Page 52 of The Best of Friends
He turned his horse, taking a wider arc than he would have preferred. But at the pace his horse was running, sharp turns weren’t safe or likely even possible. He approached, intending to help her soothe the animal, but the horse reared back a little. Daria managed to stay seated, but her look of fear grew.
The horse jumped sideways, tossing its head. Another buck, small but worrying just the same.
Mr. Layton took the reins of Toss’s horse, allowing him to quickly dismount. Nia reached Daria’s horse in the next instant, taking hold of that horse’s reins. Toss moved to its side and reached up for Daria. With her hands on his shoulders and his hands on her waist, Daria soon had her feet on the ground. Toss kept his arm around her as they moved swiftly away from the skittish horse. Nia was keeping the animal surprisingly calm, but it was still being worryingly unpredictable.
Daria wavered as she walked, her strength seeming to give out. Toss held her close, helping her stay on her feet.
“Are you injured?” he asked.
“My heart is racing, but I’m not hurt.” She was a little breathless, but her voice was steady.
Relief washed over him. “The horse tossed you about. I imagine your strength is all but spent.”
“I am beginning to feel a bit exhausted, I admit.”
He slipped his arm behind her and helped her toward an obliging bench not far distant. The sound of approaching hooves told Toss the situation had been observed and the others were coming to be of assistance too. It would likely be most appropriate to seek out one of the Huntresses or Tobias to take his place, but Toss found himself entirely unable—not merely unwillingbut unable—to force himself to let go of her.
She sat, and he sat next to her. With a shuddering sigh, she leaned against him. He wrapped his arms around her.
Artemis arrived and instantly took charge of the situation. “Are you injured?”
Daria shook her head, not pulling away.
“Do you need to return home?”
Daria didn’t immediately answer. She looked at Toss, a question in her eyes, but he couldn’t identify it.
“If you need to return home, we’ll make certain you do,” he insisted.
“I’d like to stay,” she said quietly.
“Then stay you shall,” he vowed.
Relief swept over her expression. “Thank you.” She spoke softly, little more than a whisper.
“Let’s all walk back to the picnic area,” Artemis said.
Nia had Daria’s now-calm horse firmly in hand, with Colm at her side now as well. Eve and Mr. Layton were looking after Toss’s, Nia’s, and Colm’s mounts as well as their own. The group began walking in the direction of their picnic. Toss and Daria rose from the bench and followed.
Now that the immediate danger had passed, panic was setting in. Toss could see, repeating in his mind, the moment Daria’s horse had reared back, could remember the fear in her face.
What if the horse had been running like everyone else’s? What if it had jerked in just the wrong way and thrown her to the ground, perhaps directly into a boulder or other dangerous thing on the ground? What if Nia hadn’t been so nearby? What if Toss hadn’t looked back?
He might have lost her.
He’d noticed her uncertainty before the blasted race had even been proposed, but he’d been so consumed with the desire to make a good showing for himself that he’d not given it a second thought. It was so unlike him to feel threatened by other people’s skills and abilities. He’d allowed his insecurities to overcome his judgment, and he’d almost lost her.
“That was terrifying,” she said, her words shaking a bit. “I had my suspicions that I wasn’t a good enough horsewoman to be with everyone today.”
He pressed the lightest of kisses to her temple, shocked at his own boldness but somehow feeling it was the appropriate thing to do. “Horses can be unpredictable, no matter the skill of the rider.”
Tobias caught up to them, and Daria was very quickly transferred into her brother’s care. Toss bit back his objections.A romance that exists only in your imagination, he reminded himself.
“I didn’t entirely know what to do, which made the situation more dangerous.”
“Yet you managed it.” Tobias set an arm around his sister’s shoulders, walking with her. “You’re whole, and the horse is being seen to.”
“And I didn’t get thrown,” she said.
