The morning sun rose high over Golden Meadow Stables. This had been Liz’s second home as a little girl, and she found herself recalling little snatches of memories as she and Dorian walked through the property the following morning.
She had told Bingham they’d be here, ready to talk—but whether he’d actually come, no one could say for sure. For all they knew, he was still searching for her in Anchorage.
He could truly be anywhere.
“You look familiar,” a man with a withered face and pristine Stetson said when Liz had given up the hope of finding Bingham there waiting for her. “You wouldn’t happen to know Barb Bingham, would you?”
“She was my mom.” Liz smiled wide. There were still other memories to uncover, other stories to hear. Eventually, she would find Bingham or he would find her, but for now, she could learn more about her mother’s life from the people who had known her best.
The man returned her smile and motioned for her to come closer. “Still is, I’d reckon, whether or not she’s of this world.”
“I’m Liz,” she said extending a hand. “Maybe you knew me as Janie when I was little.”
He looked her up and down at this revelation. His jaw dropped, and he let out a chuckle. “Little Janie Bingham? ‘Course. It’s been a long time, but I do remember.”
“We were hoping we could ride,” Dorian said, inserting himself into the conversation.
“And maybe after I could treat you to lunch,” Liz added. “Hear any stories about my mom you’d be willing to share.”
“Sure thing. Let me go find the riding instructor to help get you settled in. Most of our horses here are boarders, but I’m willing to bet she’d let you ride a couple of her mares.” He nodded and even tipped his hat Liz’s way before disappearing into the long stable building.
A young woman with dark hair emerged from within a few minutes later and introduced herself as Jess Sanders. Liz wondered if perhaps this had been her mother’s job once upon a time, or if maybe it could have been hers had things turned out differently.
“Old McDonald tells me you used to ride?” Jess said without a trace of sarcasm.
“Old McDonald?” Dorian asked, with one brow raised.
“The man you talked to when you entered. His name is actually Donald Jones, but we call ‘em Old McDonald after the nursery rhyme.” She laughed, and Liz liked her instantly.
“Yes, a very long time ago,” Liz said, wondering if riding a horse were at all like riding a bike. How much could she have possibly done on her own at the age of three? For all accounting, she was a total newbie at this.
“Well, let’s see what you remember.” Jess guided them toward a pair of horses that looked like salt and pepper shakers—one was white with black spots and the other black with white spots. She gave them carrots to feed to the large, peaceful animals, and Liz laughed with the itchy hairs on her horse’s snout tickled her palms.
“She likes you,” Jess noted.
Liz placed her hand between the horse’s nostrils and looked into its large, coal eyes. “And I like her,” she told Jess.
“Great. Now I’m going to show you how to mount. Watch me and do the same.” Jess pulled herself up in one fluid motion, making it look effortless.
Liz had a couple false starts, but she was shortly sitting atop her horse and looking out over the vast acreage of trails and meadows. The saddle felt like a throne, and she felt like a princess born into this kingdom, finally coming home.
They practiced the commands, Jess praising both the horses and the riders liberally as they mastered each new task.
“That’s everything you need to get started. Want to take to the trails?” Jess offered, reaching forward to stroke the pure black horse she’d mounted earlier.
Liz’s heart practically burst at the idea, even though they’d come here planning to ride in case Bingham hadn’t shown up to wait for them. “Could we?”
“Follow me,” Jess said, then clicked her tongue and dug her heels into the horse’s sides.
Liz and Dorian did the same, and together the three of them were off. Slowly but steadily, the horses navigated the trails. Right away, she knew why this place was called Golden Meadows. Everywhere she looked, sun-kissed flowers and fields created a beautiful complement to the bright skies above. The air smelled sweet, with slight notes of salt from the oceans nearby. Everything felt restorative—like it could clean away the bad and leave only the good. She imagined herself breathing in the crisp blue sky and breathing out the dark secrets of her past.
“Have you ridden before?” she asked Dorian when the trail widened, allowing their horses to walk side by side.
“This is a first, but I like it,” he said, his green eyes blending perfectly with the scenery around them. Liz belonged here, and Dorian belonged right here with her. “Mostly I like seeing you so in your element,” he said to Liz with a smile that took up his entire face.
“We’re coming up to my favorite spot on the entire property,” Jess announced, guiding them up a gradual incline. “We call it Picnic Point, because most of our riders like to bring lunch up here and settle in. There’s even a place to tie up the horses.”
“Could we stop for a few minutes?” Dorian asked with a raised voice.
“Got a picnic lunch I don’t know about?” Jess laughed at her own joke, but helped them dismount once they reached the peak of the hill.
“You can see the ocean way out there,” Liz said as a fragrant gust of wind blew by. She closed her eyes and inhaled more of the rejuvenating air, exhaled more of the bad she’d brought with her. This place seemed bigger than any lies, any secrets, any one person—and she loved that.
Dorian and Jess chatted quietly for a moment, and then Jess turned back toward the trail on foot.
“Is she abandoning us?” Liz asked, noticing Jess hadn’t even taken her horse.
“Just for a few minutes,” Dorian said, standing beside her at the edge of the hilltop. “I asked her to give us some time to ourselves.”
“Why?” She turned to him and immediately found the answer in his eyes.
He placed his hands around her waist and pulled her close, saying, “Because I’ve never seen you so happy, so at ease with who you are as I have today. I want to be a part of that. I know your past is a bit muddled, but I want to be a part of your story going forward. I want to be a part of what makes you you.”
Oh, Dorian. How much had changed since they’d met. How wrong she’d been about him until now. She wanted him to be a part of her story, too. Even though he said he wasn’t in her past, he had been the one to bring it to her. He was here now, helping her sort through it all. She hoped he would always be nearby, ready for whatever came next in her life.
“That’s perfect with me.” Liz said, enjoying the way Dorian’s eyes danced as she said this. She knew what was coming next, but she didn’t want to wait a single second longer than needed. Before Dorian could lean in to kiss her, she closed the distance between their bodies and crushed her lips to his.
And in that perfect moment in time, all of Liz’s selves converged into one. She was Ben’s daughter. She was Barb’s, too. And baby Elizabeth’s sister. She was Scarlett’s friend and Lauren’s. And Dorian meant something even more than the rest, because he represented a future she very much wanted to live.
“I think I’ve been waiting my whole life for a kiss like that,” Liz said, her cheek resting against Dorian’s shoulder as he held her.
“Many, many more to come, my dear Liz. Starting in three… two…”
He lifted her chin and kissed her again. And again. And again.
“I could do this forever, I think,” she murmured against his lips.
“Time’s up, kiddos!” Jess’s boots crunched gravel along the trail. Liz found it funny that she was calling them kiddos when they must all have been around the same age.
“Want to keep going or head back?” she asked once they had all mounted again.
“Let’s go back,” Liz answered. There would be many more rides in her future. She’d make sure of that. But she only got one first day with Dorian, and she needed to make sure she remembered all of it.
“As you wish,” Jess said with a bemused smile.
Liz smiled the entire way back. Even when she tried to lighten her expression, she found it impossible. Every time she caught a glimpse of Dorian, she found him wearing a similarly oversized grin.
Two fools in love.
No matter what they found out next, Liz knew she could get through it. The worst truths had already come to light. Now she was in the process of rediscovering old loves and finding new ones. It was going to be a great day, a great life.
The stables building loomed on the horizon, a dark blur amidst the colorful flowers that flanked them on either side. Liz found herself wishing the ride didn’t have to end so soon, that maybe they could just ride on forever—no more pasts to reconcile, no more hearts to heal, just this.
As they drew closer, Liz saw two figures waiting at the fence.
One was Old McDonald.
The other was Bingham.