Page 64 of Rush
‘Savannah, no way. That horse is a fucking giant. I can’t get on that!’ Marco backed away from Cappuccino, eyes wide with fear.
‘You can, trust me. I know what I’m doing, Mars, and I won’t let go of the reins until you’re comfortable.’ Savi ran her hand along Cappuccino’s muzzle, keeping her calm and still. She was a nervous horse, and perhaps wasn’t the best match for a nervous rider, but she trusted her dad’s advice. She just had to get Marco to do the same.
‘If I fall off, you can call Jasper and tell him your family tried to kill me out here in the Wild West.’ Marco crossed his arms and Savi grabbed one of them, forcing it away from his body so he could stroke the horse.
‘Just give her some love.’ Savi rolled her eyes. ‘And get a grip, you’re a grown man who drives fast cars for a living. You can handle a horse that twelve-year-old girls ride.’
‘I’m really not an animal person, Savannah. Lucie and Brett have goats in Malmedy, and they rammed me and knocked me over last year. The only animal I like is Faith and Julien’s dog.’
‘Marco De Luca, you are getting on this horse. You wanted the full cowboy experience, didn’t you? I’d be doing you a disservice if I sent you home to Europe without having experienced the wind through your hair as you gallop through the mountains.’
‘I already kissed a cowgirl, isn’t that enough authenticity?’
‘Monaco,’ she scowled, blushing slightly. They hadn’t addressed last night, but it wasn’t awkward. It just… was whatever it was and she had no desire to label it.
‘Okay, what the hell do I do?’
‘Put your foot in the stirrup, grab this,’ she pointed at the pommel, ‘and haul yourself over. Then just sit there until I give the next instruction.’
She tried her best not to laugh at his misfortune as it took him several clumsy attempts to mount the horse, cursing each time before he finally made it. Cappuccino just stood there blinking, probably wondering who let this guy anywhere near her. Once he was up, Marco grinned proudly down at her.
Savi spent the next twenty minutes guiding him around in circles, teaching him how to control the horse’s movements. With each step, he gained more confidence and eventually, she was able to let go. She mounted Mocha and joined Marco, waiting for one of the ranch hands to let them out of the gate. They were taking the easiest trail; one she could remember like the back of her hand. It led to a little brook so they could have a picnic on the rocks and let the horses cool off.
‘You know, this is kind of like driving. You have to feel every movement, learn the horse and move together as one. I think I like it.’
‘Yeah, your horse is an extension of you.’
‘But they still have a mind of their own, and I swear to god if she runs off and I go hurtling through the mountains, I am never going to forgive you.’
‘You’ll be fine, Monaco. If Gabriel can handle it, so can you. Right, we’re about to enter the trail and it’s quite narrow. Not so narrow that you’re going to fall to your death, but we can’t walk side by side. Stay as close as you can, I’ll keep checking on you.’
She led him through the trees, remembering just how lucky she was to have this on her doorstep. Hikers would sometimes come all the way through from one side to the other and end up lost on the ranch, but for the most part, they and a few neighbours were the only ones who ever used these trails. It was peaceful; the perfect place to escape and forget about the real world.
They stopped by the brook and she unpacked, waiting until they were sat down on the picnic blanket with a beer in hand to bring it up. ‘So, um… How was last night for you?’
Marco swirled his beer around, staring through the mouth of the bottle, deep in thought. He was quiet for a moment, the only sound the running water and Mocha and Cappuccino’s whinnying.
‘Savannah, you’re not ready for the real thing, are you?’ He still wasn’t looking at her when he spoke, which gave her time to do a double take.
‘I don’t think I am…’ Her voice was barely a whisper, nausea rising in her throat.
‘Cowgirl, it’s okay. You don’t have to pretend. If I was your rebound, just say so.’
‘You’re not my rebound.’ Savi pulled her knees up to her chest, watching Mocha drink from the brook. ‘I just…’
‘Look, some people are just destined to disappoint us. It doesn’t mean they’re bad people, or that they intended to,it just means they’re not ours to keep,’ Marco stated. ‘Look at Esme. I thought there was something real there, but she wasn’t meant for me. In the end, she was just part of my journey. My feelings for her taught me patience while I wait for what’s mine.’
‘But what if this journey just looks different to how you think it should and it’s worth waiting things out just that little bit longer?’ She chewed her bottom lip.
‘How much longer is a “little bit”? I know you’re scared, but I can promise you that if we were ever to explore this further, it wouldn’t be like it was with Jesse. I’ve told you before that if you were mine, I would be shouting it from the rooftops, showing you off to the world. Regardless of the risks. I am an all-in kind of guy, in everything I do.’
‘He didn’t let me choose.’ She let out a sarcastic laugh, getting angry again. Mostly at herself for putting up with Jesse for so long when she knew it wasn’t what she truly wanted.
‘What, to go public or not?’
‘Yeah,’ she nodded. ‘He insisted for four years that I couldn’t handle the level of fame that comes with dating someone like him. That they’d rip me apart in the press. It’s why he was so paranoid about the photos being linked to me. He thought he was doing me a favour by keeping everything under wraps.’
‘But in reality, he kept you locked in a cage.’
