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Layla watched admiringly as Roy's body swayed on the back of the black horse, the movement making his broad shoulders shift beneath the soft, light-colored plaid fabric of his shirt. They had been riding in silence for several minutes and Layla wondered if he had forgotten that she was trailing along behind him.
"So how long have you been working here?" she called up to him.
Roy's head tilted back slightly as if trying to catch her words.
"My whole life," he answered. When she didn't reply, he continued, "Nathan and I grew up with our grandfather. That's the man who drove you out here in the wagon. His daddy started this place when Pops was little."
"It wasn't like it is now, was it?" she asked.
As soon as she said it, she felt bad, but Roy chuckled.
"No. It was an actual ranch. They raised cattle in the fields that are a bit back behind the trees. I'm not sure what happened along the way."
Roy fell silent and Layla sensed a touch of something sad and even angry in the quiet. They went on for a few more moments with the only sound the thud of the horses' hooves on the ground and the distant chatter of birds in the woods that flanked the trail.
"Nathan is your brother?" she asked.
She knew the question was ridiculous, but she wanted to say anything to fill the stillness.
"A year older and he never lets me forget it," he said with a laugh.
"Wow. You must be close."
"We do everything together. So how are you feeling back there? Have you had enough of the nice, leisurely pace?"
"Sure," Layla said.
Without another word, Roy tapped his heels into his horse's sides and surged forward. In an instant, all Layla could see was the dust in front of her.
"Oh. That's what we're doing," she muttered and tapped her heels the way he had, trying to remember everything she learned in the exactly two times she had ridden a horse when she was younger.
Her body was bouncing wildly in the saddle and she was increasingly concerned about the resilience of her bra when Roy came back into view. He had stopped on a grassy patch by the side of the trail, but when she tried to stop her horse, it just kept right on past.
"You ok?" he called over as she finally managed to pull the horse to a stop and dragged it around to face him.
"Nothing but nailing it over here."
The horse struggled against her trying to lead it back toward Roy and she heard him laughing from where he sat casually on his perfectly calm, well-behaved horse.
"Shut up," she said, then leaned down to mutter at the horse, "Alright, that's enough. Stop being a little bitch and bring me over there to him."
That seemed to work and Misty walked obediently over to Roy where it dipped its head and started nibbling on the grass at the side of the trail.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi," he replied, grinning, "Did you just call my horse a bitch?"
"Sometimes you just have to keep it real."
Their eyes met and they dissolved in laughter. Layla found herself feeling glad that Quinn and Eli had opted out of the morning ride, giving her the opportunity to enjoy the time just with Roy.
"I want to show you something."
Roy climbed down off his horse and came over to her. He placed one hand on her thigh and slid it up to her hip, then along her back. She felt him apply pressure to the other side of her hip so she started to slide down toward him. He scooped her into his arms with surprising ease, allowing her to glide down the front of his body as he lowered her off the horse and to her feet. Layla's breath caught in her throat as his hands moved around her hips and down to fill with her flesh and pull her harder against him.
His nose nudged hers and Layla nudged back, letting her hands rest on his arms. Roy leaned forward and kissed her lightly, opening his mouth just enough so he caught her bottom lip. Their faces parted slightly and an instant later their mouths were on each other again, lips parting as their kiss deepened. Layla was breathless when the kiss finally broke.
"Is that what you wanted to show me?" she breathed, laughing softly.
Roy shook his head.
"No. I just couldn't resist."
He slid his hand down her arm to intertwine with hers and pulled her gently further away from the trail. She hadn't noticed that the grassy section was actually a drop-off, leading down a steep cliff to a sparkling crystal pond beneath.
"How far do you say that drop is?" she asked.
"About 15 feet."
"And how deep is the water?"
She took a step back from the edge, letting her hand fall away from his.
"Too deep to know. Are you afraid of…"
Before he could finish his sentence, Layla had run forward and leapt off the edge, straightening out just before she hit the water so that her toes cut through the surface first. She came up laughing, the cold water making her feel awake and alive in the early morning air. Roy stared down at her incredulously.
"Are you coming?" she called up to him.
He seemed to pause for a beat to think about it, then disappeared from the edge before running forward and diving seamlessly into the water beside her. The sound that came from him when he emerged from the water was less joyous than hers and she saw him pull his arms close as he shuddered.
"It's cold!" he shouted and she laughed harder.
"Come on, cowboy. Don’t tell me you can't handle a little bit of cold water."
Roy swam toward her with two long strokes and gathered her in his arms. She pressed a kiss to his mouth, crushing her breasts to his chest so she could feel the warmth of his body through their cold, wet clothes. He touched his tongue to her lips, tempting them to part so that he could explore her mouth further. She complied, welcoming his tongue in against hers.
Suddenly she realized they were moving as Roy used one arm to hold her close to him and the other to paddle them toward the edge of the water. A few moments later, they were close enough to the bank that she felt the sand beneath her feet and could stand. Roy stood in front of her and took both of her hands to guide her along with him toward a smooth, flat rock beside the water, his mouth continuing to play against hers as they went.