Saturday Morning Ride

[SAM HOLDER]

“The excitement is never over, Holder.” He sniffed a laugh, his lips curled up slightly to the side in a half grin, shaking his head at her as they began to trot again. “What’s your favorite place to ride? Or did you have one as a kid?” "Hm.." Sam had to really think about that one. Did he actually have a favorite place? "We never really rode anywhere exotic or anything." He knew it wasn't exactly what she'd asked. She wanted to know his favorite place, not necessarily the most exotic. "Hm.." He said again, considering his answer. "I guess a few years ago I went riding through the redwoods. That was probably my favorite place to ride. I'm not sure I've ever seen something that magnificent before." He explained and peaked over at her with another kind smile. The light was sifting through the trees, splashing patterns on her face and making her more striking than usual. He blushed and looked away. "When I was a kid we sometime rode through the vineyards. It wasn't anything spectacular I suppose, but my grandfather and I would sometimes stop and eat grapes. I always thought that was sort of cool, almost forbidden. The grapes were meant for wine, not for our indulgence, but we ate them anyway. I have a soft spot for concord grapes. They're gooey, but definitely my favorite. I guess they remind me of simpler times." He wondered if he sounded stupid to her “Those places sound wonderful. I bet the horses thought so too.” He rolled his shoulder. He wasn't sure the horses cared much. "They liked the grapes, too." He teased softly.

The dirt began to give way to more sand and Sam was pleased they were coming to their destination at last. Mahatma brayed softly and pawed at the sand a little as they trotted, clearly not used to the different surface. “Silver loves it here too. Something about the sand on her hooves, I think.” Sam laughed and nodded, "I don't think Hot Head over here knows what to make of it. This is his first time on the sand I think." He tried to remember if the horse had been on sand before but couldn't think of anything.

The view was spectacular, no doubt about that. The surf rolled in on gentle waves, the gulls crying overhead and the wind picked up slightly. It was a gorgeous day and the smell alone eased Sam. "This is my place. Exactly how I found it all those years ago.” He looked over at her, watching with interest as she gazed at the sight. This suited her. Her hair blew in the breeze, the sun glinted on her eyes, making them seem paler. Freckles seemed to almost sprout on her face in the sunlight. Sam swallowed, watching her enjoy the moment. Her eyes suddenly fell on him, a smile sprouting on her lovely lips. “So what do you think?” "Incredible." He agreed without missing a beat, his eyes still just on her as if what was incredible was Dani, and not the beach they were on. He blushed and looked at the ocean. "I've never ridden anywhere quite like it." He continued to try and save himself some embarrassment, wondering if she thought he'd meant she was incredible. Had he? He had, but he certainly didn't want her to think that. They were friends. More so, they were coworkers. Not even coworkers; she was his boss! He couldn't have thoughts like that about his boss, regardless of how pretty or young or intelligent she was. "Let's get closer to the water."

Sam kicked his horse gently as they trotted towards the waters edge. Mahatma seemed a little skeptical at first, but calmed down a bit as they went along. He simply needed to get used to it. They rode for a moment, Sam licking the salt from his lips as the surf trickled closer and then receded back towards the rocks jutting out of the ocean. "Do you, uhh.. have other places you like to ride?" He asked, suddenly feeling at a loss of things to say to her. He didn't want to get too personal considering their relationship. "Is your leg doing alright?"

[DANI DRAKE]

“Incredible.” Sam’s eyes never left hers as he spoke the words and Dani felt an unexplained thrill shoot through her limbs right from her chest. It was like he was calling her incredible, not the beauty all around them. Her sea-colored eyes widened as her cheeks burned of their own accord. Too soon his soft green eyes were darting away out to the ocean and she blinked quickly to snap herself out of it. Of course he wasn’t talking about her—why would he? She was far from incredible. The way her heart was still throbbing in her chest made her feel silly and childish. “I’ve never ridden anywhere quite like it.” His commentary on the scenery put a painful end to her giddiness like cold water thrown onto hot coals. Dani swallowed hard while the embers hissed in her chest and she forced a smile while she looked back out to the ocean. Why did she feel so disappointed anyway? They were friends and nothing more. Not that they could even be more—he was her subordinate! No, it was best not to even think about that sort of relationship with Sam. “Let’s get closer to the water.” Forcing a bigger smile to her lips, she tightened her grip on the reins. “Yes, let’s!” she chimed.

They trotted to the water’s edge, Silver’s stride sure and steady while Mahatma’s was more cautious and uncertain. It made Dani smile to see the famous hot-headed horse show his nervousness. The water slapping against the rocks actually sounded more like a trickling, almost like a babbling brook, and she could feel herself calming once more. “Do you, uhh…have other places you like to ride?” She looked curiously at Sam and grinned at the shy way he spoke. Would he ever be totally comfortable around her? “Is your leg doing alright?” She glanced down at her offending knee and saw it was pretty swollen now, but nothing that wouldn’t go down with time. “Yeah, it’s okay. Still throbbing a bit, but I’ll manage.” Her smile brightened and turned back to him. “And every place is a good place to ride. I do really like to wander through the trails on Megsy, though. It’s so peaceful. I also once rode across the Scottish highlands. Everything was so green and lush and the winds just whistled through trees and crevices of the cliffs. The wind never stopped. It was so wide open and free…I loved it. I’d love to go back someday.” Her eyes had been focused wistfully on the horizon but they turned to Sam with a somewhat mischievous smile. “But it might be easier for you to take me to see the redwoods first. Then we can talk about me taking you to the highlands.” She laughed playfully at the uncertain and bashful look on his freckled face. “Come on! Let’s ride a little further down the beach!” And they did. They strolled leisurely enough that the water from the rolling waves only sprinkled her bare legs as Silver stepped primly through wave after hissing wave.

When they did turn around, they had turned their conversation to talk of some of the incredible things they’d seen around the world. Dani liked that she could talk to Sam about the sights she’d taken in and not feel guilty. His upbringing wasn’t much different from her own and he’d had all the privilege she was blessed with. It made her much more comfortable in talking about her life. There were few people she could talk to like this. Even Jonah would sometimes get a look of envy when she talked about her travels and studies, though he would never admit it. It was hard not to feel that Sam was something of a kindred spirit. She wondered if she could even reveal her secret abilities to him. Would his perception of her change? She doubted it, but there was still a big part of her that didn’t trust anyone with that knowledge. Maybe someday she could tell him…just not yet. Before she knew it the stables were in sight and she sighed heavily in disappointment. Perhaps it wasn’t safe to become so attached to Sam, yet she couldn’t help but adore his company. When they trotted up beside the stable, she grinned at Sam as he started to climb off Mahatma. “You sure you don’t want to race one more time? We’re out in the open.” The look he gave her made her laugh. She started to shift to get off her saddle, but pain shot up her leg and she sucked a breath in through her clenched teeth. “How am I going to get down…?” she wondered under her breath. Sam solved the problem by limping his way over to Silver’s side. He lifted his arms, gesturing that he would lift her down. “Oh, no! I’m too heavy!” Sam scoffed at her and insisted until she finally relented. She placed her hands on his shoulders and realized for the first time how strong they were. His hands gripped her waist and she slid easily from the saddle into his grasp. He didn’t even look like he struggled to put her down much, even with his bad leg. She found herself staring at his handsome face, the way his wide set mouth smiled gently. And his hands were so strong yet gentle. When she was safely on her feet, she found her knees felt a little weaker anyway with how hard her heart was throbbing. Swallowing hard, she gave a nervous giggle, pulling back a bit and letting her leg slowly get used to having weight on it again. “Thanks, Sam. And thanks for coming today! I had so much fun, even with the tumble.” Her smile widened, trying to ease herself out of her silly reverie. “Promise we’ll do it again soon?” When he promised, her smile spread all the way across her face. “Good! Then I’ll go put Silver up. And don’t worry about my knee. It feels better already.” With one last smile, she turned away and limped to Silver’s head, taking her reins gently. Halfway to the stables she turned back to Sam and waved. “I’ll see you on Monday!” She admired the smile he gave in return and silently berated herself for it as she walked Silver back into the stable. It couldn’t happen between her and Sam. She knew now what she was feeling towards him and she needed to let it die. That would be best for both of them. But it sure wouldn’t be easy…

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