Page 32 of Shattered Oaths

“Yeah. Figured he could do with the exercise. She doesn’t ride him all that much anymore.” I dip my head toward the stirrups. “You remember how to mount?”

Bella gives me a ‘duh’look. “Of course. It hasn’t been that long.”

I scoff at that. “It’s been a while, Bells. Just wanted to make sure.”

Bella huffs a dry laugh. “I’m sure I’ll manage. I’ll meet you out front.”

She disappears out the barn doors and I duck into Nuggets stall to tack him up. This time I don’t fumble like an amateur and within minutes, I’m leading him out into the sunlight.

To my surprise, Bella is already mounted on Chance and waiting for me as I join them. I squint up at her. “Not bad, babybell.”

She gives me a smug smile and shrugs. “Just like riding a bike.”

A deep chuckle rumbles in my chest, and I shake my head as I mount Nugget. “That was just the first hurdle. The real test is, can you still ride?”

Bella smiles, the challenge shining in her grey eyes. “I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”

Before I even get the chance to respond, she digs her heels in and takes off, nothing but blonde hair and high-pitched laughter following her as she goes.

It’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.

I shake my head with a laugh, pride crawling up my chest as I run a hand down Nuggets neck. “You ready for this, boy?”

And then I take off after her.

***

BELLA

Wind whips against my face and my eyes water as Chance gallops across the open land. My smile is so wide that my cheeks ache and in this moment I can’t for the life of me remember why I ever stopped doing this.

There’s nothing more freeing.

I can hear the heavy pounding of hooves behind me as Noah and Nugget gain on me and a childlike giggle escapes me when I glance over my shoulder and see how close they are.

In seconds, Noah is riding alongside me, his smile mirroring my own as the two of us put all of our trust into the horses beneath us.

I don’t know how long we ride side by side like that before a line of thick trees come into view and I look to Noah for direction. He begins to slow and I follow suit, using the reins between my fingers to let Chance know what I want him to do.

Noah doesn’t speak, just leads us into the tree-line and onto a trail and I follow behind him, taking in the beauty of the nature surrounding us.

It’s quieter here, the towering evergreens protecting us from the wind and I soak it all in. The sound of birds chirping above us. The distant trickle of a stream. And the quiet rustling of leaves.

“I’ve gotta say, I’m impressed, Bells,” Noah says, breaking the silence.

I smirk at him. “You doubted me.”

He gives a regretful nod. “I did. I won’t do that again.”

Now I laugh. “I wouldn’t advise it.”

If I’m being completely honest, I doubted myself too. When Noah asked me if I wanted to ride Chance, my stomach sank. I know what this horse means to him and the thought of doing anything to spook him or hurt him terrified me. But the moment I let him outside the barn, and I had a moment alone; it all came back to me.

And at the first opportunity I got, I was gone.

I took off running for two reasons. One, I had a point to prove. And two, I needed to put as much distance between me and the youngest Calloway as possible before I embarrassed myself again.

Because even though I spent the better part of last night in a state of panic after Justin tried to force himself on me, all I could focus on was the comment he made at breakfast this morning.