I wandered around the barns, looking in to the stalls at each horse. At one stall, the door was too high for me to see over, so I stood on a bale of hay. I pulled myself up, and held on to the bars of the stall door so that I could see in.
The name displayed on the feeding trough was �Desire�s Delight�, and the horse inside was more beautiful than words. The sleek, tan mare looked at me as if trying to decide if I was worthy enough to see her.
Then she surprised me by stepping to the other side of the stall, revealing a tiny foal of the matching color.
I felt my heart melt as the big, brown eyes looked up at me. The foal was precious and adorable. It blinked twice at me, and then scurried over as fast as it�s small legs would take it, to it�s mother�s side.
I laughed softly, and lowered myself from my tip-toes.
I turned suddenly in alarm when someone said, �we haven�t named the foal yet.�
I was surprised to see Angelus standing there before me. He smiled softly and asked, �did you see him?�
I finally regained my scattered wits, and said with a soft smile, �yes. He�s precious.�
�I don�t think that name will work,� he said with a soft smile, coming over and offering his hand to me.
I accepted it, and he helped me down from my place atop the bale of hay. �No, I don�t think so either,� I agreed.
There was a moment of silence between us as we stared in to each other�s eyes. His gaze was so deep and intense, and finally I had to look away from it. I glanced down and realized then that he was still holding my hand. I drew my hand back rather quickly, causing him to chuckle softly. I felt my cheeks blush red with embarrassment, but luckily he stepped in to save me from myself.
�Come on,� he chuckled softly. �Let�s find you a horse.�
He started to walk away, but I stopped him, saying, �I can�t leave. I�m waiting here for someone. Your father is sending someone to teach me to ride.�
He looked at me and asked, �well, what do I look like?� A half-smile was playing across his features as he spoke.
�You�re teaching me how to ride?� I asked in disbelief, pointing at him and lowering my eyes slightly to study his response.
He smiled, �my father said he wanted someone experienced to teach you. I�m as experienced as they come.�
My mind began to whirl. Angelus was going to teach me how to ride a horse? Was that safe? Was that smart?
I didn�t have time to ask questions however, because he was already walking down the long halls. �Hey!� I called. �Wait up!� I jogged to catch up with him.
~~
�Okay, now the first thing about choosing your horse, is choosing her personality,� Angelus explained. We stood side by side at the gate that led to the paddock with the horses for beginners. There were eight horses in the paddock.
�Ah, yes. Personality is key. Got it,� I said with a hint of sarcasm in my voice.
Angelus laughed slightly. �I know it sounds corny, but jokes aside-it�s true. See, if you like things easy, you need to choose a horse with little to no personality like those two cr�me-colored mares over there.� He pointed them out to me.
�But If you like things a little more challenging, you need to choose a horse that�s got a bit of spunk and attitude. Like Mary�s Dance,� he pointed to a rust-colored horse in the far corner. �Or Destiny�s Dame,� he pointed to a dark brown mare with the mane clipped shorter than the other horses.
�Who names the horses?� I asked, a little off-topic.
He smiled softly at me. �It really just depends who the mare belongs to. If it�s one of my father�s horses, than he usually lets my mother name the foal. But if it�s someone else�s horse, it all just depends on what names are thought of.�
�Why aren�t any of the names just�Basic?� I asked, wrinkling my nose slightly. �Like Earl or�Daisy.�
He chuckled, �I don�t know. Now, see that one over there,� he pointed to a dark, black horse with a red mane and tail.
�What about her?� I asked as I spotted the horse he pointed to.
�That was my first horse,� he explained. �Her name is Dynamite.�
�Just Dynamite?� I asked slowly.
�Just Dynamite,� he assured me with a soft chuckle.
�Oh, I like her,� a girly front took over me and I smiled and twisted my foot innocently on the ground.
�Do you want to ride her?� he asked, laughing softly at me. I nodded quickly with a bright smile. �Okay,� he laughed again.
~~
�Now since you�re a beginner, I�m just going to give you a boost on. Eventually, I teach you how to get up without my help, but for now I don�t want you able to get on and ride away without me,� Angelus smiled hauntingly at me. �So I�ll help you up for now.�
�How kind of you,� I frowned slightly, failing in all attempts to check my sarcasm or obvious lack of enthusiasm.
I realized then, that he was waiting for me. The look on his face as he watched me thinking to myself was one of pure amusement, and I suddenly felt the need to hide my face in the ground.
However, being raised by my mother meant that I had learned how to deal with embarrassment of any sort as if it was virtually non-existent. I walked over to where Angelus was standing next to the horse, and waited for his instructions.
�How do you want me?� I asked with a sigh. It wasn�t until I saw the look of shock and potential lust on his face that I realized how that must have sounded. I rushed to save myself from a new lash of embarrassment. �I mean�Uh�Oh. I mean, where do you want me to stand, to get on to the�The horse.�
He turned his head then, as if trying to hide his amusement, but when he looked back at me he wasn�t trying too hard. He started laughing loudly, the corners of his eyes crinkling in the most adorable way.
I was tolerant of his enjoyment for a few moments. �Laugh it up,� I sighed, and he continued to do so. Then it just got annoying and disturbing. �You can stop now,� I told him with a slight glare.
He checked his laughter, and had to work extremely hard to keep from chuckling.
�Now, what do I do?� I didn�t want to dwell on my embarrassment any more, and I was anxious to get away from this man.
He hunched down slightly, and slinked his fingers together so that his hands formed a cup. �You put your foot on my hands, and I�ll boost you up on to the horse. Once you�re up, you swing your other leg around, and straighten up. Then I can adjust your stirrups, if need be.�
�I put my foot in your hands?� I raised an eyebrow to clarify.
�Yes,� he said with a nod. �Go ahead.�
�You mean like actually in your hands? Dirt and shoe and all?� I didn�t know how he could be telling me to do that. The idea was simply appalling and grotesque.
�It�s no big deal. Trust me. You�ll survive.� He assured me with another smile and a slight chuckle.
I took a deep breath. �Well, if you�re sure.� I lifted my left leg about six inches off the ground. I froze up and dropped it back down.
�No, go ahead,� he encouraged me. �Put one hand on my shoulder to balance yourself, and the other on the saddle.�
I mentally coached myself. Come on, this is no big deal. Just like anything else. Just do as he says. It�s not weird or anything. You�re just getting on a horse. It�s not rocket science. You�re just getting on a horse.
I took another deep breath, and lifted my foot. I put the toe of my shoe in to his linked hands, and shut my eyes, waiting for him to tell me I�d done it wrong, and that I was a sick person.
But instead, he nodded and said, �move your foot in a bit more so that your full weight is focused on my hands through your heel.�
I kept urging myself onward. I reached a hand to his shoulder, and absently placed it on his black shirt. A small spark of electricity ran through me at that. I tried to calm myself down again and just assure myself that it was a just a shock from static electricity�But my thoughts were still whirling about it for some reason.
�You alright?� his voice cracked in to my daze, and I opened my eyes. I hadn�t even been aware that I�d shut them. I let out my breath, also not aware that I�d been holding it to the point where my face was starting to change color.
�Uh, yeah,� I attempted a smile. �No big deal. Just a little, uh�Distracted.� I covered with a lame lie, but his attention seemed diverted for the moment, and I was very thankful.
�Okay, are you ready to try a jump up?� he asked me.
I nodded absently.
�Hold on to the saddle,� he instructed.
I placed my hand on to the top of the saddle, and took another breath. I looked in to his eyes.
�On the count of three I�m going to lift you,� he said. �Now count with me. One��
I counted it out with him. �One��
�Two�� His gaze was heavy on me.
�Two�� I repeated.
At the same time we said, �three.� When we said it, he lifted me with his strong arms, and launched me up the side of the horse.
I didn�t have time to think. My leg instinctively swung over the horse�s side, and then I found myself on it�s back, in the saddle.
I was on top of a horse!
�I did it!� I said with a giddy smile.
Angelus slid my foot in to the stirrup and grinned up at me, �yes you did.� He circled around the horse to the other side, and slid my foot in to the other stirrup. �Now you�re really a cowgirl,� he joked.
�Ha ha,� I rolled my eyes. �Say what you want, but I am on a horse right now, and it only took me three minutes. I bet you couldn�t do that even if you��
I trailed off as he suddenly launched his large body into the saddle of his black stallion, Dark Dare. �What were you saying?� he asked me.
I looked away from him and sighed, �never mind.�
He chuckled softly, �okay, let�s go. You want to give the horse a small tap. Now Dynamite is very good with beginners, so even if you give her just the faintest, confusing command, she�ll respond. Mind you, she�s much happier if you make it clear as to what you want, but she can deal with it either way.�
I gave the horse�s sides a little tap, and she suddenly started to move. I straightened suddenly as fear streaked through my body. This giant creature was moving with me on top of her! And there were no breaks!
�Angel!� I squeaked. �Angel, she�s going to kill me!�
He chuckled, �nonsense! You�ve barely moved. Don�t look at the ground, look at the scenery ahead of you.�
�Soon the ground will be the scenery ahead of me!� I whined.
He came up next to my horse on his and reached a hand to Dynamite�s reins, which were loose in my hands. She stopped abruptly, and Dark Dare stopped next to her.
We were so close, I could feel Angel�s calf against my own. I looked over at him and said in a shaking voice, �I don�t think I can do this.�
He smiled at me reassuringly. �Yes you can.�
~~
We took it slow through the wooded trails. Angel was so considerate of how I felt. Every time that I started to freak out, he would come up next to me, stop the horses, and reassure me that it was all fine and that I wasn�t going to die.
But somewhere inside my mind, a little alarm was still going off that told me to be careful and not to get too close to him. Something was telling me that he was dangerous and unpredictable. That thought alone was enough to make me tense up.
We stopped for a break in the middle of the woods, which made me nervous. What if he�d taken me all the way out here where no one would find us, to murder me? I put away my childish thoughts when he came over to my horse, to help me down.
I hadn�t realized he was off his own horse, and then I saw that he had also tied her up near the little lake before us.
�Now you�ll want to take your feet out of the stirrups, and flex your ankles gently for a moment or two. Your muscles might be a little stiff, so make sure you can move your ankles fine.� He was always giving me little tips like that for my added comfort.
�I slid my feet from the stirrups, and after a few moments of testing my ankles, his hands reached up and he held out his arms to me.
�Now, you�re going to put the foot near me in to the stirrup again, and swing your other leg around the horse.� As he instructed me, I slid my foot in to the stirrup, and guided my other leg over the horse�s back to dangle next to my other foot.
This is when Angel�s hands closed around my hips. He held me tightly, and I suddenly found myself wondering a million questions. Was I dirty? Did I smell bad from the horse? Did I feel too skinny to him?
He lowered me down to the ground slowly, and said, �now take your other foot out of stirrup, and you�ll be safely on the ground.�
I did as he said, and smiled brightly when I was done. �I did it.� But then my knees gave way.
I fell forward in to his waiting arms. He chuckled softly, holding me close and said, �I thought that might happen. Your legs aren�t used to all of that exertion.�
�Well excuse me if these million dollar legs aren�t made for rough work!� I tried to be coy and calm, but it came off sounding lame and rude. I worked as much power as I could in to my legs, until I could stand again.
When I could stand, I smiled and tried to take a step. I suddenly discovered that it felt as if there was a barrel between my legs that was preventing me from taking a normal step.
�Um, Angelus?� I asked hesitantly.
�It�s normal,� he assured me. �Just walk it off.
~~
We stood watching the water for what seemed like five minutes, and then we sat down on a blanket that Angelus had brought with him. I made sure that I kept my distance since I still didn�t trust him as far as I could throw him�And in all likeliness I couldn�t even pick him up.
After about an hour of just watching nature, and making casual conversation about one thing or another, Angelus turned to me and asked me, �what do you think of riding?�
�I like Dynamite,� I said in response.
He smiled softly, �yeah, she was a good horse. She�s getting quite a bit older now, but she�s still a really good horse.�
I watched him for a moment, and suddenly my thoughts were too much. I had to know about his reputation. I blurted out suddenly, �do you use women?�
I gasped when I realized what I�d said. �I didn�t�I didn�t mean that. I just�I meant�Oh, dear,� I furrowed my brow as I tried to think of a way out of the new mess I had created for myself. �I mean that I�ve heard a lot about you and the�� No! That sounded like I was some stalker who clung to every bit of information she could get about him!
Luckily, Angel stepped in to save me. �I�ve done my share of things that I�m not proud of. I�m sure you�ve heard quite a bit about me already. I don�t exactly keep a low profile around here. God only knows what you�ve heard and what you�ve been thinking.�
I looked out at the water. I needed a way to relieve the sudden tension I felt between us. I opened my mouth to say something, and when I turned to look at him, I was shocked to see how close he was to me.
His face was just centimeters from my own, and I wondered briefly how he had gotten so close without my hearing him.
His eyes locked with mine, and I felt so nervous. So afraid. What was he going to do? Was he going to kiss me? Did I want him to? Was that a good thing? His eyes held that passionate look that said all too well what he intended to do.
His left hand reached up to hold my cheek. His hand felt so rough, yet at the same time it was so smooth. I could feel his breath hot on my face, making me dizzy and breathless, and wanting in the most unusual way that I�d never felt before.
Suddenly something inside of me just snapped, and I felt like someone shrieked out NO! Right before his lips could close over my own, I pulled back and stood up.
�Well, are we ready for some more riding?� I asked with a bright smile as if nothing had ever happened.
He looked over at me, his hand still in the same place as if my face was still there to be held.