Page 80 of Unspoken Hearts
“Here,” I say, reaching to help her. “It’s heavier than it looks.”
Biting her lip, the saddle almost slips from her hands. I raise my brows, silently asking for permission. I’ve known Macie long enough that she thinks she can do everything, and will give it a good try too, but sometimes she silently screams for help, and I always want to be beside her when she does.
Patiently waiting, she blinks at me before whispering, “Thank you.”
Taking the leather saddle, I haul it onto Cinnamon’s shorter frame and begin strapping it, while Macie watches quietly. From her silence, I can’t tell if she’s embarrassed, or admitted defeat, but she shouldn’t feel either of them.
“You’re allowed to ask for help, you know?” I tell her, looking her way as I unloop the stirrups.
The corners of her dainty lips curl upwards. “I like doing things myself.”
And don’t I know it.
I pass her a wide-brimmed hat to keep the glare out of her eyes before placing a small wooden stool on the ground at Cinnamon’s side.
She eyes me for another moment, and my chest tightens from the intensity. “Are you trying to tell me that I’m short?”
I huff. “There’s nothing wrong with being short.”
“You sound like Axel.”
I frown a little as she reaches up, grabbing the pommel to hoist herself up, but with her little frame, she slides back down.
“I got you,” I murmur.
Grabbing a hold of her waist, she settles in the saddle, and I ignore the heat rushing through my palms. My hand lingers on her side for longer than necessary, but I don’t want to pull it away.
“Thank you,” Macie utters. I smile, guiding her booted feet into the stirrups and passing her the reins.
Mounting Whiskey, I look back at Macie before leading us out of the barn. “Where should we go and explore?” I ask as she pulls up beside me.
In my light beige hat, her brown boots and jeans, I’m starting to like seeing her dressed like she’s been a rancher her whole life. She definitely suits it.
Hopefully one day soon she’ll be the cowgirl to this cowboy.
Gaze sweeping over the large property, Macie shrugs. “Do you have a favourite spot to ride to?”
Smiling, I look up at the light grey clouds in the distance, knowing that we have about an hour before it starts raining. I know she’s terrified of storms—it’s on my list of her dislikes—but it didn’t predict storms when I looked up the weather before on my phone. I’m praying it stays that way and we only receive a little bit of rain.
I peer back at her. “I do, and if we hurry, we’ll be back in time.”
Kicking Whiskey’s side, we start trotting past the cow pasture towards the mountain range. The Blue Mountains have always been the main tourist attraction around here, and I understand why. They are magnificent. Rugged cliffs covered in thick trees, crisp air, birds singing, with the occasional deer passing through.
It’s like another world up there at the peak, overlooking the towns below.
Macie stays right behind me as we trudge through the native woodland. The dirt track is narrow, but Cole and I ride through here so often that we know our way blindfolded. The last time I rode up here was right after the storm, and it needed to be cleared of branches and one fallen tree, but there’s nothing obstructive today.
The familiar clip-clop of hooves sounds in my ears as we near the small peak that’s just inside of our property. Being one of my favourite places, Cole and I come here to be alone sometimes. He still gnaws my ear off—he will wherever we are—but at least here, surrounded with nature, I allow him to speak his mind.
Nobody talks about the bond between the oldest and baby brothers, but it’s there. Cole always comes to me when he wants to talk, possibly because he knows I'll give him the most mature answer, but I think it’s because he trusts me the most since I have helped raise them all.
Coming to the small clearing, I halt Whiskey and jump off, then move to help Macie down to the ground. She looks around at the small spring surrounded by the wall of rock, not like the one down in the paddock, cold and full of reeds. This one comes straight from the earth, heated and fresh smelling.
“It’s a hot spring.”
Macie’s lips part for a second before she’s sitting on the rock edge and yanks off her boot. “I want to make sure you’re not lying.”
I chuckle lightly, walking to her side. “Why would I lie about that?”
