“Welcome to my shrine,” he says, holding out his hand.
I step inside. “Gavin. This is…amazing.”
“I guess,” he mumbles, entering behind me.
I feel like I’m walking into a time capsule full of his past memories. Moving around the room, I take it all in. “I didn’t realize you won this much because you’ve acted like you weren’t a big deal. Gavin, I’m so impressed.” I wrap my arms around his waist and pull him close. “I didn’t realize I was dating a cowboy celebrity of sorts.”
He shakes his head. “I’m not.”
“But you are. Look at this. Wow. No wonder people try to reach out to you all the time for training and stuff.” I stand on my tiptoes and slide my mouth against his. We get lost in the kiss, in the moment, and the only thing that pulls us away is the sound of footsteps down the hallway. Not wanting to make it awkward, I create some space between us. A knock rings on the door, and it cracks open. She peeks her head inside.
“I made pudding parfaits if you’d like some dessert,” she tells us.
“Thanks, Mom. We’ll be right down,” he says sweetly. She slowly closes the door, and after a second, Gavin pops a brow at me and brings me back to him.
“Right now, you’re the only thing I want for dessert,” he hums in my ear.
“If we weren’t at your parents’ house, I’d consider it,” I admit. “But we better go downstairs before they get suspicious.”
“This is true.” He grabs my hand and leads me to the kitchen, where we fill ourselves full of pudding and cake. It’s so good that I’m contemplating adding it to the B&B menu when I get home. Gavin and I watch TV with his parents until we nearly fall asleep. Both of us keep yawning, and eventually, we say good night, then he leads me upstairs. We fall asleep in his bedroom surrounded by all his accomplishments. To say I’m proud is an understatement.
The next morning, we wake up to a breakfast that’s as big as the ones I serve at the B&B. We chat about the weather and Eldorado, and everything under the sun. When we’re done eating, Gavin leads me outside to the barn.
“Want to go for a ride?” he asks.
A smile fills my face, and I nod. “Absolutely. I would love that.”
“Then let's catch some horses.” He grabs two lead ropes from the tack room, and I follow him out to the pasture where at least five quarter horses are grazing.
“Choose whichever one you want. They’re all as tame as can be,” he explains.
I walk with the rope behind my back and my hand out, the same way Kenzie and I did as kids with the trail riding horses. It works like a charm, and I snap the lead rope on the halter, then turn to Gavin.
“Meet you at the barn,” I tell him with a hop to my step.
By the time he walks inside, I’ve already saddled up, adjusted my stirrups, and am waiting for him.
“Look at you! Hot as fuck!” he exclaims.
I chuckle. “I thought for a second I was gettin’ rusty ’cause I haven’t ridden in a while, but putting on a saddle is something you never forget. It’s like riding a bike. By the way, this is a nice one.”
“It was a prize saddle,” he explains, then points at the branding and the date burned into it.
“You never seem to stop surprising me.” I meet his eyes, wishing he could see what I see.
After Gavin’s ready, he gets in position, and we head down a trail that looks well-traveled. As we ride into the path that goes through the forest, I can’t help but grin the entire time. Beams of sunshine leak through the tree limbs as I follow him. Thankfully, a cold front came in over the weekend, so the weather is perfect. Eventually, we come to a clearing, and I see a giant pond with a canoe tied to a small floating dock. This is not what I expected.
We hop off our horses and tie them to a few posts. Gavin takes my hand, and we walk toward the water. He sits, takes off his boots, and rolls up his pants before sticking his toes in the water. I follow his lead and lean my head against his shoulder as we look out at the reflection of the tall pines on the water.
“Mom really loves you,” he says, smiling. “And I do too. I love you so damn much, Maize.”
“I love you too, Gavin. You’re everything to me,” I admit.
He turns and places his rough palm on my cheek, then dips down and memorizes my lips with his. Our tongues twist together, and by the time we pull apart, I’m nearly gasping for air.