I’m feeling so strange. I’m tired, but also, it’s like a high I can’t even describe. In the last few hours, I feel like I witnessed the biggest miracle of life. In a way, I know it is.

It was so intense and exciting as much as scary.

The result was amazing. The foal was napping when I finally had the heart to leave.

I’m shaking as I walk to see Rhett. Some guys came and took him to something he needs to take care of, I assume.

Close to the main house, I see him. He’s talking to some guys while he rolls a rope kind of thing in his hands. Is that a lasso? I’ve seen it in some Western movie I came across on TV a few years ago. He hands it to one of the guys he’s talking to. After putting it in the back, the guys get in the truck.

“Where are they going all packed like that?” I ask, walking toward him.

“They’ll join some cowboy groups, and they’ll go wherever the road takes them,” he answers.

“Why?”

“For lots of reasons. Fun, adventure, rodeo, hooking up with cowgirls, you name it. And they’ll return with a few wild horses they find on the road. We’ll train them.”

“Rodeo… I’ve always thought those things where only in movies, not in real life,” I muse.

He laughs, shaking his head.

Turning toward me, he cradles my face with a serious look. “How are you feeling? Are you okay?”

I nod. “I’m just tired.”

“Do you want me to give you the tour today or tomorrow?”

“Now, please. The sooner, the better,” I murmur.

Something I can’t read passes his eyes before he hides it.

“Okay, then. Come on, Princess. Meet nature,” he says, wrapping his arms around me with familiarity. And I like that. I like that a lot.

“This building should be a hotel. The land is huge, so maybe we can build a bar somewhere. I don’t know,” he says, clearly stressing over what should be done in this place for success.

I nod. Letting him guide me to the right side of the land.

“There’s a cowshed there. We have four cows,” he points out the hut. I can spot two cows in front of the hut. It’s like a garden with fences around it.

“Next to it is a coop where we keep chickens and rooster. You won’t need an alarm here. The rooster will wake you up right at six in the morning,” he says with a chuckle.

As we pass by the cowshed and the chickens, I see there are sheep in another shack. It’s like a zoo here. I’ve never seen so many animals together.

“We have a small dairy there. We work the milk from the cows there and then take it to the store in town to sell.”

Why not sell here? I note in my notebook, but don’t say anything to him as we continue with the tour.

Finally, we come to a stop in front of the stables again.

“Can we see Lily and the baby again?”

“The foal,” he corrects me.

When we enter the stables this time without panic, I see nine more horses except for Lily and the newborn.

As a little girl, I always wanted ponies. By that time, I didn’t understand the fact that horses can’t be a pet in an apartment, let alone in the penthouse that forbids pets.

We check on Lily first. She looks so tired, but still feeds the newborn.

“I think you should name him,” Rhett says, smiling at the foal.

“Me?”

“Yeah. You helped his birth, darlin’. The honor is yours.”

I bite my lip, considering my options. Finally, I find the name. “Ares. He’s a warrior.”

“I like that.”

I smile and blush with the intensity of Rhett’s eyes on me. Looking away another horse catches my eye. The one I saw earlier with Rhett. I start walking closer to his stall. He was as black as night. Black Beauty, that’s what he reminds me of.

Feeling so small next to him, I take tentative steps. I shriek when he brings his head closer to me, but I notice he just wants me to touch him.

Lifting my hand, I caress the soft fur between his eyes.

“Don’t,” I hear Rhett’s panicked voice and quick steps, but just when I’m about to take my hand away from the gorgeous horse, he brings his head closer like he doesn’t want me to stop.

Rhett frowns, looking between the horse and me. I’m just about to apologize when he says, “He likes you.”

He says it in a very surprised tone, I can’t decide if I should be offended.

“He’s stunning,” I whisper. “What’s his name?”

“Rage.”

I smile at Rage. His name suits him. It’s as intimidating as he is.

“Would he let me touch him more?” I whisper, afraid of breaking the spell between Rage and me.

Rhett snorts. “He shouldn’t have let you come this close to him, but here you are.”

I frown. “Why?”

“He doesn’t like strangers. No, actually he doesn’t like people. He just gets along well with me, most of the time, but seems like he likes you. I think you have a thing with horses.” His voice has admiration that turns my insides to mush.

“So, it’s your horse?” I ask, trying to lift the thick tension between us.

He nods. “Yes. Since he came to this ranch.”

I want to grin like an idiot that his horse likes me like this is some kind of good deeds on my part. The part of what? That’s the question I don’t want to answer, not yet.

Biting my lip, I slowly get closer to Rage and place my hand on his back. With my heart in my throat, I wait to see if he’ll let me keep touching him. When he doesn’t do anything that seems like a protest, I caress his torso. His breathing is fast under my hand, makes me feel like I’m holding an infant in my palm. As I touch the first animal I’ve ever been this close to, I feel the calm wash over me. My mind finds clarity. I slowly stroke his black mane. I’m hardly aware of Rhett’s watching us, even though his gaze is like a palpable pressure on my skin.

“Want to feed him?” he says.

He brings me an apple and some hay from the boxes next to Rage’s stall.

“Will he bite me?” I whisper.

“I don’t think so,” he answers, not really convincing, but I still take the apple from his hand and hold it in my palm for Rage to take.

To my surprise, Rage gently leans in toward my palm and take the apple in his mouth, leaving just a little bit of wetness behind on my hand. I have to admit, I was expecting him to be rougher than that.

“God, when has he become such a gentleman?” Rhett muses like he can’t believe that. “He really likes you. Such a player,” he adds with a chuckle.

We wait as Rage eats his apple and he turns to eat the hay in his stall, losing his interest in us it seems.

Just when I’m about to turn to leave him alone, I feel Rhett behind me. His hands rest on the door of Rage’s stall, but even though his hands are away from me, he’s touching me with his whole body.

My breathing gets faster and shallower when I feel him bend his knees a little to get closer to me. His breath is tickling the hair sticking to my nape with sweat. The rise and fall of his chest caresses my back, fueling my body with anticipation.

He brings one arm to wrap around my waist. Not tight, but firm enough to keep me where he wants me, against his crotch. He’s hard and knowing I have this effect on him makes me euphoric.

Biting my lip, I push my ass against him. He groans when I press harder, rolling my hips and rubbing him through his jeans. My eyes roll back when his hand moves up to my stomach until he cups my tits. He peppers kisses on the length of my neck as we rock against each other.

“I want you. I’ll go crazy if I can’t get inside you,” he growls, sucking and biting the sensitive skin under my ear.

God. It’s fast. We shouldn’t be doing this.

Without meeting his eyes, before leaving the barn behind my fast steps I murmur, “Thank you for the tour. I can’t wait to work on the first draft of the project.”