Page 33 of Love Under Review

Danielle hadn’t noticed Liam pull a bag and a blanket out of the back of his Jeep, but he shifted it all to one arm and then handed her the jacket she’d pulled out when they left. Liam loaded everything into the saddlebags that were draped around the other horse and then mounted.

Carter Oakland directed them to the trail that led up into the mountain behind the ranch. The trees were a bright green, and the fresh mountain air filled her lungs. A pang of sadness hit her chest, and she realized how much she’d missed this. She’d thought life was best in the big cities with plenty to do—things to fill up her time so she couldn’t think about all she didn’t have in her life. But this was something she didn’t know she needed.

“You look like you’re about to cry. Are you all right?” Liam asked, pulling his horse up beside her.

“I’ll be fine. It’s just been a long time. I couldn’t wait to get out of this town when I was in high school, and now…now I’m not sure what I feel.” She looked out at the scenery around her, feeling like every bit of the crisp afternoon weather was seeping through to her soul. “It’s been years since I’ve been up in this area. It’s beautiful.”

They rode in silence for some time, and Danielle was grateful for it, knowing she wouldn’t be able to speak as she rode. Memories flooded through her, and that love of riding she’d had from so long ago was back, this time even stronger. There weren’t many places she could do this in LA.

Glancing over, she saw him watching her every so often. She smiled. “What’s new with the bookstore owner? Have you gotten any new mysteries in since yesterday?”

He shook his head and laughed. “No, I have this one customer who keeps coming in and buying them up.” He gave her a pointed look.

She giggled. She hadn’t felt this comfortable with a guy since high school, and those were all of her good friends, never a romantic interest. As much as she wanted to tell herself nothing was going on between her and Liam, her feelings for him were sliding out of control.

“How did the treatments go for Kara?” Danielle asked, maneuvering her horse around a large boulder in the path. She hadn’t had a chance to ask, and she hoped the hospital would have updated him on her situation by then.

He was behind her now, and she had to twist to see his face, a sober look on it. “She’s—Danielle, look out!”

She whipped her head back around to see that she’d been leading her horse closer to the edge than she thought, and the front hoof slipped on the edge a bit. She pulled the reins back, directing the horse along the path, her heart racing as she realized how close they’d come to tumbling down to the river below.

After another few yards, they were in a clearing. Danielle pulled the horse to a stop and slid down, still trying to catch her breath.

Liam did the same and stalked toward her, placing his hand on her back. “Are you okay? That was a good save.”

Danielle stood straight up and was grateful his hand was still on her back, allowing her some support as she tried to keep the world from spinning. After several deep breaths, she gave him a quick smile. “I’m just glad you said something.”

“Let’s stop and eat here. We won’t go much farther so we can make it back before dark.” Liam unloaded the picnic basket and spread out a large blanket he’d stuffed into one of the saddlebags. As he laid everything out, she was impressed.

“You actually put thought into this. Thank you.”

He opened his mouth, feigning hurt. “I take it your dates are more spontaneous than this?”

Danielle threw back her head and laughed. “That would mean I actually date. Thank you for all of this.” She waved to the spread he was pulling out.

Liam handed one of the two turkey sandwiches to her, and she started unwrapping it from the large paper it was in.

“I’m just glad Troy knew your favorite sandwich.” He winked at her, and she gave him a small smile, surprised that he would even think about what she would want. Then again, Troy Paul owned the sub shop in town and somehow managed to remember most of the townfolks’ favorites.

“Troy does a good job of remembering that kind of thing, even from years ago.” She took a bite of the sandwich. “How did he know I like avocado now?”

“I’m not sure, but it was a good guess.”

Liam pulled out a few small bags of chips and held them up for her to choose. She decided on one of the cheesy kind, and their fingers brushing sent zaps of electricity flying through her hand. The feeling faded as soon as he pulled away to open his chips, but her eyes lingered on his face, wondering if he’d felt the same thing.

After a few minutes of silence while they ate their food, Danielle turned to him. “Okay, I know almost nothing about you. Did you grow up riding horses?”

“Yeah, my dad was a vet, and I grew up in a small town in eastern Utah. Trail riding was something we did as often as possible. There were a few more people than here, but it still has that same feel.”

“So, how does a guy from a small town end up with a job in New York?” Danielle asked. She took a bite of her sandwich and chewed as she waited for his answer.

Liam took a few seconds to swallow before answering. “I thought about moving to the city from the time I was thirteen or fourteen. Getting out of a place where everyone remembered every little thing I’d ever done wrong was a good motivator, and I figured that the big cities would be easy for anonymity. It was for a while, but a bunch of things happened, and I realized I missed the slower pace—and my sister and niece.”

“I never would have pegged you for a guy who lived in New York. I like it there, although I’m not sure I could live there full time.” Danielle thought about his answers thus far. It sounded oddly similar to her own life.

“You seem like someone who would love to live in Manhattan. I feel like that is the ultimate adventure: milling around all the people on the sidewalk and trying to drive anywhere during rush hour.”

She tipped her head back and laughed. “I bet those are awful. I love to travel, and sometimes it’s difficult to stay in one place for too long. I guess I inherited that trait from…”

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