Page 45 of Reluctantly Married

He came at her again. His kiss was more tongue than lip, and entirely too much saliva. She tried not to twist up her face in disgust. When he pulled back, she gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Mmm.” What she wanted to do was wipe her mouth with the back of her hand.

He appeared to be pleased with her reaction. “I have been smitten with you, Megan.”

“Iamsmitten with you,” she said, correcting his grammar.

“You are?” He smiled.

“No. I mean…” How could she explain that one? She patted him on the hand. “Never mind.”

After lunch with Luc, Kyle showed up for his date. He wore blue jeans and a plaid button-down shirt. When he saw her, he tipped his cowboy hat and smiled.

“I thought we could go riding.” He stuck his thumbs in his pockets and rocked back on his heels.

“Riding…?” Megan wasn’t sure what he meant. She didn’t see any bicycles around.

Kyle grinned. “Horses, of course.” He led her around the mansion and down a path to the stables.

“I didn’t know this was here.” She peeked into a stall, and a beautiful chocolate brown horse with a white star on his head stared back at her.

“I’ve spent the morning riding around the grounds and getting to know the animals. They are gentle and perfect for first-timers.”

Megan turned to him. “Oh, I’m not a first-timer.”

“You know how to ride?” His smile widened.

“Sure. I rode a pony when I was five years old at the county fair. Did a great job, if I do say so myself.” A pained look crossed his face, and Megan laughed. “Kidding. I’ve ridden a few horses in my time, but it’s been a while, so you’ll have to remind me.”

Kyle showed her how to get the animals ready for riding, putting on the saddles and making sure they were cinched up. Megan pulled on the leather strap, nervous the saddle would slide if it wasn’t tight enough. He came up behind her. “Now, you don’t want to cut the poor girl in half.”

She spun around. “Did I hurt her?”

He chuckled. “No, you just don’t want the cinch to be too tight. See, I can’t fit my fingers in between. Let’s loosen it a bit, but not so much that the saddle will spin.”

After they were done, Kyle helped Megan onto her horse, a black beauty named Darksilver. “She’s very tender. You shouldn’t have any trouble with her, but if you feel insecure, just give me a holler.”

Megan felt at ease with Kyle. He didn’t mince words. Told things like he saw them. He was probably the most real out of all the guys, even Adam.

They rode down a trail in comfortable silence, the camera man trailing after them. Kyle led, but he frequently checked on how she was doing. She got used to the sway of the animal, although she knew she’d be sore if she were to spend a lot of time riding.

Kyle stopped his horse and dismounted. He walked over to her and helped her down. She looked around. “Where are we?”

He took her hand. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

His skin was rough, but not unpleasant. The hands of a working man. He was strong, and that made her feel safe. But the electricity that she normally had with Adam wasn’t there.

He led her up a small hill to a precipice that overlooked the valley. She took in a sharp breath. “It’s gorgeous.”

“Would you like to sit for a while?” He indicated a large, gray rock jutting out from the earth.

“Sure.” She climbed up and scooted over for him. A light breeze carried his cologne, not too overpowering, yet masculine. Nice.

He put his arm around her. “Nature has a way of healing your wounds, ya know?”

She looked out over the expanse, the lush green trees and the tiny roads cutting their way through. Birds chirped nearby. She knew what Kyle meant. “Yeah.”

They chatted for a while about nothing important. Then Kyle rubbed the back of his neck and squirmed. “What made you do this show?”

Megan chewed her bottom lip. She couldn’t tell him the truth, not with the camera man filming everything she said. She cleared her throat. “I guess I wanted to see what it would be like.”

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