They talked a little about the painting as she finished gathering her things up. He looked at her with a serious expression. "Which do you want to take back; Midnight or the Gator?"
She laughed, but then sobered up and looked at him. "Do you think it's possible that could ever be an option?"
He picked one of her hands up and rubbed it gently. "I do. I'm not just saying that, either, Lilly. You and Midnight have become good friends. You don't seem to be afraid around him any more."
"I'm not. I feel comfortable now around him, and around Patches, too. But do you think I'd ever be able to actually ride one of them?"
"I do. Being comfortable around them is the biggest obstacle you had to overcome, honey, and I think you've done that. You've brushed both of them, and did a good job. If you want to, if you feel ready to, we can start working on teaching you how to put a saddle on Patches. That's the last thing you need to learn before we get you up on her."
Lilly was breathing harder and he could tell she was a bit nervous just thinking about it, but he knew she was also anxious to do it. One thing he knew for sure; he wasn't going to push. They'd proceed at whatever pace was comfortable for her.
"I'd like to try it," she said slowly, "but if I get scared—"
"We'll stop and you can keep hanging out with her and brushing her out until you feel ready to try it again."
She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tight. "Thank you, Dalton."
"For what?"
"For understanding, and not laughing at me, and having so much patience with me, and letting me paint this far from the house, and for coming to get me for lunch and supper, and—"
Dalton started with a chuckle and was laughing outright now. "You're welcome, honey, for everything. Now let's go eat. I'm hungry. Then after supper if you want to, I'll start teaching you how to saddle Patches."
True to his word, after supper they went to the barn, where he slowly started teaching her how to saddle a horse. He went slowly, and stopped as soon as she looked uncomfortable. "Okay, that's enough for today. You did really well, Lilly."
"Really? It didn't seem like we did much."
"Most of the first lesson is you watching me. We'll do more next time. Besides, if I teach it all to you at once, I won't have an excuse to give you lessons, mixed in with an occasional kiss or two," he said as he leaned down to take her lips in a passionate kiss. "I wouldn't want to miss out on those."
The next few weeks were extremely busy. She worked hard on her painting, and getting all her paintings ready for the show. They also continued slowly working with Patches. He encouraged her to become more comfortable around the other horses, as well, giving them sugar cubes and rubbing their necks. He was pleased, watching her fear of horses dissipate. It was slowly being replaced with a respect and admiration for the beautiful animals. It was obvious the horses sensed it as well as they were more comfortable around her.
Finally, about a week before the show, Dalton felt she was ready to try riding Patches. She agreed, and was even anxious to try, which he was delighted to see. He let her saddle the horse, and stood by ready to help if needed, while she mounted Patches. Dalton let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding when he saw horse and rider both looking calm and confident. He quickly mounted Midnight and asked, "Do you remember how I showed you to make her turn how you want her to?"
"Yes, I remember. I just hope she does."
Dalton had to chuckle. "Oh, I think she will. Let's start with a slow trip around the corral." He stayed by her side, as she got some experience directing Patches around the corral. He was proud of both of them. Patches seemed to sense she was a rookie, and the horse followed her every command smoothly.
When Dalton suggested they'd been at it long enough for the first time, Lilly disagreed. "Just a little bit longer, please? I can't believe I'm doing this, and it's really fun! Please don't make me stop yet."
With a big smile he assured her, "Okay, we'll keep going a little longer. Let's stay in the corral the first time, but you take her where you want. I'll stay out of your way, and you pick where you want to go."
He sat atop Midnight in the center of the corral and watched as Lilly led Patches around. She was doing a good job, and what was even more important to him was that she looked and acted at ease. He let her go, knowing she was building her confidence. When she finally headed Patches back to the barn, he knew she'd turned a corner. He was so proud of her.
They left the corral the next evening and went on their first ride together. He led the way, going where he knew there were no hills they'd have to contend with, and staying on the lanes they take their tractors on. They got back to the barn and took the saddles off their horses and brushed them out. When they were done, he turned to Lilly to compliment her. Before he could say anything she'd wrapped her arms around his waist. "Dalton, that was so fun! Thank you so much!"
"You did it," he said as he pulled her into a hug. "You looked good sitting up there on Patches."
"It felt so right. I never thought I'd be able to get over my fear, but your patience with me and animals did it."
"I'm glad to hear it felt right, honey. We'll ride more whenever you want, but it might not be for a couple of days. We've got to get you ready for your show. Are you getting excited?"
"Very," she answered, "and nervous."
"Why nervous?"
"What if no one likes my paintings?"
He looked at her with big astonished eyes. "Are you kidding me? Have you seen them?" He got serious then because he knew it was a genuine concern of hers. "Lilly, I don't think that even warrants consideration. We all love them, and if we do, I'm sure other people will, too." He was surprised to learn she really was nervous about this show. According to Daphne, she'd always been excited about her shows, but not worried. He wondered what was different this time.
He helped her load her paintings into a cabinet he'd had built for his truck, and they took them to the gallery. The curator was ecstatic, saying these were even better than the ones he'd seen in South Carolina. He was sure it would be a wonderful show.
Dalton was a bit concerned, though, because as the day of the show drew nearer, Lilly became more nervous. Daphne had even called him to talk about it. The two ladies had spent Saturday together shopping, and she seemed worried about the show. She insisted she'd never been like this before, and she wasn't sure, either, why this one had her so nervous.
The night before the show Lilly was a nervous wreck. Dalton took her out to eat, where she pushed her food around on her plate. "Lilly, why are you so nervous about this show? Have you ever had a show you didn't think went well?"
"No."
"Then why are you so nervous about this one?"
"He's done lots of advertising for this show, saying it was the work of a local artist."
"Yes, I think he's done an admirable job of advertising the show. Do you feel he should have done more, or done something differently?"
"No. It's just that—well, I don't know exactly. I think it's got something to do with the fact that I've started feeling like this is home."
"That's good to hear," Dalton said with a kiss to her forehead. "But how does that affect your show?"
"This feels like home, and the paintings that will be in this show are local scenes. I'm not telling anyone where specifically the scenes are, but have simply said they're local. That's how Mr. Freeman advertised it, as well, as depicting local sites. So what if people don't like them?"
"I don't think that's going to happen, so I don't see any reason to worry about it. If it should, we'll deal with it then, together." He gave her a big hug. "Lilly, I love you, and I'll be here with you. Let's not worry about people not liking your paintings unless it happens, okay?"
Dalton felt her relax in his arms and tighten her hold on him. "Thank you. I love you, too, and I think I needed to hear that right now. I don't know why I've been so worried about this. Are you going to be there with me tomorrow evening?"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he assured her. "It's my chance to show off my very beautiful, very talented girlfriend. I'll be there beside you."
"So if I start feeling nervous and need to borrow some of your strength—"
"You just come over and slip your arm in mine," he instructed. "I'll put an arm around you and slide you in closer to me. Feel free to cuddle in as close as you want." He smiled down at her and she knew he was serious and would be there for her. That reassurance helped her a great deal.
The next evening Daphne and Brian were there to support Lilly, as were Clay and a lady he'd been seeing, and Stella and her sister. A couple of the ranch hands even showed up. Dalton and Lilly were both overwhelmed with the number of people at the gallery, anxious to see the work of the new local artist. The response was just as overwhelming. She got one compliment after another, after another. Several people expressed excitement about having such a talented artist living right here among them, and letting her know she was definitely welcome. After looking at her paintings, many people said that her love for the area was evident.
When the guests all finally left and the curator closed and locked the doors he approached Dalton and Lilly with a big smile. "Have you got time to go to the office and go over a few things? I have some things I need to talk to you about."
Lilly looked over to Dalton, who nodded his head. "Yes, that's fine," Lilly said. "If you don't mind, I'd like to have Dalton there, too. My head's kind of in the clouds right now, but I'm sure he'll be able to grasp everything you have to say."
Mr. Freeman laughed and assured her, "I have no problem at all with Mr. Henderson being there. It's obvious after seeing the two of you tonight that you're close, and it sounds like you respect his judgment, so I think it's a good idea to have him with you."
Once they were comfortable in his office, he began. "First let me tell you that was the best show I've ever had at this gallery."
Dalton glanced at Lilly and saw a dazed expression. He chuckled a bit and asked, "What do you mean by best; best how?"
"It was the best in several ways. It was at least one of the most well attended shows I've had. But, I'm sure I had more positive comments about different aspects of your work. In short, people loved it. I've received more requests for prints than I can remember ever receiving from a single show before. I don't know if you've thought about making prints available, but I'll give you a list of your paintings and the number of requests for prints I've received for each. We can talk about it in a day or two, after you've had a chance to think about it."
"Okay, thank you," Lilly responded.
"One thing I do want to talk to you about tonight, though, is a request I received from a local couple."
Lilly was curious. "What kind of request?"
"A local couple was absolutely blown away with your work. They've requested prints of a couple of your paintings, but they asked if I'd talk to you and see if you would be interested in doing a painting for them."
"What do you mean?"
"They want a painting of their house and the area around it. They've done a lot of landscaping and it really is pretty. They've considered having a picture taken, but they said once they saw your work, they think you could capture it better than a photograph would. I said I'd talk to you."
Dalton looked over at Lilly, who looked very confused. "Does that sound like something you'd be interested in doing, Lilly?"
"I don't know. I mean, I'm sure it's pretty, but what if it's not something that I find inspiring? I paint what I paint because it's inspired me. I can't just start painting what someone else wants me to paint. I don't think I could."
Dalton nodded his head. "I see your point, Lilly."
"Maybe you could drive past their house and look at it before you give them an answer?"
Lilly looked at Dalton. "What do you think?"
"I have a little bit of a concern with that. What happens if this house is good and you paint it? The owners are happy with it and show their friends. One of them may want you to paint something for them, and what if their house doesn't strike you?"
Now Lilly nodded her head. "Good point. I hadn't thought of that."
Dalton looked to Mr. Freeman. "Maybe we better think about this a little bit before we give you an answer."
"That's probably a good idea. You have a lot to talk about." He turned to address Lilly next. "I want to congratulate you on such a successful show and thank you for allowing me to host it."
"Thank you for everything, Mr. Freeman. I'll call you in a couple of days."
Dalton and Lilly spent about an hour cuddled on the couch when they got home. They talked about her successful show and looked at which paintings were the most requested. Mostly, though, they enjoyed just cuddling, kissing, and being together. He knew she'd been stressed out, worried about the show, and now that it was over and had gone well, she was much more relaxed. Dalton wanted to simply be with her and hold her while she calmed down.
Chapter Thirteen
Lilly decided she didn't want to start painting for other people. She was afraid of taking some jobs and turning down others, so she told Mr. Freeman she was sorry, but she only wanted to paint what inspired her. He got back to her the next day saying the couple understood and were still big fans of her work.
She took a few days off from her painting, but she and Dalton went riding every evening after supper. She and Patches were getting along really well, and she was feeling more comfortable in the saddle every day. Several days after the show, as they were brushing down the horses after an evening ride, Lilly brought up Daphne. "She's a little surprised I've learned how to ride."
"She is? Why?"
"She said she knew when we were growing up that I was afraid of horses. She said she just assumed I wasn't interested in learning to ride. But she did say it stands to reason that if anyone could help me overcome my fear and learn to ride it would be you. I had to agree with her there."
He smiled, actually looked embarrassed, and promptly changed the subject. "So she knew you didn't like horses? Why didn't she say anything?"
"She said she didn't want to embarrass me. Anyway, I suggested she and I go riding some day, but she said I should okay it with you first. She said if you approved, then we could go out."
A smile spread across Dalton's face. "My little sister said that?"
"Yes, she did. It kind of upset me."
"Why?"
"Because, duh! Why do I have to get your approval before she and I can go riding?"
"Did you ask her that?"
"Yes. She said it was for safety reasons, that you wouldn't want me going out riding without you until you felt I was ready."
"Good for her," Dalton said with a smile. "You don't look very happy."
"I'm not. Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't Daphne been riding horses since she was little?"
"Yep. She's a very good rider."
"So why do I have to be with you; why can't I go with her?"
"Lilly, listen to what you just said. She wanted me to approve it because she knows I'm the one who taught you. That means I know how experienced you are and how good you are. When she first learned to ride, she wasn't allowed to go anywhere without my father, who taught her, until he knew she was ready to go with other people. Then she was allowed to go with only him or our mom or myself or our foreman for awhile longer."
"Because she was just a little kid?"
"Because she hadn't been riding horses long. Dad wanted to make sure she was safe."
Lilly thought a bit. "So she was saying you had to approve it because then she'd know you thought I was ready?"
"Exactly." He went over to Patches' stall and took the curry brush from her hand. "And since she's a good friend, she wanted to be sure I felt you were ready so you'd be safe."
Lilly sighed. "So she wanted your approval not because you're a bossy but sexy cowboy who feels he has to be in charge of everything, but because she knew since you taught me you'd
know if I was ready to go out with someone else?"
He had a grin on his face as he nodded his head. "I can guarantee she did not think I'm a bossy but sexy cowboy. How about you; do you think I'm a bossy but sexy cowboy?" He laughed when he saw her face turn a nice shade of red. He leaned down and gave her a kiss, which he deepened when she enthusiastically returned his kiss.
He ended the kiss abruptly when Patches whinnied and used her head to nudge his hat off his head. Lilly laughed as she rubbed Patches' neck. Dalton laughed, as well, as he picked up his hat. "How am I supposed to look like a sexy cowboy if your horse keeps knocking my cowboy hat off?"
He laughed even harder when he watched Lilly take a sugar cube out of her shirt pocket and give it to Patches. "Good girl," she cooed to the horse as she rubbed her neck.
Dalton took her hand and led her out of the stall and put their brushes away. As they were going to the house, still hand in hand, he addressed her concern. "When we get inside, I'll call Daphne. Lilly, I'm okay with you going riding with her, but please tell me you'll listen to her. She's been riding a long time and she knows the horses we have and what spooks each of them. She knows places on the ranch that are rather difficult for the horses and I'm sure she won't take you to them, so please listen to her. Respect her experience, okay?"
"Okay. You're okay, though, with us going riding together?"
"I am. You and Patches are doing well, and I know you've been wanting to spend more time with Daphne, so I'm fine with you going riding with her. Just let me know when, and where you plan on going."
She flung her arms around his neck and tried to give him a big kiss, though he quickly intercepted it and was the one directing the kiss. She smiled to herself at the thought, but let him lead and enjoyed every minute of it. That was her big, sexy cowboy, and truth be told, she wouldn't want it any other way.
A Beautiful Ranch Page 16
