“As for horses, Cassie developed a love of horses when she was a kid and she begged me to take her riding. I pretty much learned with her. Needless to say, Larry’s not much of a rider and Holly is afraid of horses, so riding outings fell to me.”
Stewie lowered his head to investigate a clump of grass, but cooperated when she tightened the reins enough to keep him on the trail. She reached down to pat him absently on the neck, thinking about the things Paul had said. Hearing about his childhood explained a few things—like why he was so generous with his time, so unselfish in helping Holly and Larry not only with his own daughter but with their twins, as his uncle had done for him. He’d grown up helping out at home, which had made him self-sufficient, handy around the house and accustomed to taking care of others. But maybe this explained, as well, why he rather looked forward to his “empty nest”?
“You said you’re from North Carolina? Holly, too, I suppose, since you dated in high school?”
He waited until Ace negotiated a sharp rise in the rocky trail and Bonnie had safely followed before answering. “Yeah, we both grew up in Raleigh. Holly and Larry came to Virginia when he accepted an engineering position with Tech. After visiting them here and liking the area, I decided to settle here, myself, to be closer to Cassie. She was nine then.”
Another narrow creek crossed the path, and Ace lowered his head to the water. Paul didn’t urge the horse on, grinning around at Bonnie instead. “Before you ask, I have no plans to move to London. Or to Dallas.”
Holding Stewie’s reins loosely while he shifted his weight, but remained quietly in place, Bonnie lifted an eyebrow in question. “Dallas?”
“Oh, I guess you haven’t heard. Holly and Larry and the twins are moving to Texas after the wedding. Holly’s taking a position in a law firm there, and Larry’s already found another faculty job. They’ll be back and forth to Dallas between now and then making arrangements, though of course they’ll be here for all the wedding festivities.”
“No, I didn’t know. Wow. How do you feel about that?” Was it a relief to know he wouldn’t be called on frequently to chauffeur or chaperone after that move? She couldn’t say she would blame him for looking forward to not being always on standby, to having no one to look out for but himself for the first time since he was just a boy. Or would he miss them as much as she knew he’d miss Cassie? Would he miss Holly?
Rather than answering, he raised himself in the stirrups and swung his right leg backward, dismounting in one fluid movement. It was a pretty spot for a break, shaded by tall trees between which she could see a spreading vista of hills and valleys and the ridge of blue-tinted mountains against the clouded horizon. Something splashed in the rippling creek—fish? turtle?—and a cardinal flashed red as it darted from one tree to another. She’d grown up in the foothills of the Tennessee Smoky Mountains and had spent a significant part of her youth here in the Blue Ridge Highlands. She couldn’t imagine living anywhere that didn’t have a view like this within an hour’s drive. Not to mention the view from the back porch of Bride Mountain Inn.
Dropping Ace’s reins straight down to the ground and saying, “Stand,” Paul then walked over to reach up to Bonnie. “Want to walk around a bit?”
Though she could have dismounted easily enough, she allowed him to assist her down, just for the chance to feel his hands on her again. He didn
’t immediately release her when her feet were on the ground, leaving his hands loosely at her waist. He spoke to Stewie as he let the reins drop. “Stand.”
“We don’t need to tie them?”
Smiling down at her, he shook his head. “These are Tim’s two best-trained trail horses. They’ll stay ground tied for a short break.”
“They’re both beautiful horses. It’s easy to tell they’re well cared for.”
“They’re treated like royalty,” he agreed with a chuckle. “Tim and Jase are pretty strict with their trail riders. They make sure the horses are treated right.”
Which was only further testament to how much Tim trusted Paul, she thought. “How long have you known them?”
“I met Tim a few months after I moved to Virginia a dozen years ago. Actually, I dated his sister for a short time,” he confessed. “Laura and I drifted apart, but I stayed friends with her brother—and with her, for that matter. She ended up marrying Tim’s partner, Jase. Funny story, she always said she couldn’t stand the guy, but after Jase got badly hurt in a rodeo accident, she realized she’d been mistaken. She spent time with him while he recuperated, and a few months later they were engaged.”
The genuine amusement in Paul’s voice let her know he had no lingering feelings for Laura, but she noted he’d still not answered her question about Holly moving away. She stepped away from him, casually dislodging his hands, and moved to the water’s edge, smiling when she saw two turtles sunning themselves on a big rock. Neither showed any reciprocal interest in her as they soaked in the warmth.
“I’m still processing the way I feel about it,” Paul said quietly from behind her.
She looked over her shoulder in question. “What?”
His fingertips in his pockets, he met her gaze with a funny little smile she couldn’t quite interpret. “You asked how I felt about the Bauer family moving away. I’m still getting used to the idea. I’m happy for Holly, of course. She’s worked hard for a career opportunity like this. But it’s going to seem strange being here with everyone else spread so far apart.”
She bent to pick up a pretty little gray rock, smoothed by years of tumbling in the stream. “I’m sure there’s a need for math teachers in Texas.”
“Dallas is Holly’s path now, not mine. We’ll always be connected by Cassie, maybe some grandkids someday—but now it’s time for us to go our own ways. I’m just trying to decide what my way is now. Got a whole world of options open to me.”
She bit her lip in response to that breezy comment. After a moment’s mental debate, she had to ask. “Are you sorry? That you and Holly didn’t stay together, I mean?”
He laughed then, somewhat incredulously. “No, of course not. Holly and I were just kids when we were together, not the same people we are today at all. Even if we had tried to stay together for Cassie’s sake, it wouldn’t have lasted. Our goals and ambitions were completely different. We’d have driven each other crazy before too long. She and Larry were pretty much made for each other, and you couldn’t find a happier family if you tried.”
Bonnie looked at the sleepy turtles again. She wondered if part of the difference between Paul and Holly had been that she had wanted marriage and several children, whereas he had liked living on his own for the most part. But she really should stop trying to analyze Paul and simply enjoy this outing with him.
Stewie snorted and tossed his head, then nuzzled a tasty-looking plant at his feet. Bonnie chuckled. “I think he’s reminding us that we have more trail to ride.”
“He can wait another minute.”
She hadn’t been aware that Paul had moved until she felt his hands on her shoulders. She turned with a smile and lifted her face to him even as his mouth descended toward hers. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she decided the horses could wait a bit longer than a minute.