So reluctantly I pull back and set her down on her feet and place a kiss on her forehead.
"Get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll go check out some of the mountains," I tell her and she nods a bit dazed.
Knowing I put that dazed look on her face is sexy as hell. After she goes off to the bedroom and closes the door, I get ready for bed and lay down on the couch.
I know there's one way that I can make her feel safe, hopefully, it will be enough.
Chapter 5
Willow
I'mactuallyprettyexcitedto see more of the land around Bennett's cabin. If the view just from his house is any indication, it's got to be absolutely gorgeous. We pack up lunch because he says we will be gone most of the day.
"How do you feel about taking the horses instead of the four wheelers?” Bennett asks. “Even though we could take them, I'd like you to be comfortable on the horses as well."
I am a little nervous about horseback riding, as I've only been a handful of times. Those were the just for fun ones. The kind where you ride for hours and are beyond sore the next day. If he thinks this is something I need to learn, then I will do it.
"That's fine. Just bear with me because I know almost nothing when it comes to horses," I tell him honestly.
A brilliant smile crosses his face. Then we head to the barn that I've yet to see and explore, where he picks out a horse that he assures me should be nice and mellow.
"If you two get along then this will be your horse. If not we can try to match you with a different one and if none of them work then we will get you your own horse. We have room for plenty more," he says as if it's nothing to tell someone that they'll make sure to get you a horse if you don't like any of the ones they already have.
Part of me wonders if this is just how Bennett really is or if he's trying a little too hard. Either way, it's nice to have the attention from him. It seems like he actually cares, but only time will tell.
We load up the horses and head out on a trail beside the barn.
"A little farther down this trail is a bunch of berry bushes. Even though they're wild berries, they are great to eat. Every year I use them to make jams, jellies and even just food for the animals. By harvesting them, it keeps other animals like bears away. The further we can keep them from the house, the better," he tells me.
I have to agree with him there. I don’t like bears much myself.
"Have you ever had one get too close to the cabin?"
"When I was building my cabin, I had a lot of animals that came up. But the noise pretty much scared them off. Now I try to keep it as clear as I can so that it's not an easy food source. That seems to keep them away."
He points out a good field for a picnic spot in the spring when the flowers are all in bloom and a trail that leads to one of his favorite hunting spots.
We walk along a river and talk about how he'll set up some fishing here in a few weeks, how the process works and for the various uses of the fish. At this point, we've been on the horses for a couple of hours stopping only to let them have some water from the river. I’m getting a little sore and shift in my seat, but of course, it doesn't go unnoticed by Bennett.
"Just a few more minutes. Once we break this tree line, we will be at the lake and I figure that's where we can have lunch."
I nod because I can definitely use some time off of the saddle. Hopefully, this is something that I'll get used to especially if we're going to be riding more.
I'm thinking about how sorry I'm going to be tomorrow when we break through the tree line. The stunning view takes my breath away. There’s a lake surrounded by mountains that still have snow on the top.
When we come to a stop, he dismounts before walking over to me and taking the reins of my horse, and helping me off. It feels good to stretch my legs. While he gets the horses some water and secured, he lets me explore. Then Bennett sets up a picnic for us.
Actually, I've never been on a picnic before. But it's everything that I would picture from the movies with a blanket down on the ground and a basket of food.
As we eat, I take in the view which is something that you would only see on a postcard or in a book while wondering where you could actually see it in real life.
"This would be the perfect spot for camping," I say thinking out loud.
"Do you like to camp?" he asks.
"Oh yeah. My father and I used to go all the time before he got sick. It was our way of getting out of the city. We’d turn off our phones and take time to reconnect with each other."
"Well, we've got some time midweek where we could come out for a night or two and camp. The lake makes for some good swimming. I think it would be a good way for us to talk and get to know each other a little better."