Page 113 of Heartstrings & Horseshoes

“I don’t need a license? I can still work with the horses to help people?” I ask, afraid to know the answer. It sounds like what she’s saying, but I don’t want to get my hopes up.

“You could march your little fanny into your boss’s office right now and tell him you’re ready to build an equine assisted learning program and offer services for team-building, school programs, wellness retreats, communication—hell, anything that doesn’t directly treat mental health conditions.

“Can’t call it equine therapy, ‘cause it ain’t. If you want to get some legitimacy behind your program, there’s several equine assisted learning certification programs you can finish in no time at all, with your degree under your belt. Hire a licensed equine therapist if your workshop requires it, but otherwise, this is all you, darlin’,” she says, simple as pie.

“I’ve got another session comin’ in an hour, so I need to get on it, but you call me if you ever need anything. I’ll work with Reid and your advisor on any paperwork or approvals they need, alright? You take care, you hear?”

And with that, I’m left with my future laid in front of me like a yellow brick road.

“Hell yea!” Connor says, lifting me in the air, his huge hands circling my waist. I wrap my legs around his middle and bury my face in his neck.

“All my evaluations are signed and approved…I get to graduate!” I wiggle in his arms.

“I’m so fucking proud of you!” Connor spins us in circles until he’s so dizzy, he slides us down one of the stall doors to the hay strewn floor, me still tightly wrapped around him.

“When’s the graduation ceremony?” he asks, massaging my hips and thighs.

I chuckle. “I did most of my degree by distance learning. I wouldn’t know anyone, and the pomp and circumstance aren’t important to me. We can have a celebration at the ranch when my diploma comes in the mail.”

“If you’re sure, doll, because everyone would make the trip in a heartbeat,” Connor assures me. And they would. I’m so blessed to have found such a loving family.

“I have something to tell you too,” he says, surprising me. I shimmy my shoulders, excited for his news.

“I finished my farrier program. My mentor oversaw my final shoeing assessment and passed me on the spot. Looks like we’ll be checking the mail for two important pieces of paper.” His smile could melt the sun, I swear.

I cradle his face, his beard tickling my palms, chocolate eyes gleaming with pride.

“I’m so proud of you, Connor. The past nine months were a whirlwind. Everything in our lives has changed for the better.”

A tear escapes and I catch it with my thumb before it trails into his beard.

“We fucking did it, baby. We made all our dreams come true,” he says resolutely.

Our lips meet in a tender kiss, joy and relief flowing between us. The kiss heats slowly, a lick leads to a nibble, until his tongue is sweeping into my mouth, making my head spin. He breaks our kiss to trail his swollen lips down my jaw to devour my neck. I tip my head back giving myself over to him, basking in his attention. I couldn’t care less we’re on the stable floor.

It’s moments like this, where no words are required, his soul speaks to mine in a language we’ve known since he found me sitting in the dirt in my pretty yellow dress.

“Fuck, baby. If you don’t stop grinding that sweet little pussy on me, we’re going to have a problem.”

I didn’t realize I’d been humping him, but the warm tingle in my clit tells me he’s right.

“We wouldn’t want you to have a problem, would we?” I taunt, sliding my hand between us to cup his erection through his Wranglers.

“Please, baby,” he groans. “If I get to come, please let me blow my load in your cunt. Please,” Connor begs incoherently as I jerk him from outside his jeans.

I take his cowboy hat from his head and place it on my own.

“You gonna give me a ride, cowboy?”

His hands bite into the soft flesh at my waist and I relish the sting. I love that I can unravel this man so easily. I’ve come into my sexuality since we became intimate. I’m on his dick as often as possible. It’s become a basic need like food, water, and shelter.

Connor buried inside me is a necessity.

“You want me to ride you, baby?” He rolls his hips into me from his seated position on the stall floor. “I’ll ride you hard and put you away wet like the horses. That what you want?”

I’m panting, desperate for exactly that.

I lean in, lips grazing his ear, and whisper, “What I want, is for my husband to fuck me.”