Escaping the Past

e saddle again and he groaned. “Here we go again…”

“Sorry. You’re pressed against me like white on rice, Brody. My skin can’t even breathe.” She slowed the horse and tapped his knee with her palm, whispering, “There she is. See her standing by the rocks? She usually comes to me to get a treat, but I am not sure if she’ll come with you here.” She tapped his knee again. “Get off.”

“Don’t I wish,” he mumbled under his breath.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he said as he dismounted.

Brody threw one leg over the back of the horse and pivoted gracefully to the ground. He adjusted his jeans and reached to help her dismount as well. Her foot caught in the stirrup and she fell against him. Her blood warmed at the contact. He grabbed both her elbows and steadied her. One hand reached out and brushed the chestnut locks of hair from her face.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yep. Just fine.” She turned her back to him and reached into the saddlebag for her lunch. She carried it over to a large rock, climbed atop and sat down.

“Now what?” Brody asked.

“Now we wait,” she replied.

“Wait for what?”

“For her to come over to see us. She’s way too nosy to stay over there.”

“Ah, I see.” Brody hitched himself up on the rock where she was perched.

Lou found it hard to ignore him. “Pretty soon, we’ll go ahead and move her up the foaling pens. She’s going to be ready to have that baby within the next two months and we certainly don’t want her to do it out here.”

“That so?” Brody questioned, totally unconcerned with the topic as he eyed her sandwich.

“Got one of those for me?” he asked.

“I have a knuckle sandwich for you if you try to steal my lunch,” she replied with as much cheek as she could muster.

“I guess I’ll have to take my chances,” he said, reaching for one triangle of the sandwich. She swatted at his hands, then gave up and offered him half with a loud groan.

“You’ll have to fight me for Sadie’s cookie,” she said, her eyes narrowing.

“Point taken,” he said.

She raised the water bottle to her lips and took a sip. “I guess you want some of this, too.”

“You guessed right,” he replied, taking the bottle from her outstretched hand. Her pulse sped up at the thought of his lips touching the rim of the bottle where hers had just been. He drank slowly as she watched his Adam’s apple bob, and then he handed the bottle back to her.

Lou picked up one of the apples and bit into the flesh. A trickle of juice ran down her chin. Brody wiped the juice that ran from her lips with the pad of his thumb. He raised his thumb to his mouth. The jolt of electricity that sliced through Lou was surprising and fast.

“You want some?” she asked, her mouth full of chewed apple.

“Yeah. Got some extra?” he asked, his eyes never leaving hers.

“That one is for the little mama but you can share this one,” she said, handing him the apple that already had a bite out of it.

He accepted it graciously and bit off a chunk.

Lou felt a snort on the back of her neck. Sunny stood grazing several feet from them so she knew he couldn’t be the source. “Shhh…be very quiet,” Lou whispered, her breath a mere few inches from his. She turned slowly and extended the apple to the mare. She didn’t try to make eye contact or to touch the mare, but simply extended her shaking hand toward the huffing animal. The mare took the apple from her and stomped away to enjoy the treat.

“Six months ago, I couldn’t even get close to her,” Lou said. “She was way too skittish. She would run about a hundred yards away and stand there, stomping, taunting me. She has gotten closer and closer each time I came out here and seems to be starting to trust me.”

“Now you have her eating out of the palm of your hand. Literally,” Brody replied. “That was amazing.” He passed her own half-eaten apple back to her.