Page 59 of You Met Me There

I huff. “Of course I’d get the difficult one. Fine, Blondie. I’ll walk back myself.”

With very little knowledge on how to actually dismount a horse, I grip the horn on the front of the saddle, shift my weight onto my left foot in the stirrup where my new boots shine, and swing my right foot over the back of the horse.

She bolts.

I scream. I hang onto the saddle as tight as I possibly can, pressing my stomach against its side. Hooves beat against the dirt. My right foot dangles. I try to stand in the stirrup and swing my leg back over, hoping I can put my butt back in the saddle, but the horse’s movements are uneven and jerky on the crooked path.

“Stop! Whoa!” I scream, eyes watering from the wind that rushes across my face. I’m going to die. I’m going to get thrown into a tree or trampled by a horse, and I’m going. To. Die.

My hands cramp, tiring quickly, sweaty fingers slipping from the saddle horn. Letting go isn’t an option. I could be dragged through the woods if my foot gets stuck in the stirrup.

Blondie runs on, hooves pounding in my ears. My body hurts as the saddle knocks against my stomach in painful, jerky movements.

“Help!!” Someone has to hear me. The others have to be close enough. “Luke!! Help Me!” I scream.

Branches whip past my head. One catches my hair, sending pain across my scalp as hair gets ripped from the roots. My hands slip a little more from the saddle. I dig my nails into the leather until it hurts so badly I think my nails might tear off.

“Woah! Woah, girl!” a strong voice calls from ahead. Blondie slows, and I almost cry from relief. Someone’s here to help.

“Shh, girl. Whoooa.” It’s Luke! My heart races with adrenaline.

Blondie walks a few more steps, swinging her head back and forth. When she finally stops moving, she paws at the ground with her hoof in what I fear is agitation.

“Natalie! Are you okay?!” Luke grabs the bridle at the horse’s head and slides his hand along the horse’s neck, taking the reins. Relief rushes over me when I feel his hand slide around my hip, and he guides me to the ground. Blondie fidgets, stomping her feet.

“Whoa, girl, whoa.” Luke pats her rump, and she settles. “What happened?” He looks at me, scanning my face, looking for injuries.

I shake my head. “I don’t know. I don’t know what happened. She stopped to eat something and wouldn’t move, so I was just going to walk. But when I was getting down, she bolted.” My hands shake between us as I reach for him.

Luke guides me to his chest, pulling me into the safety of his arms. I reach around his waist, letting his unshakable body hold me up. I don’t want to cry, but the adrenaline is wearing away. I’m in the middle of the high and the low—the fear and the safe place. Luke holds the horse securely as he wraps his free arm around the back of my head. He tells me I’m okay as I cry into his neck.

“You’re okay, I got you,” he says. “You’re safe now.”

The dream of riding a horse wasn’t all that I thought it would be.

With tears of fear and disappointment flowing, I look up at Luke and hiccup one sentence: “We should have gone sky diving.”

He stares at me, searching my eyes. Then a smile cracks across his face and he laughs, his body shaking against mine. He brings his lips to my forehead and holds me against him.

I melt into his touch, his steady heartbeat grounding me. I’m safe and loved, and, right now, that’s all that matters.

Chapter 30

Natalie

On Monday morning, Luke leaves for work. There’s a house in Atlanta he’s had for five years that’s always in need of repairs. His property manager Gray is supposed to take care of everything, but he’s a thirty-something-year-old teenager, who needs to hold Luke’s hand whenever something big comes up. I told Luke he should just sell the house since it’s more trouble than it’s worth or fire Gray and hire someone who can actually get the work done. But Luke hates giving up on anything. You tell him something won’t work out, and he’ll prove you wrong.

And, unfortunately for us at the moment, Gray is out with a broken arm. Luke has no choice but to go to Atlanta. Stupid Gray.

Luke will be gone for three days. My brother Tyler is coming to Maple Lake on Thursday, so I made Luke promise to be back by then. I hope they get along. It would mean the world to me for Tyler to befriend his brother-in-law.

The more I think of it, the more it sounds weird that my siblings have had a brother-in-law for seven years that they’ve never met.

I mentally add that to the list of things I’ve done wrong.

My phone pings, so I rest my thermos of hot matcha on the wicker coffee table beside me. I’ve taken to drinking my morning matcha—and occasionally coffee—on the front porch; it’s relaxing, and the fresh air clears my head.

Glancing at my phone, I see there’s a new text from Juliet that says hiking this afternoon?