***
I stood outside Sophie’s door for a few minutes. My hands were clenched into fists at my sides as I tried to work up the nerve to knock. I felt ridiculous. There was no reason for me to feel so anxious. This was my house, after all. Every room in it was mine, and yet, I was scared to intrude on Sophie’s space after the way our dinner ended the night before.
Finally, I took a deep breath and stepped forward. I raised my fist and knocked three times fast. As I took a step back to wait, I heard hurried footsteps on the other side of the door. When she opened the door, her face was warm and welcoming. It wasn’t until she saw me that her expression shifted. Her eyes darkened, and she took a tiny step backward.
“Oh,” she said. “I thought you were Liam.”
“Sorry to disappoint you,” I said.
“What can I do for you?” she asked, her tone professional and short.
“I was wondering if you wanted to go for a ride with me,” I said. “It’s been a while since I’ve taken the horses out.”
Sophie’s eyes narrowed even more. She was suspicious, and I couldn’t blame her. I stood back and waited. When she opened her mouth to speak, I fully expected to hear her decline my offer.
“Sure,” she said. “Now?”
I blinked. “Yeah,” I said. “Now would be good.”
“Just let me grab my boots, and I’ll meet you outside,” Sophie said.
I nodded and retreated down the hall. I was shocked that she’d said yes, but my chest felt warm at the thought of spending some time alone with her.
When Sophie met me outside, she was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a long-sleeved shirt that barely fell to her waist. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. I looked at her closely and realized she wasn’t wearing any makeup. I hadn’t yet seen her look so casual, and yet, my attraction to her was stronger than ever.
“You ready?” I asked. She nodded, and I led the way toward the stables.
“Hey, Amy,” Sophie called when we got close.
Amy’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw us. She smiled at Sophie nervously and then turned her attention to me.
“Mr. Hopper,” she said. “What can I do for you today?”
“Sophie and I are going to take a ride,” I said. “I’d like to take Donna Lee, if you don’t mind getting her ready?”
“Of course,” Amy said. “Sophie, do you want Gemma?”
Sophie nodded and grinned at the thought. Amy hurried away to saddle up the horses, leaving Sophie and I alone again. It wasn’t long before we were trotting away from the stables and the house.
“This way,” I said. “This path leads to an open clearing.”
“Okay.” Sophie pulled on Gemma’s reins to follow me out of the courtyard.
We trotted along silently, making sure to keep the horses side by side. At first, I felt like I should say something to make up for my attitude the night before. The longer we rode, the more relaxed I became. I didn’t feel anxious or nervous. Sophie no longer seemed upset about our last encounter. Being on horseback had a magical effect on us both.
After a while, we finally made it to the clearing. We hopped off the horses and let them have a rest while we lounged back on the grass.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t think about bringing a blanket or anything.”
“No need,” Sophie said, waving her hand. “The grass is perfectly comfortable.”
“Have you been riding long?” I asked, nodding toward the horses.
“My whole life,” Sophie said proudly. “I love horses.”
“I can tell,” I said. “I saw you out at the stables the other day.”
“I know.”
Sophie met my gaze, and I quickly looked away. It was getting easier to talk to her, but harder to look at her. She was so much more beautiful than I first realized.
“Amy said you don’t ride much,” Sophie said.
I shrugged. “No time. Between work and everything, I just don’t get many chances.”
“You should make more time,” Sophie said, not unkindly. “You’re so lucky to have them. I’d give anything for my own horses.”
“You can ride them whenever you like,” I said. “As long as you’re here.”
“Thank you.” Sophie smiled, and I forgot how to breathe. “What do you do for fun, then?”
“I have a few motorcycles,” I said with a shrug. “I take them out from time to time.”
“Motorcycles?” Sophie raised her eyebrows. “I cannot picture you on a bike.”
“No?” I asked.
“No.” Sophie laughed. “You’re just so…”
“Uptight?” I asked, laughing with her.
Sophie blushed. “Well, kind of.”
“I can be,” I said, shrugging. “But I haven’t always been this way. I used to be a lot more fun.”
“Oh?” Sophie raised her eyebrows again. This time, I got the distinct impression she was flirting with me. “How so?”
“I won most of my bikes by racing,” I said. “It drove my parents insane. They hated that I put myself in that much danger, but I loved it. There’s nothing like it. It’s such a high.”
“Take me on one,” Sophie said simply.
“What?” I asked.
“I’ve never been on a motorcycle,” she said.
“We can fix that,” I said with a grin. “Anytime you want.”
“What’s wrong with now?” Sophie asked.
There was a glint in her eyes similar to the one I saw the other day when we argued about the Benson contract. She’d challenged me effortlessly, and now, she was doing it again.
I grinned and got to my feet.
“Let’s go,” I said, holding out my hand to her.
She let me pull her up before we hurried over to the horses. On the way back, I told Sophie all about my bikes.
“Which one will we take?” she asked.
“You can pick,” I said.
“Race you back?” Sophie asked once the stables came into view.
I grinned and kicked Donna Lee gently. She galloped faster while Sophie and Gemma blew past us, Sophie laughing freely the whole way back.