Scarlett smiled at Wade. “Oh, sounds…interesting.”
“It is,” Wade stated at the same time Mitchell and I said, “It isn’t.”
Scarlett laughed.
“Come on, let’s get some horses ready to ride. You feeling okay today?”
“I am. It’s the first day in a while I haven’t had a back ache, or an upset stomach, or felt like I had to pee every five minutes.”
Wade groaned. “Enjoy it. It won’t last. Amelia started sleeping in the guest room because she’s afraid she’s going to wake me up with how much she gets up and uses the restroom.”
It was Scarlett’s turn to groan. Laughing, I took her hand in mine and led her down the barn.
“You want to ride Candy Cane today?”
I watched her face light up as she ran her hand down the side of the horse’s neck.
“Can we still ride her with her being pregnant and all?”
“Yep, once she gets to about three months before foaling, we won’t ride her. Harley said she is about six months pregnant. This will probably be her last ride, to be honest. I don’t want to risk anything with her.”
I ran my hands over the horse, causing her to toss her head up a bit, telling me she wanted some scratching.
“What is it with you and females, Trevor Parker? Even the girl animals love you.”
Laughing, I tugged Scarlett over. “The only female I care about is you.”
She smiled, and my knees felt weak. Damn, this woman had no idea the control she had over me.
“You’re sure the straps won’t hurt her, right?”
With a wink, I replied, “I promise you. If I thought it was unsafe for her or the foal, I’d let you know. Just keep your legs light, not because I think you’ll hurt her, I just don’t want her trotting with you on her.”
She grinned. “I’m pretty sure the four of us would be okay.”
I stopped moving and looked at her. “The four of y’all?”
“Me, Gummy Bear, Candy, and her foal.”
Walking over to her, I leaned down and kissed her. “Oh, that’s right. I love you, Scarlett.”
She grinned. “Wow, well, I love you too. What was that for?”
Shrugging, I replied, “I just wanted to tell you that.”
“Y’all going to stand there in Candy’s stall and stare at each other or actually go riding?” Mitchell called out.
A blush hit Scarlett’s cheeks, and she looked down at my bare chest.
“You are going to put your shirt on, right?”
Lifting a brow, I asked, “Why? Is this distracting?”
She nodded. “Yes. Very.”
“Then I’m keeping it off.”
After I got both horses ready to go, I helped Scarlett onto Candy Cane and jumped onto Rex. He was one of my favorite horses, and he loved to be ridden any chance he could.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Yep.”
We started off at a slow pace. There was no way I was going to risk anything with Scarlett up on that horse. I didn’t care that she was an experienced rider, or that Candy was a calm horse. That was my girl and baby on that giant, gentle beast.
Walking along the trail in silence, I closed my eyes and let the peaceful sounds of nature relax me. Rex instantly knew when I was relaxed because he slowed the pace down.
“Trevor? Is it okay if we stop for a bit?”
I brought Rex to a stop and jumped off. Draping the reins over his back, I let him walk around and graze while I helped Scarlett off her horse.
“You okay?”
She nodded. “Just wanted to take a little walk off of the horses, if that’s okay.”
“Of course, it is. Let me get the reins up on her so she can graze with Rex.”
Candy instantly made her way over to Rex. They rubbed their heads and softly spoke to one another.
“Did Candy mate with Rex?” Scarlett asked, watching the two horses interact.
“I’m not sure. She was out in the pasture with Rex and two other studs.”
Scarlett smiled and looked up at me. “Oh, yeah, those two are momma and daddy. Look at how he keeps nudging her and how close he is to her. Trevor! That’s so sweet!”
I shrugged. “Or he just knows she’s pregnant, and he thinks she’s horny and he wants a piece.”
Her hand punched my stomach, causing me to let out a sharp breath.
Laughing, I grabbed Scarlett’s hand, and we slowly walked in the open field.
“What’s on your mind, baby?”
She sighed. “Everything.”
“Want to talk about it?”
Her gaze dropped to the ground as we walked, and it took her a few moments before she finally looked up.
“I’m scared. I have this feeling and I can’t shake it. It’s like I’m waiting for the floor to fall out from under me. This all feels too…perfect.”
I frowned. “What feels too perfect?”
“This!” she said, stretching out her arms. Then pointing to me, she added. “You. For years I used to dream about that kiss, Trevor. The way you made me feel. When you asked me to the benefit dinner and we slept together, I was even more in love with you. Then all the crap we went through and…well…all of that.”