“You.” She was the only reason I did anything anymore.
“Me?” She rose on her tiptoes and kissed me on the mouth. “That’s a nice surprise. But I’m working right now. I’ve got to feed and groom the horses.”
“You can’t take a break for me?” I asked.
“Well, maybe a short one.” Her hands moved over my forearms, feeling the veins underneath my skin. “What did you have in mind?”
“I actually wanted to see if you wanted to take a ride with me. There’s a nice path down the street from my property. It goes through the hills, the oak trees, and to a nice spot where we can have dinner at sunset.”
Now her work at the stables seemed insignificant because she was so thrilled. “Really?”
“Yeah.” I couldn’t stop the smile from forming across my face. When she was happy, it was infectious. Like the common cold, I caught it.
“I’d love to.”
“Alright. I’ll have Dante pack us something to eat, and we’ll leave in an hour.”
“Can I take my own horse?”
“If you want,” I said. “Or we could both take Carbine.”
“Hmm…I could have my own horse, or I could have my arms wrapped around a gorgeous man the whole way. Let me think about that.”
My smile deepened. “Gorgeous man, huh?”
“Hell yeah.”
I chuckled. “Let me know what you decide.”
I strapped the food onto the side of Carbine’s saddle then pulled myself up. I sat close to the horn then extended my hand to Muse.
“You think he can carry both of us?”
I rolled my eyes. “You weigh nothing, Muse.”
“But you weigh two hundred pounds.”
“Carbine could carry ten of us. He’ll be alright.”
She finally took my hand and landed in the saddle behind me. Her arms wrapped around my waist, and she rested her chin on my shoulder. “I’m excited.”
I clicked my tongue and guided Carbine out the gate and onto the street. We walked along the road until we found the dirt path and began our journey. The fields were golden, and the breeze was a little cooler now that fall was approaching. She and I enjoyed our mutual silence as we took in the beautiful views. Once we reached the top of the hill, we could see all of Verona at the bottom.
“Wow,” she said. “That’s so beautiful.”
Visiting New York City taught me to appreciate what I had. I had the clean air, wide open spaces, and silence. I was surrounded by natural beauty, by fields that had been claimed for thousands of years. The city of Verona was one of the oldest cities in Italy—and it was right outside my door.
We rode for another thirty minutes until we found the spot I was looking for. An oak tree stood tall on the crest of the hill, the large branches casting a perfect shadow to shield us from the heat. I stopped Carbine in place and helped Muse down before I made my way to the ground.
Muse walked around him in her jean shorts and t-shirt, her curled hair trailing behind her back. She stood under the tree and stared up at the filtering sunlight, looking like a flower on the hillside. Even when she did the most casual things, she looked absolutely stunning.
I watched her for a moment before I unpacked the blanket and set it across the ground. I grabbed the bag of food next, stuffed with a cold dinner and ice packs to keep the food preserved. I sat the bag on the blanket before taking a seat.
“Does Carbine need to be tied up?” she asked. “He’s pretty ornery at the stables.”
“He’s fine.” He was a moody horse, but he always obeyed me. He never trailed too far away, our minds connected in a special way between a man and his horse.
Muse sat beside me and pulled out the dinner Dante packed for her. Everything was placed in plastic cases, every part of the dinner organized into separate compartments. Fine silver forks were included, along with bottles of water. I didn’t bring wine because that would be too complicated.
Muse stared at Verona, watching the sunlight shine across the beautiful architecture of the city. “When your mom and I were there, she took me to see Juliet’s balcony.”
I’d passed by it a few times but never cared enough to stop and look. “What did you think?”
“It was beautiful. It’s hard to grasp the idea that something is that old… Everything in America is relatively new.”
“I understand what you mean.”
“And there were all these people leaving letters, even men. Have you seen Letters to Juliet?”
I stopped eating and stared at her blankly. “I’m not sure what that is.”
“It’s a movie, a romantic movie.”
I turned back to my dinner. “Do I strike you as a man who watches romance movies?”
She elbowed me in the side playfully. “Don’t be rude.”
I nudged her back, but gently. “I’m not. I can’t even remember the last movie I watched. I hardly watch TV, unless it’s the news.”