“Come on, beautiful. I know just where to go.”
Scott may have shown her his favorite place on the ranch, but I wanted to show her mine. It was a small chunk of cottonwood trees with a creek that ran through it—a shaded escape from the summer sun and heat. The cool part about it was that when the cottonwood trees shed, it was like Christmas in June. It was almost a shame that it was October already.
Being a gentleman, I gave Grace a leg up and then hoisted myself into my own saddle. Turning Foxy, I led us through a side gate and in the direction of my little haven. I could see Grace was still lost in her thoughts, so I stayed silent as I picked up the pace.
Grace looked at me and gave me a nod. She was back with me.
“Come on,” I said before I encouraged Foxy into a full gallop. My mare was smaller than Storm, so he quickly thundered up to us in no time. I glanced over and saw Grace’s face light up as the wind trailed her hair back behind her. This was one part of my job that I loved—the feeling of freedom as I rode out into the countryside.
When we got closer to our destination, I pulled Foxy to a slower pace and Grace, just as in sync with me, did the same.
A big smile curled up the edges of her mouth. “That felt great. I needed that.”
I winked at her, keeping the mood light. “No problem.”
We let the horses cool off and walked them around until we got to the grove. Even though I was disappointed I couldn’t show Grace the snowing cotton, I was able to show her a rainbow of trees. The fall had turned the leaves into an array of stunning colors.
“Wow, Ty. This place is beautiful.” Her head tilted to the side. “Do I hear water?”
“There’s a little creek just over there.” I swung down and went over to help Grace. I knew she didn’t need me to, but I liked the way her body rubbed against mine on the way down and the way she smiled up at me. Shifting apart, I led the horses over to a good patch of grass while Grace wandered around. “Scott got to show you his secret place. I thought I’d show you mine,” I said when I caught back up with her.
“Thank you. This place is amazing. I can just imagine you resting up against one of these big trees and letting your thoughts drift away, listening to the soft trickle from the creek.”
She wasn’t wrong. That’s exactly what I did when I came out here. I took Grace’s hand in mine and led her over to a set of trees that were closer to the water and sat on the plush grass pulling her down with me. I guided Grace to sit between my legs where she could lean her back against my chest.
With her this close, I could still feel how tense her muscles were. I lightly ran my fingers up and down her arms until the tension started to release from her body. When she completely let go, she nestled her head against my shoulder.
Her body, limp and relaxed, sank farther into me as she took a deep breath and snuggled in more. I wanted this to be a peaceful moment for her, but if she kept doing that, she was going to end up feeling my growing need for her.
“That feels good,” she whispered.
“Relax.” I pressed a light kiss to her temple. “If you need to talk about it, I’m here for you.”
“Really?” She peeked up at me.
“Yes, beautiful. I’m here for whatever you need. If you just want to sit here in silence, I’m happy to have you sit here in my arms. If you want to let it out, my ears are open.”
“Can we just sit here for a bit?”
I wrapped my arm around her middle and squeezed her to me. “Of course.”
We sat there in silence for a good ten minutes. Her body tightened and relaxed as she rifled through her thoughts.
“Ty?”
“Yes, beautiful.”
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“I’m an only child. I consider Scott my brother, even though we aren’t related by blood. Do you have anyone else besides Blake?”
“Abbey. She’s my best friend. I consider her my sister, too.” She hesitated before asking, “Did you have a good childhood?”
“Not at all. I escaped my parents’ house every chance I got and stayed with Scott.”
“I’m sorry.” Her voice was soft, and I could hear the sincerity in it.
“It was a long time ago. I got through it and left it behind me.” An understatement, but I wasn’t going to dump my childhood drama on her right now when she needed to get through her own thoughts.
“My father died when I was really little. I don’t remember him much. Blake always says that he was kind, and he loved us. Our mother, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. She took every opportunity she could to exploit us. On paper, it seems like the ideal life. She sent us to the best schools, got us the best riding instructors, bought us the most expensive horses, and made sure we were the perfect kids so that she could parade us in front of all her friends. But it wasn’t about what we wanted. It was how good we could make her look.” Grace took a deep breath and let it out. “When she didn’t need us, we didn’t exist to her.”
I rested my chin on top of her head and tightened my arms around her.
“Blake took care of me growing up. And the worst part is she’s still having to take care of me. I could never go to my mother with the news that my team is done. She would go crazy and blame me for it.” Grace wiggled out of my arms, stood up, and started to pace. I could see the tension working its way back into her with every furious step she took.
I stood up. “Blake mentioned once that your mom disowned her after her Olympic incident. Do you think that will happen to you, too?”
“I have no doubt that it will. I’ve never even told her that I’m still in contact with Blake. If she knew I was here…”
I thought my family was bad, but we had nothing on this. Yes, my mother was a coward, and my father was an asshole, but I’d gotten far away from them. They left me alone while my father continued to walk all over my mother. Grace’s mother only had her left to torture.