Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 29586 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29586 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
Pepper’s eyes widen when she sees the horses. “What are we doing here, Travis?”
“We’re going for a ride, honey. What else?”
Her mouth opens and closes with shock.
“Yes, but I’ve never ridden a horse before! At least, nothing more than a pony at a birthday party.”
“Don’t worry about it because Pattycake is a sweet mare. Trust me, she’s the perfect ride for a beginner.”
As if on cue, Pattycake nuzzles her pink nose against Pepper’s shoulder as the curvy girl giggles and runs her hand over the horse’s sandy mane.
“Are you sure this is okay? But whose horses are these?”
I nod. “It’s definitely okay, sweetheart. This place belongs to my friend Kent and his wife, and they’ve let us have free run of their ranch for the day. He said we should take the horses out because they need the exercise.”
The lie comes a little too glibly and I wince slightly, but Pepper doesn’t notice, biting her lip.
“I’m nervous though.”
I squeeze her hand. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you. Promise.”
The stablehand emerges from the barn with two helmets in hand. I’m not usually one to wear a helmet, but I think it’ll make the curvy girl feel safer if we both use them, so I slip mine on.
“Are you ready, baby?”
Pepper stares at the mare and takes a deep breath.
“Pattycake, it’s me and you. We’ve got this, right?”
The horse whinnies her agreement, and I lift Pepper easily and drop her on Pattycake’s saddle. Once she’s settled, I jump up on my own horse and turn to speak over my shoulder.
“Pattycake is trained to follow, so she’ll stay with me. You don’t have to do anything but look pretty on this trip.”
Pepper still looks nervous, but then she smiles as we begin to walk. “I can’t believe I’m doing this!”
“You look great, honey,” I say encouragingly.
I kick into Carver’s sides and he starts forward at a slow amble. I can tell the horse would like to go faster, but we can’t leave Pepper and Pattycake behind. I don’t think my girl is ready for a gallop quite yet.
“Do you do this often?” Pepper asks from behind me. “Carver seems to know you.”
I nod.
“I try to come by as much as I can, but it’s not nearly as often as I’d like. This horse remembers me from years ago though because he was on the rodeo circuit. Kent was his rider, not me.”
Pepper gasps.
“Oh! That explains how he knows you so well. Is Carver retired?”
I grin.
“Yep, just like his owner. Kent and his wife take the horses out a lot because they have all this land to explore. So they’re not sedentary or anything.”
Pepper sighs. “It sure is beautiful out here.”
I grin, taking in the rolling plains.
“Just wait, sweetheart, because it gets even better.”
We chat a little as we trot along. After about twenty minutes, we reach our destination, which is an overlook leading out to a grassy plain where wild horses roam beside a sparkling river. The sun glints off the clear water, and the animals are beautiful with their wildly waving manes and tails.
Pepper gasps. “Oh my goodness, this is incredible!”
I grin while jumping off Carver and tying him up to a nearby tree.
“Do you like it?” She smiles, her eyes sparkling.
“I love it! Is this what you wanted to show me?”
“Yes definitely, and I thought we could have a nice picnic too.”
“Picnics are my favorite. But do we have food?”
That’s where my surprise comes in. I help Pepper down from Pattycake and tie the mare up next to Carver. Then I reach into Carver’s saddlebags and pull out fancy provisions wrapped in butcher paper, as well as a red and white checked blanket and a bottle of wine.
“Oh my gosh,” laughs Pepper. “You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”
I take a sweeping bow.
“That I have, madame.”
With that, I set out the blanket and food. My buddy’s housekeeper made us sandwiches, pasta salad, and cake for dessert, and this is the perfect feast to eat by a river in the middle of summer.
Pepper and I continue to talk and get to know each other while we eat. With every word that comes from her mouth, I fall harder for the beautiful girl because she’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of. Plus, it helps that she treats me like a regular person, with no idea that I actually run a huge conglomerate. After all, my family has been in these parts for more than a century, and our influence is everywhere even if it’s sometimes invisible. For example, I had a hand in Corinthian’s most recent mayoral race because I was interested in the labor issues involved. But no one knows about my involvement because we used a PR firm to front our efforts.
But will this easy banter continue after Pepper finds out who I really am? After all, it’s only a matter of time. I can’t keep my true identity hidden forever, nor would I want to. Pepper deserves better than that.