The barns and several houses come into view, and I tighten my hold on the steering wheel, my body tense and ready to turn the car around at the first sign of trouble.
It takes a considerable amount of effort to reel in the crazy thoughts, but I manage to breathe through them, the way my therapist taught me all those years ago. I haven’t even seen a horse yet. I can’t go getting pre-panic attacks now. That’s just not fair.
Just as I'm wondering where exactly to go, a pretty red-haired girl appears in front of a sleek Audi parked next to one of the houses. I stop and roll down my window, waving at her.
She smiles when she spots me and walks closer.
“Hey, sorry to bother you! I’m trying to find the Ford Farm Dude Ranch. Can you tell me where to go?”
"Sure thing! You just head down this road a little more and then it's the first left-hand turn that you get to. That will take you to Wyatt's house where he runs the Dude Ranch. He'll get you all set up," she says with a welcoming smile.
"Thanks! I thought I was lost."
"No problem. I'm Monty, by the way."
"Kennedy," I say and she smiles at me.
“I live here with Griz. He’s one of Wyatt’s brothers. If you ever get bored, you can come hang out with me.”
"Thanks, I might take you up on that."
She waves one last time before she turns and heads back to her car, and I start to drive down the dirt road a little bit more.
I follow her instructions and turn left. There’s only one house down this road, and I park next to a big white truck.
I climb out of my car and look around. There’s a barn to the left and a few paddocks surrounding the house. A line of smaller cabins borders the woods further back, and I wonder if that’s where I’ll be staying.
The farm is bigger than I anticipated and there are a lot more horses than I would have liked but I can do this.
I can do this, I can do this, I can do this,I tell myself as I head up to the front door. I raise a shaking hand to the wood, rapping my knuckles against it with far more courage than I feel.
The door swings open a second later, and I step back as two big guys come out onto the front porch.
“Hey, you must be Kennedy,” one of them says. I nod. “I’m Kai, and this is my brother, Remington. We’re Wyatt’s brothers.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I say, shaking Kai’s hand.
Remington is looking anywhere but at me and I can sense that he's uncomfortable being around someone new.
I get it. I’m usually the same way.
“Wyatt is inside washing up but you can wait inside,” Kai tells me. I smile at him.
“Thanks.”
“We’ll be around if you need anything,” Kai says as they head down the porch steps.
I wave back at them before I tentatively step inside the house. It’s cool in here and I wipe my brow before I look around the place.
It's a neat and kind of cute ranch-style house with an open floor plan. There are a few dishes next to the kitchen sink but other than that, the place is spotless.
Wyatt must be a neat freak and I start to relax. I’m a total neat freak too so I think we’ll get along just fine.
I hear footsteps coming from the hallway to the right and I turn around and paste a smile on my face as I get my first look at the man who is going to help me face my fear of horses.
Holy. Crap.
Intense, green eyes latch onto mine, and I swear the whole universe shivers and shakes before righting itself again. When the cowboy tips the corner of his lips up in a grin, my belly flutters and tightens, sending a strange mix of arousal and raw need straight to my core.