Page 6 of All Grown Up at Mountain Creek Ranch
I think about her question. Usually, when people ask me this, I give a canned response that doesn't allow for any follow-up questions, but I want to be honest with Del.
"Yeah, I do." I look over at her. "I had a real chance of being someone to live a life bigger than being the number two guy on my family's ranch. But I messed it up because I hadn't grown up yet. It's something I have to live with every day."
"From over here, it looks like you've grown up since then."
"I'd hope so." I chuckle, wanting to cut the tension between us. "Don't get me wrong. I love my work here. It's hard, but good work. A man would be lucky for that chance."
Delaney doesn’t say anything. When I look over at her, I find her gaze still on me. I can’t read her expression, but the corner of her mouth twists up.
“I wasn’t sure this was a good idea at first,” she says.
"And now?" I ask, urging Blaze to walk closer to Millie.
“I’m pleasantly surprised, and it’s not just because I haven’t ridden in a long time.”
A grin spreads across my face, and I don't try to hide it. I wanted a chance to show her I'm not the guy I used to be, and my hail Mary offer to go for a ride together may have just done it.
I look out at the sky ahead of us and see some dark clouds rolling in near us. When we started, there was nothing but blue sky as far as I could see. I'm about to say that we should turn back when a loud boom of thunder shatters the silence between us.
The loud noise startles Millie, and she rears up on her hind legs. I can only watch in horror as Delaney loses her grip and falls off the back of her.
“Del!” I call out as I jump off Blaze and grab for Millie’s reins to keep her from trampling Delaney. “Del! Talk to me!”
Panic is coursing through me as I try to hold both of the horses. All I can see are her legs on the ground.
"I'm fine," she calls out as she stands up slowly. "I landed on a rock."
I turn the horses. Her forearm is bloody from a cut on her hand where she landed.
“You’re bleeding.”
“It’s superficial.” She shrugs. “It barely hurts.”
I examine the cut, seeing dirt and small pebbles in the wound. “I need to get you back to the ranch and clean that up.”
The sky darkens in the few minutes we stand there. We don't have a lot of time before the sky is going to open up on us. I hand her the reins to both the horses and pull off my t-shirt. I don't want anything else to get in the wound, so I wrap the fabric around her hand and wrist. This will have to do until we get back to the house.
I look at her face, and I don’t have time to enjoy the look Delaney gives me as her eyes roam over my bare chest.
"Do you think you can ride back?" I ask, but she doesn't say anything. "Del? I ask, leaning down to look her in the eyes. "Did you hit your head too?"
“Umm, what?” she asks, snapping out of whatever was passing through her mind. She looks up at the sky. “We should probably head back.”
I can’t help the chuckle. “You’re right. Are you okay to ride?”
She nods. I hold onto Millie so that she can get back on her. I pull myself up onto Blaze, and we head back towards the barn. We get back in half the time, the sky opening up and pouring down on us just as we approach the barn. We are both soaked by the time we get in.
We work to brush down the horses quickly to get them settled in their stalls—lightning flashes outside the barn door, and the lights inside flicker in and out.
"I can't believe we made it back in time," Delaney says in the doorway of the tack room as I put away the saddles.
I turn and see her unwrap my shirt from her hand. It's no longer bleeding, but it still needs to be cleaned up and bandaged.
"Let's get that taken care of," I say and pull out a first aid kit from one of the cupboards.
It's hard not to be hyper-aware of her every move in the small tack room, every sound she makes. Her breath hitches when she comes over to me, and I take her hand in mine. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that my heart is racing in my chest just by being this close to her.
I clean the wound and wrap some gauze around her hand to secure it.
