“Did you practice?” I look at him with raised eyebrows.
He snort-laughs and shakes his head. “I’m not gonna become a hand jive pro anytime soon.”
I smile and look out the window. The mountains seem to get closer, still snow-topped. The natural beauty of this area shows off in open fields mixed with forested areas.
My mouth drops when Gavin pulls into the ranch, vast land rolling around us.
“Wow,” I breathe out. I see a crooked smirk on Gavin’s lips as he takes us down the dirt road and to a red barn.
“This is beautiful,” I say as I crane my head over the dashboard to look at the looming mountains.
“Thanks. Are you ready to prove your country girl abilities?” he teases.
“You’re on, cowboy.” I hop out of the truck and meet Gavin in the front of the truck. I like this playful side of him.
“Come on.” He juts his head toward the closed barn, and slides open one of the doors for me to walk in. Instantly, the scents of hay and horses hit me, and I feel like I’m back home in Mississippi. A neigh pulls my attention to the right, and I walk in that direction.
“That’s June,” Gavin says from behind me as I look at the skewbald mare. Her white and brown patches create a unique coat.
“She’s beautiful.”
“She’s a great horse. You can ride her.” Gavin reaches out from behind me, petting the horse.
When he encourages me, I put my hand out so June can smell me before petting down her face.
As I get acquainted with June, Gavin grabs the saddles and prepares the horses.
“What’s his name?” I point to his horse.
“Dusty Buckaroo.” When I laugh, he adds, “Penny named him.”
“Of course she did,” I snort and cover my face as my eyes pop open and feel heat move up my neck.
Gavin chuckles and removes my hand. “That’s cute.”
My heart slams in my chest, and the heat intensifies. I wasn’t expecting such an honest compliment from him.
“We’re ready.”
We walk the horses out of the barn, and Gavin helps me onto June, although I’m perfectly capable of getting on a horse myself. I won’t deny myself the opportunity to feel his hands on my waist, even if it’s to help me.
We begin to ride down the trail until we reach an open space and move along wherever Gavin leads. Yellow flowers grow wild and dance in the breeze. The views are breathtaking as we go through the uneven terrain and onto another trail that’s shrouded with trees.
“How have you liked being an Everton resident these last couple weeks?” Gavin asks, turning his head to the side to look at me.
“It’s been great. I spent so much time here, it always felt like I lived here. All my belongings did arrive, though, so now it feels more like home. And Kelsey is finally coming to visit. I can’t wait to show her around.” I beam at him.
“That’s great. I’m sure you’ll have fun.”
“Yeah, I’m really excited. If you have any recommendations on where to take her, I’ll appreciate it. I’m still getting to know every place around here.”
“Definitely, The Mad Batter.”
“That’s a given,” I wink.
Gavin’s mouth splits into a smile, and he shakes his head. “You’re something else, Sutton.”
“Why thank you very much.” I nod my head. “Do you usually ride out here?” I ask as I hear the faint sound of water rushing.
“When I have time for longer rides, yeah.”
“It’s so peaceful.”
“It is. It’s why I like coming out here. It helps to forget all the stress and worry and remember there’s more to life than that, you know?” He looks at me with pursed lips.
“I totally get that. It’s nice to have somewhere to disconnect from the chaos that life brings.” I don’t dare ask him about his past. I figure he’ll tell me if and when he’s ready.
“Is horseback riding your favorite thing to do?” I ask, instead. I want to know Gavin as a person, not as one experience but as a whole.
“Yeah. I’ve been riding since I was a boy and helping around the ranch since I could walk. Riding has always brought a sense of calm and also thrill.”
“I used to help my dad around the ranch when I was younger, too. I think I mentioned that the other day we went fishing. I loved being out there with the animals and just roaming the land. It’s nothing like this.” I wave a hand around.
“I haven’t traveled much, but I’d bet Wyoming is more beautiful than a lot of other places… Or I’m biased,” he shrugs.
“It’s definitely up there,” I nod.
“Have you visited a lot of places?” He looks at me with raised brows.
“Not really. Mississippi, obviously, and Nashville. I went to Florida when I was younger with my family. Besides that, I’ve gone to the cities I’ve toured in, but we don’t get to see much of those when we’re going from place to place and sleeping on a bus.”
Gavin nods, pensive for a moment. “The more popular you become, the more you’ll visit other places and travel. I’m sure then you’ll have time to visit any place you want.”
“Honestly, I think at the end of a tour, all I’ll want is to come home to my bed,” I sigh. Being on the road isn’t an easy lifestyle, but it comes with the territory. For as long as I can remember, my dream was to be a singer.
“What’s one place you’d love to go to?” I ask him.
My body softly rocks as I ride next to Gavin, the rushing water I heard earlier now coming into view as we reach a river.
“We’re going to cross through here. It’s shallow,” Gavin says. “As for traveling, I’d love to visit Europe.”
“Anywhere specific?” I focus on guiding June through the river.
“Not really. London, for sure.”
“That would be amazing. I’d love to go to Italy.” June
