Page 31 of Imperfect Saint
“Because you said you always ride when you’re here and you seemed excited about it. I may not love the idea of being up on a horse but you do. That’s obvious. So for you, I figure I can give it another go.”
For her, he was willing to brave getting on the back of a powerful beast of an animal. Her heart did that fluttering thing again. He wanted to do it, just because it was something she enjoyed. Then her stomach tightened as she thought about all the things she’d liked doing that she’d given up over the years because Joshua refused. She was an idiot for ever thinking Hunter was anything like him.
Hunter was a good man. He was a kind man. He was gentle and caring and he turned her insides to mush he was so sweet.
She crossed the distance between them and kissed him soundly. It was the first time she’d been the one to initiate a kiss and she felt his surprise a moment before he wrapped his arms around her and took control of the kiss. She smiled against his lips and he pulled back to look down at her.
“What was that for?”
“Everything.” She smiled and then took his hand and led him into the barn.
She could tell he was still confused by her answer but as they found their horses and she introduced him to Hank, the man that had cared for the animals since she was a little girl, Hunter let it go and focused on the present. That was exactly why she’d kissed him too. Because he made her forget about her past, made her want to move past it, not just bottle it up inside her and try to contain it. He made her look forward to a future, one that most definitely had him in it. She didn’t know how to put all of that into words. Not yet. But she thought that one word might do until she could find a way to sort out all the others.
10
Riding a horse wasn’t so bad, at least once his erection let up.
Millie had been sweet about his aversion to horses. She’d taken the time to show him around the barn and introduced him to Hank, the horse trainer, and each of the half dozen horses her family owned. He’d been nervous and when the first horse flinched away from his touch, she’d calmly told him that horses could sense agitation and responded in kind. She’d let him take the time to get used to being around the big beasts and only once he was calm had she moved on to their next lesson of the day.
He’d had no idea she knew so much about horses but he’d loved listening to her talk about them and show him the ropes. It was clear the animals were like pets to her. She moved amongst them with ease and familiarity and even the wildest of the bunch seemed to calm when Millie came near.
He knew the feeling.
Eventually she’d led him to the old man of the group, a gorgeous silver and gray spotted horse aptly named Silver. Millie had laughed when she told him the horse used to be called Quicksilver, but with age he’d slowed considerably and now he was the tamest of the bunch. Since Silver was the only horse to let Hunter get close to him, something sweet Millie had seemed to know would be the case, he’d been saddled and ready for Hunter to ride.
They’d taken an easy path through the woods at the back of the Turner acreage. Millie had talked and he’d found himself smiling and laughing with her. She pointed out landmarks and told him stories of her childhood, about swimming in the creek and finding Colin and Reed’s fort when they were teenagers. She’d distracted him so completely and so thoroughly that he’d almost completely forgotten he was atop a horse that could bolt, throw him, or trample him at any moment.
Millie practically glowed with happiness as they finished their ride and headed back towards the stables. He loved the way she looked up on her mount. Her braid bouncing and coming undone Her eyes sparkling behind her glasses. Her cheeks flushed from the cool day and the wind on their faces. He wished he’d thought to bring his phone with him when they left the house so he could take a photo so that he would never forget anything about this day.
It was everything he’d always dreamed of having with her.
“It wasn’t so bad, right?” Her sweet voice pulled him out of his reverie and he grinned.
“It was fun. I liked getting to ride with you as my tour guide.”
“Yeah?” Her grin spread wider and he wondered what it was about the simple statement that made her so happy.
“Yeah of course, I’ll try anything with you, Mills.” He shrugged, “Maybe once we’re back in the city I can show you something I like to do for fun. That can be our thing. Riding horses and…”
“And?” She pressed, looking almost giddy at the idea.
“Shooting maybe? I like to go to the range on my days off.”
Millie’s eyes went wide, “You want me to learn to shoot a gun?”
He wrinkled his brow, “You don’t already know how?”
That surprised him. He was near certain most southern girls grew up around guns. God knew Vaughn had made certain their little sister knew how to handle a weapon properly. Besides, hunting was basically the national pastime in Tennessee. Millie must know how to shoot a shotgun or a rifle at the very least but she only laughed and shook her head.
“God no. What part of my family treated me like a little princess did you miss, Hunter?” She made a clicking noise with her tongue as she guided their horses back through the wide-open barn door. “My father and brother would be aghast at the very thought of me holding a weapon let alone using one. Guns are for men, not girls.”
“Damn.” He rubbed his chin, hating that tone she took when she talked about her father “Okay, well if you want to do something else, we can, or…” He caught her looking at him and grinned, “Or we could horrify the both of them and you can let me teach you how to shoot.”
Millie stopped her horse and looked at him, “You’d do that?”
“Of course.” He stopped his own horse beside her, “If anything, knowing that you’re properly trained on how to use a weapon would makemefeel a hell of a lot better about you living alone in the city.”
Millie slung her leg over the saddle and dismounted gracefully, “I live in a high rise, Hunter. With a doorman. I don’t need to know how to use a gun to be safe.”
