Hello Quarterback (Hello #8)

43. Mia

43

MIA

Very rarely did anyone surprise me. Even more rarely was the surprise pleasant.

So I couldn’t stop smiling the whole way outside as Ford led me down the gravel drive toward the barn. I knew whatever he had waiting for me would be amazing.

When we reached the big red building and I saw two saddled horses waiting in the corral, I stared at him in shock. In fact, I couldn’t speak. I pointed at the horses and then at us. “Really?”

His easy grin caught all the light coming down from the clear blue sky. And he looked so damn handsome, his family home surrounded by bright yellow sunflowers silhouetting him. “We’re going for a horseback ride, then a picnic by the creek,” he said.

My mouth was hanging so far open I couldn’t form words. Horseback riding? That was something I watched in romantic movies or read in novels—not something that happened to this city girl in real life. It was too good to be true. Especially considering I spent my years from eight to ten years old obsessively reading horse novels and collecting figurines. “Really?”

He nodded, opening the gate to the corral. I was glad he told me to bring boots as we stepped over the mixture of dried manure and dirt, making our way toward the horses. They were gorgeous, their short sleek coats catching the light. One was the typical chestnut color you’d expect of a horse, but another had the most interesting coat, white flecked with bits of copper and onyx. That one had a white mane and tail that nearly glistened in the sunlight.

As we drew closer, I watched with awe as the animals swished their tails to shoo an errant fly or nipped at their chests. Every so often, they shifted, making their hooves clop in the ground.

Ford pointed at the chestnut one, saying, “This is Acres,” and then to the white speckled one. “And this is Blister.”

“Blister?” I said. “He’s such a pretty horse though.”

Ford chuckled, stepping closer to pat Blister’s muscled shoulder. “Apparently, Dad got blisters from the saddle because it took so long to break him to ride.”

As I looked up at the creatures, I said, “Are you sure they can hold my weight?” I didn’t want to hurt them.

“These are strong horses,” he answered. “Built for work. And if they can carry me, they can carry you.”

I stared up at them in awe, and then back to the man who gifted me something money couldn’t really buy. “Can I pet him?” When I glanced at Ford, I noticed the midday sun sharpened and highlighted just how attractive he was.

I was so distracted by his looks, I was surprised when he covered my hand with his and brought it to the horse’s side. His palm was warm as he guided my hand over Blister’s soft coat, powerful muscles twitching underneath.

I smiled up at him. “This is like every girl’s childhood fantasy.”

“You were a horse girl?” he teased.

I smiled. “Who wasn’t?”

“Well then, riding one should be a treat.”

My heart thumped with fear. I’d dreamed of riding horses since I was a kid, but... they were taller than I imagined. Powerful in a beautiful but scary way. “I don’t even know how to get up there.”

“I’ll get you a bucket,” he said. “Easy.”

He disappeared into the barn, leaving me to stand by Blister. I noticed long, thick eyelashes over dark glassy eyes. “You won’t buck me off, will you?” I whispered.

The animal didn’t answer before Ford came back with a bright orange five-gallon bucket. Then he turned it over and set it next to the roan horse. “Climb up and put your foot in the stirrup.”

I looked at him doubtfully.

“I’ll help you up if you need it.”

I gave him another skeptical look, but then remembered our tryst in the weight room. He could handle me. The thought turned me on when I should have been focusing. “Okay, okay,” I finally said. “Hold on to me.”

He put his large hands on my waist, and I liked the feel of his support as I stepped onto the bucket, took hold of the saddle, put my foot in the wooden stirrup, and used all my strength to hoist myself on. The saddle cupped to my ass, and honestly, I felt kind of hot up here.

Judging by the way Ford grinned up at me, a slight heat to his gaze, he agreed. “That wasn’t so bad, right?”

I shrugged a shoulder, acting like it was no big deal. (It totally was.)

Then he took the reins connected to my horse, untying them from the post. “First, I’ll walk you around so you can get used to the feel of riding,” he explained. “Then you can try on your own. Sound good?”

I nodded. But my heart still lurched as he began leading my horse through the corral. I grabbed nervously onto the saddle horn. Blister’s jaunty gait would definitely take some getting used to.

“Use your core muscles to hold yourself upright, and you can press into the stirrups to absorb some of the movement.”

I nodded, focusing on the task at hand. I’d gotten my MBA. Surely, I could get this down too.

After a few laps around the corral, I was starting to get the hang of things. Ford kept adding skills until soon I was holding the reins and guiding Blister to trot in circles on my own.

There was something so freeing, so powerful, about sitting atop a horse and gazing down at the world around me. Feeling the wind blow back my hair. Feeling my muscles work in tandem with the animal.

“That’s my girl!” Ford whooped from the opposite side of the corral. “I think we’re ready!”

I grinned. “Yee haw!”

His laugh made my heart feel light. As I led Blister toward him, he easily untied and swung up onto Acres like he’d been doing it all his life. Probably because he had. “You made that look so easy!” I called. “You didn’t even need a bucket.”

The horse pranced underneath him as he settled in. He calmed it down, talking and guiding it in circles.

“Are you sure it’s okay?” I asked him. I wasn’t sure I could handle a horse like that.

“Yeah, this is Dad’s new horse. Still a little high-strung.”

“Okay,” I said uncertainly. He was the expert, and I realized... I trusted him. I just couldn’t bear the thought of him getting hurt, especially during football season. “So where are we going?” I asked.

“Follow me.”

We rode through the gate of the corral, then he led the way into another pasture. When we reached the top of the next hill, we had an incredible view.

He pointed out a white farmhouse maybe a mile away. There was another red barn and dozens of cattle in a different pen along with farming equipment. “That’s the Griffens’ place,” he said. “And their feed yard where they fatten the steers for meat.”

He pointed toward a stand of trees in the valley forming a triangle with the two houses, a stream winding through it. “This is the creek where we’d always meet up with the Griffens and play.”

I smiled over at him. “It sounds like a great childhood.”

“It was.” A misty look crossed his features before he nudged his horse’s side, continuing the ride toward the trees.

I followed him, studying his strong form perched atop Acres. I wondered if riding had been an escape for him and his brothers when they were younger. I could picture it—getting atop a horse and just running from all your problems.

But then again, maybe that’s what football had been for him. A way to run. To avoid the pain of losing his mom, of seeing her suffer and coping with the aftermath.

My heart swelled for the younger version of him as I walked behind him. The world knew him as Ford Madigan, star quarterback. But now I was seeing there was so much more to him the world would never get to see. I was lucky he had let me in.

We reached the stand of trees, prairie giving way to shade grass and a minefield of fallen branches. Under a shady cottonwood tree, Ford slowed his horse and hopped down. “This is it.” He tied the reins to a thick tree branch before coming to help me down. It was a little easier than getting on. But as I stepped back, my muscles had to adjust to solid land again. “I feel like I have sea legs,” I said, shaking out my extremities.

He laughed. “Why do you think the cowboys in the old westerns always walked so funny?”

“True,” I chuckled. I did the exaggerated cowboy walk, arms awkwardly to the side, imagining spurs jangling at the back of my ankles. “How’s this?”

He came to me, kissing me slowly. He was smiling when he pulled away and said, “I love you.” He linked his fingers with mine. “Come on, I have something to show you.”