on tight and screamed some more. They flew by the barn so fast her friends were a blur. She saw Wes mounting a horse as Jazz took another lap. Tears streaked her cheeks. She dug her heels into the horse’s side in an effort to keep from falling off, which made the horse run faster. In the next breath, Wes’s horse was neck to neck with Jazz. Wes was in complete control, while she was hysterical, clutching the saddle for dear life and praying she didn’t die as they sped around the arena.

“Pull back on the reins, lower yourself to the saddle, and relax your legs,” he hollered.

“I…can’t.” It was all she could do to hold on to the reins and the leather thing that stuck up in the front of the saddle. She tried to sit back down, but it was a futile effort. She popped back up every time the horse’s hooves hit the ground.

The horses rounded the curve and began the long run back toward the barn again. Wes leaned toward her, his arms outstretched. His eyes were locked on Callie.

“Let go and lean toward me.”

“No!”
Are you freaking crazy?

“Callie, I’ve got you.”

“Hell no!” She gripped the saddle for dear life. Suddenly Wes’s big, strong hands clutched her waist.

“Let go!” A command.

She slammed her eyes shut, released the reins, and in the next breath she was suspended in midair. She landed hard on his horse, and her eyes shot open.

“Hang on to me!” With one powerful arm wrapped around her middle, he grasped the reins and the horse slowed its pace.

Callie could barely breathe. Tears streaked her face, and her heart beat so fast she thought she was going to pass out. Wes’s heart thundered against her back; his thighs were pressed to the outside of hers.

“You’re okay, Callie. I’ve got you. You’re safe,” he said in a low, confident voice that reassured her.

She saw her horse walking at the other end of the arena, and it made her cry harder.

“Callie!” Kathie yelled as Wes guided the horse back toward the barn.

“Oh my God!” Christine said, clutching Bonnie’s arm. “Oh my God. Oh my God.”

“Shh. She’s okay. God, Callie, you’re okay.” Bonnie reached up and touched Callie’s leg. “Wes, Jesus, thank you.”

Even after the horse stopped, Wes didn’t loosen his grip around her. It was all she could do to keep breathing as she tried to calm her racing pulse and stop the flow of tears.

“I’ve got you,” he whispered against her cheek. “You’re okay. Breathe, Callie. Just breathe. You don’t have to do anything else. I’ve got you.”

She focused on his reassurance and let out a breath. Without thinking, Callie sank back against him. He was big and strong, safe and warm. So warm. She closed her eyes and tuned out everything except his calming heartbeat. She’d never been so scared in all her life, and she’d never felt so safe in someone’s arms.

“Oh my God. I was so scared.” Kathie came to the side of the horse. “Thank God you’re okay. Thank Wes, actually. We’ll skip the trail ride.”

“No.” Callie opened her eyes. It was a gut reaction, and she had no idea what she was thinking. There was absolutely no way she’d climb onto another horse, but she wasn’t going to be the cause of a ruined day after everything her friends had done for her. “No. I’m not ruining this trip for you guys. No way.”

“Callie, it’s only a horseback ride. We don’t have to—”

Wes cut Bonnie off. “She can ride with me.”

Callie froze.

Kathie was the first to crack a smile.

“Really?” Christine asked. “You don’t mind having sweet, sexy Callie between your legs?”

“Christine!” Bonnie chided her.

Wes shook his head. “If Callie’s okay with riding with me, I’m fine with it. I don’t want her on a horse by herself until I have a chance to work with her.” He lowered his mouth to just beside her ear again. “Are you okay enough for me to bring you down off the horse?”

No. Please keep holding me. Forever
. One look at her friends’ worried faces brought a nod of her head.

“I’m going to get off the horse and help you down. Don’t flinch. Don’t kick. Don’t scream. Don’t…breathe.” He slid his hand around her waist and trailed it across her back as he dismounted, one hand on her at all times. From the ground, he settled his hands on her waist and lifted her off the horse.

She held tightly to his wrists.

“Okay?” He searched her eyes.

She nodded, feeling a million things—hot, flustered, embarrassed, still a little scared, but definitely not okay yet.

“You must have kicked her with your heels.” He sounded as if he were working out the logistics of what happened. His hands were still on her hips, his eyes full of compassion.

“Something bit me.” She looked down at a swollen red bite on her leg. Her pulse was finally calming down.

“Oh, hon, didn’t you put on the bug spray I gave you?” Christine took her hand. “We’ll be right back. I just want to clean her up and make sure she’s okay.” She guided her toward the barn and whispered, “Holy shit. That was brilliant!”

Callie glared at her.

Kathie and Bonnie ran after them, leaving Wes alone. Callie was still in a frightened fog. She looked over her shoulder, wanting to be back in his arms.

“Did you see him? That was like the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. He fricking rescued you.” Kathie’s eyes were wide as she pushed the bathroom door open.

“
Hot
isn’t the word for him.” Bonnie wrapped Callie in her arms. “Oh, honey, you’re shaking all over.”

“I almost died on that horse, and then he…He’s like the Lone Ranger, and after last night?” She buried her face in her hands. “I’m mortified.”

“Oh, hon. He probably goes through this stuff all the time. Really. Did you see how easily he did it? The man didn’t hesitate. He knew exactly what to do.” Christine hugged her. “We don’t have to take the trail ride.”

“Yeah, we can totally skip it,” Bonnie agreed.

Callie lowered her hands from her face. “Skip it? I’m mortified, not stupid.” A smile spread across her lips. “No way am I missing out on riding up the trail with him.”

“Ha!” Kathie clapped her hands together. “That’s my girl!”

“So our pep talk last night worked?” Bonnie asked.

“Sort of. I just…You guys, I really like him, and not like you guys do, where all you think about is how sexy he is. I mean, yeah, there’s that, but…” She sighed and grabbed a tissue from the sink to pat the tears from her cheeks. “He’s…”

“Total alpha badass male,” Kathie said.

“Sexy as hell,” Bonnie added.

“Looks at you like you’re dessert all wrapped up in a pretty little package?” Christine offered.

“Sweet.”

“Sweet?” they asked in unison.

Callie shrugged. “I think so.” She knew he was a badass, and of course he was sexy as hell. She’d have to be blind not to see that.
Sweet
wasn’t a reflection of what she saw; it was the person he was, his very nature. He was a caring and compassionate man, and to Callie, that was much more important than sexy or badass ever would be. Sexy and badass could turn her on, but caring and compassionate could love her through sickness and gray hair and look past a few extra pounds. A compassionate man would want to help her through the harsher aspects of life and make her strong enough to deal with them in case he wasn’t around when she stumbled upon them. Yes, Callie had no doubt: Wes was a deeper man than just a sexy badass, and she’d made up her mind. She was staying for the duration of the trip to get to know him better.

THERE WAS ONE thing Wes hadn’t taken into consideration when he offered to let Callie ride with him up the trail—how uncomfortable the ride would be with a hard-on. Hell, who was he kidding? There were at least a dozen things he hadn’t considered, like how there was no way in hell he’d be able to hide from the intense feelings he had for her, but when the horse took off with her, his heart had leaped into his throat, and once he had her safely in his arms, he didn’t want to let go.

She stopped trembling about fifteen minutes into the trail ride, and he was surprised that she wasn’t freaking out by the way the mountain fell away to the right in ripples of yellow flowers, outcroppings of rocks and brush, interspersed with occasional pine trees. The view never failed to take Wes’s breath away, and it was even more beautiful with Callie pressed up against him. He reached around her and pointed at a creek up ahead and just off to their left.

“That’s where we’re going to stop for lunch.” The creek was about fifty feet wide, and Wes knew that it ran fairly deep in the center. The shoreline was covered with leaves and a few large rocks. The tree line stopped about ten feet from the shore, giving them plenty of space to sit and enjoy their break in the warm afternoon sun.

“Sorry I’m such trouble,” Callie answered.

It was that sweet, caring side of her, he realized, that made her so different from the women he was used to. She wasn’t feigning helplessness, and she was far from helpless. She was trying to keep up with her friends in an unfamiliar world with her pride intact, and he respected the hell out of her for it.

“You’re no trouble at all.” He held the reins in one hand and tightened his arm around her waist. “We’re going to move up this hill, so hold on.”

She gripped his forearm as they climbed the slight incline with Sweets trotting along beside them.

He glanced over his shoulder and found the others smiling and happy, riding along like they’d been born on horseback. He wondered what Callie’s life was like when she was growing up and what her parents were like. Did she have these fears because of past experiences, or had she never been given the chance to face the things that scared her? Had they gotten blown out of proportion in her mind? He hoped he’d get to know her well enough to find out.