Page 25 of The Art of Loving Ellie
Before long, silliness and uncontrollable giggles take over us, and together we create our own world that just the two of us can escape to. With sexy pirates and ruthless foes that are no match for our combined ambitions. We take over many lands and we build our empire on the foundation of love, trust, and badassery.
Our laughter dances around us out into the night, and I breathe this goodness in as deep as my lungs can stand it. I let it creep its way into the deepest corners of my heart, where all my anxiousness and negativity broods, and I let it set up shop—because this is a feeling that I never, ever want to forget.
Chapter Eight
I’m woken up on my fifth vacation day to the smell of freshly ground coffee drifting its way up the stairs. Lifting the covers, I glare down at the pudge beginning to form around my middle and groan—Richard has thoroughly made a glutton out of me.
Every morning, he makes me a cup of coffee with fresh cream and a glass of hand squeezed orange juice. He tops that off with scrambled eggs, bacon, and buttered croissants, and I can’t help but smile to myself thinking he must want to make a good impression. Hey, if the man wants to spoil me in the pursuit of my aunt, who am I to refuse him?
Over the last few days, an unexpected sense of confidence has overcome me, and I’ve literally been letting my hair down. After spending just about a week here, I’ve found myself ever so slowly loosening up and throwing caution to the wind—and I know just the carefree, wild woman to blame.
After brushing out my long auburn strands and drying my bangs, I decide to throw on a pair of skinny jeans that will easily fit into the boots Aunt Jane let me borrow. The horses need exercising this morning, so I put on a thick, long sleeve shirt and grab a light jacket so I don’t get too hot while riding. Just as I’m putting my arms through the sleeves of my jacket, I hear a buzzing noise coming from my bed.
My heart skips twenty beats when I pick up my cell phone to see Tyler’s name illuminating the screen. I haven’t spoken to him since I texted that I would be out of town for a while, and I’m pretty sure that doesn’t count as a conversation.
Sweat slicks my hands as I click the little green circle to answer the call. “Hello?”
“Hey, Princess.” His voice is husky like maybe he’s just waking up, and it makes my stomach flip-flop to think I was the first person he thought of calling this morning. I have no idea how he's feeling about my abrupt vacation, but if he’s upset with my reaction to his Thanksgiving invitation, he doesn’t let on.
“I have some good news. Alex really liked the shots I took from the event.” He pauses, chuckling to himself. “He actually came through, practically busting down the door to our executive’s office, and demanded that they do a spread of the Twilight Gallery.” The humor in his voice, and the mention of Alex’s antics, makes me smile. If there's any man that’s guaranteed to get his way, it’s Alex. “Anyway, I thought you may like to see what they came up with before it hits the printer next month.”
I’m flattered that he cares enough about my opinion to share the article with me. I blink a few times to clear my head, attempting to force words to fumble out of my clumsy mouth. “Y—yes, absolutely. You can send it to my work email; I have access to it from here.”
Our conversation is a little awkward. I mean, I guess I did just up and bolt without letting him know what’s going on—but I’m confused, and no one prepped me for ‘Sort of Dating 101’ in college.
“I’ll be looking forward to it,” I add to ease the tension between us, and bite down on my thumbnail. I stand up and pace the floor, not ready to hang up with him yet.
“Ellie, I—” He stops for a moment. “I want to see you again.”
How this man is always so self-assured is a mystery to me. Anytime I speak to him, my head gets fuzzy and my mouth goes dry—and yet, he never stumbles.
I hesitate as the what-ifs bare down on me uncomfortably, but the fact that he’s still willing to give me a chance despite my constant self-doubt speaks volumes to me. I sigh, giving up a precious piece of my sanity, even though I’m still unsure if I’m making the right move. “Yeah. I’ll see you soon.”
∞∞∞
After breakfast, I find my aunt out by the stables, finishing saddling up her two horses, Eddie and Verna. Eddie is a dark brown male who is currently goofing around nipping at Aunt Jane’s pockets while she tends to the mare. I laugh out loud at Rusty, her golden retriever, who's running in and out of their legs barking excitedly as I approach them.
“Hey, baby girl!” She waves and greets me with a big smile. Her salt and pepper blonde hair waves about her face, and as usual, I’m struck by how beautiful she is.
She tells me I’ll be with Verna today, and I take my time letting her soft pink nose tickle my hand as she gets to know who I am. Verna is a beautiful paint with two big light-blue eyes, and standing this close to her, I can see that she’s a little on the shorter side—about fourteen hands. I’m humbled when she gently presses her nose into my palm and rests it there, giving me her trust.
“Hey, pretty lady,” I coo at her, stroking the front of her long white and brown face. “Where do you want to go today, huh?” The temperature has dropped quite a bit in the last few days, and I take notice of the thick fuzz both of the horses are sporting. She shakes her head out of my hold, moving it up and down, and whinnies excitedly.
Aunt Jane places a hand over her eyes as she looks out through the pasture. It’s cold out today, but the sun breaks through the thin gray clouds, shining bright light around us, and creating the perfect morning setting. “I was thinking we could head down to the creek for a little while. Most of the trees and brush are barren now, so we should be able to reach it easily without much fuss from these two.”
Nodding to her suggestion, I put my foot into the left stirrup and attempt to straddle Verna’s back. The sound of the leather saddle creaking under my weight spooks me, and when the saddle shifts my way slightly as I prepare to throw my weight over, I let go, falling back to the ground on my feet with a huff.
Aunt Jane shakes her head at me, helping to hoist me up onto the mare's back, and I can hear her quiet laughter. “Feeling a little green, baby girl?”
I roll my eyes and laugh at her teasing me. “Well it’s been a while!”
She smirks at my complaint, “You always were a fast learner.” Walking over toward Eddie, she motions to his left. “Alright, just bring her on up to his side here. She likes to follow Eddie’s lead, so you won’t have to worry about directing her too much.” She mounts Eddie with ease and grace as I do as she says, bringing Verna around to Eddie’s side.
Once we get going, Verna’s gait starts to slow as she falls into step with her friend, and her body heat is wonderfully warm under my legs. The chill of the air makes my cheeks feel tight, but it’s calming out here as I breathe in the fresh Texas air I was so desperate for. The saddle sways me back and forth, groaning ever so slightly, and I’m overcome with the same sense of peace I usually feel back home on the train.
We trek through my aunt’s pasture to a dirt trail that will eventually deposit us in front of a running creek. Looking out to my left and right, most of the foliage has withered away for winter, and the trees have lost most, if not all, of their leaves.
It takes time to truly see the beauty in the Texas flat land. Most people crave mountains and lush greenery, but for me—I find comfort in looking out across the plains, knowing this land belongs to people who have worked hard for it, and worked even harder to tend to it.
