Beast Brothers

He is.

Billy's knee thumps the bottom of the table as he jerks it away from me. I struggle to hold in laughter while he makes excuses about having a leg cramp. I give him a satisfied smile before I return to my lunch.

After the meal, I dawdle in the kitchen, helping my mom and George clean up. Billy leaves the room, but returns in a few minutes, asking if I'm ready to go.

"I've changed my mind," I say. “My mom and I need to get started on the wedding plans."

"Don't be silly," my mom says. "We can talk later. You'll love riding, and the trails are beautiful."

"Make sure she rides Gracie," George adds.

"Of course," Billy says. "Let's go, Kate."

He sounds all innocence and kindness, and I can't think of any way to get out of the situation. Reluctantly, I follow him.

In the hall, he says, "Gracie will be gentle." Then, when we're out of our parents' earshot, he leans in close and adds, "I can be gentle too, unless you prefer it rough."

I shove his chest, not that my effort has any effect on him. "Listen, Billy," I hiss. "This has got to stop. I'm not going anywhere with you until you agree to stop harassing me."

"I'm harassing you?" He sounds slightly surprised at my words.

"I'm very, very sorry about last night. I've never done anything like that before, and I never plan to again. I just broke up with my boyfriend yesterday, and obviously I wasn't thinking clearly."

Billy stares at me for a moment, seeming to process what I've said.

"Would it be possible for us to start over?" I say. "Could we just try to be friends, for our parents' sake?"

He continues to stare, his expression complicated and unreadable. When he finally speaks, his tone is neutral, no longer taunting or flirtatious.

"Do you want to change your clothes?" he says.

"What do you mean?" I look down at my lounge wear, the soft, casual tunic and loose-fitting pants I often wear on the weekends when I'm at home.

"Do you have jeans, or something you don't mind getting dirty?"

I do have jeans, but they're designer jeans that I usually pair with heels and silk. I don't particularly want them smelling like horse. "I'm fine," I say. "Let's go get this over with."

"Ow," Billy says, placing his palm over his heart like he’s been hurt. "Is that any way to talk to a friend?"

I let out a brief snort of laughter and follow him out to the barn.

Chapter 10

For the most part, I stay out of the way while Billy gets the horses ready. Gracie turns out to be a very pretty tan mare with a pale golden mane and kind eyes. She doesn't look as intimidating as Billy's horse, a giant beast called “Buck.”

When our rides are ready, Billy helps me mount Gracie, and I'm relieved that he doesn't try to touch me inappropriately, even though he has several opportunities as I struggle to get into position.

He shares some simple tips, assures me that

Gracie is as gentle as they come, and that she'll know what to do on our ride. I grip the saddle horn tightly when we first head out, but our pace is slow and steady, and after a few minutes I begin to loosen up.

Though I hadn't anticipated horseback riding, I finally feel like I'm having the relaxing weekend-in-the-country experience I'd been hoping for. The views around us are endless and beautiful, and the only sounds are the horses' hooves, birdsong, and grasses blowing in the breeze. We ride without speaking, down along a gentle slope and toward the wooded area of their property. My head seems to clear and I momentarily let go of all of the stresses of the last twenty-hour hours.

When we reach the forest, Billy breaks the silence. "How are you doing?"

"Great," I say, giving Gracie a little pat.

"Would you like to continue, or go back?"

"Let's keep going."

He smiles at me and we spur the horses on. Soon we're surrounded by trees, but the trail is wide enough for us to ride beside each other. Everything around us seems very still.

"So what happened with your boyfriend?" Billy asks.

I sigh. That situation seems very far away right now.

"That's okay. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," he says.

"No, it's okay. Maybe it would be good for me to talk about it. I haven't even really processed it yet."

Billy looks over at me, but remains quiet.

"I left work early yesterday and caught him with another woman."

He flinches. "Caught him… in the act?"

"No, no. Nothing like that. Thank god. Just at a bar, but it was obvious what was going on."

"Well, he must be an idiot," Billy says.

I sigh again. "I thought he was the perfect man for me. We have similar interests. We want the same things in life. I even thought we might be about to get engaged." I laugh coldly at the thought of that. "Boy, was I dumb."

"There's no reason you should feel bad about yourself. Be glad you found out about him now rather than later."