Our first kiss was over before it really started, but ever since our second kiss, she can’t seem to get enough. Then again, neither can I. I could kiss her all night and never get tired of it.
“Get a room!” Jake yells, as he hoists his cup in the air. He’s definitely on his way to drunk. Becca reaches for his hand, setting the cup on the ground in front of him before he spills it all over her. Normally, if someone took Jake’s cup from him, he’d probably have something to say. Since it’s Becca, he only smiles, taking the opportunity to pull her closer to him.
I wouldn’t have coupled them up, but the more I think about it, Becca’s the kind of girl to tame a wild soul like Jake. He’s a free spirit, often loud, and always obnoxious, but she’s buying what he’s selling, despite him being a total nut job.
Kinsley laughs at him when he leans forward to kiss Becca and falls off the bale of hay he’s sitting on. It gives me an idea—something we both could use a little bit of. Time alone and some peace and quiet. “Will you take a walk with me, Sunny?”
“Sure.”
We walk hand in hand the way we came, until we hit the rest of the crowd gathered around the keg. Grayson’s dad owns one of the largest beer distributors in the area. He snags free beer for almost every party. Normally, I’d have a cup in my hand, but tonight, all I need is Kinsley.
Once we weave our way though the crowd, the light from the cars lining the field slowly fades. She holds my hand a little tighter, no doubt trying to figure out why I’m walking her into a field of darkness.
“Rhett, where are we going? It’s pitch black over here.”
“Don’t let go of my hand. I know my way around.” I push open the door to the barn, slipping us inside completely unnoticed.
“Are we allowed to be in here?” she questions.
“I am, but I don’t know about you,” I joke. “You might get thrown off the property.”
“That’s reassuring. What are we doing in here, anyway?”
“I’m kidding, Kinsley. I want to show you something.”
I lead her across the hay covered floors, and she yelps a few times when the straw pokes through her jeans, but I keep a tight hold on her, not stopping until we’re in front of the last stall in the barn. I know what I’m looking at, and I can tell she doesn’t have a clue.
Letting go of her hand, she latches onto my shirt, still unsure of what we’re doing in here. I pull out my cell phone, using the flashlight app to light up the space. Shining it over the wooden stall door, I hear the moment she recognizes what’s in front of her.
Instantly, she stands a little taller, reaching her hand out. “It’s so cute, Rhett. Is it a boy or a girl?”
I shine the light to the banner hanging above her stall. “It’s a girl. Her name’s Dawn to Dark.”
She stares at the foal in front of us, watching as she comes closer to where we’re standing. “Dawn to Dark,” she repeats. “That’s really pretty.”
“She’s like the sunshine—sunrise to sunset,” I tell her.
And then it hits her. She figures it out all on her own. “Just like me,” she whispers, as I run my fingertips up and down her back. “It’s perfect. Who named her?”
This next part has the potential to freak her out, but I tell her anyway. “I named her.”
Her head whips toward me as soon as the words leave my mouth. “You named her? Jake’s parents let you do that?”
“They don’t own her. I do.”
She blinks a couple times, seeming shocked that I’d have a horse. Then again, I don’t exactly go around talking about it. My close friends know we have a stable on the outskirts of town, but I’ve never taken anyone there before. “I can’t believe you have a horse.”
“Other than Jake, you’re the only one who knows about her. My dad trains horses part-time, actually. She was sort of a gift.”
“Why’s she here if she’s yours?”
“I’m fixing up her stall in my dad’s stable. Some of the wood was rotting and needed replaced. She’ll be back with the rest of the horses as soon as the work is done.”
“That’s so cool, Rhett. Do you have any idea how much I love horses? I used to ride when I was little.” I open the stall door, letting Kinsley inside to get a better look at her. She reaches out her hand, and Dawn, as I call her for short, sticks her nose right in her palm. “That tickles.”
“You can ride her when she’s a little bigger. Dad has others we can ride until then if you want to ride with me sometime.”
“Really? I would love that. I had to give it up when Mom got sick. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until you brought me in here.” She leans forward and presses a kiss to Dawn’s long snout. Already, they’ve bonded. “I always thought your dad was in business. I had no idea he worked with horses.”
“He is in business.”
“No, I pictured him selling real estate or working for a bank—something like that.”
I can see how she would think that. He definitely looks the part. “He oversees the business side of the stable. He trains when he can. Horses have always been his passion. Now he’s trying to pass it on to me.”
“The entire business? Or just her?”
Dawn snorts out her nose, being playful with Kinsley. “I’m pretty sure this is the beginning of it. He told me the next horse was mine, and here she is. She’s a thoroughbred. She’ll race when she’s old enough.”
“I want to see her again,” she says, as she runs her hand down the side of her mane. “Why’d you pick Dawn to Dark? I get the meaning of her name, but why did you name her after the sunshine, too?”
My guess is, she already has her suspicions, but she’s trying to ask an honest question, so I’ll give her an honest answer. “I named her after you, Sunny. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get you to date me, especially with Wyatt being your brother, but at least I’d have the horse to remind me of you.”
Kinsley steps away from Dawn, staring up at me. I shine my light on her face, and I don’t see any trace that she’s scared. All I see is my girl, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “Nobody’s ever done something like this for me. Thank you, Rhett.”
“It’s not too much?”
She shakes her head, a small smile playing on her lips. “No. It’s not too much.”
“You don’t know how happy I am to hear you say that. I was nervous to tell you.”
“I didn’t think Rhett Taylor got nervous,” she says, playfully.
“When it comes to you, I’m a little bit of everything. I’ve never felt this way before, Kinsley. I can’t even describe it, but it’s like nothing can go wrong. That no matter what happens, I’ll still be smiling because I have you to look forward to. That probably makes me sound like a pussy.”
She swallows, her hand reaching for mine. “No it doesn’t. It makes you real. Every time I’m with you, Rhett, I don’t want it to end. I think about you all day long.”
I wrap her arms around my neck, forcing her to move closer to me. “Good. That’s how I want it. I want to be on your mind. Then you can’t forget me.”
We sway from side to side like we’re slow dancing, but the only music I hear is my heartbeat thumping wildly. I feel hers beating just as strongly against my chest.
“I’ll never forget you—no matter what.” She pauses for a moment, her forehead resting against me, just below my chin. Then, she raises her beautiful golden eyes, and my heart literally skips a beat. I feel the second it happens.
“What is it?”
I’m positive she’s about to lay something big on me, but she stalls, and then she changes her mind. “Nothing. How long have you had her?”
“Almost two months.”
“Two months,” she whispers. “Since July?”
“I just freaked you out, didn’t I?” I told her I’ve wanted her for a long time. Maybe now she’ll be able to see I wasn’t kidding. I did get Dawn to Dark in July. Summer was halfway over, football was about to officially begin, even though we were already working out all summer long, and all I could think about was going back to school and seeing Kinsley again.
“Sunny,” I whisper. “Say something.”
When she doesn’t immediately respond, I pull away from her, leading her out of the stall. I close the door behind us, but Kinsley climbs up onto the rails of the wall separating Dawn’s stall from the one beside her. I give her a minute to herself, not saying another word until she’s ready to talk. But I don’t move away from her—I can’t.