by Gina Calanni
“We’re here.” Brandon parks the truck. I hesitate for a moment before jumping out and taking off in a mad dash. But since we have class again on Monday that would only add to my discomfort.
“Great.” I unlatch the door and climb out of the truck and my foot touches the dirt road. I close the door and take in the view. We’ve arrived out in what most people would refer to as the middle of nowhere. There is a stable and a red fence that lines the property farther than I can see.
“Come on, I’ll let you pick your horse.” Brandon grabs my hand and I let him. Even though he didn’t confirm or deny whether this is a date. But no man ever holds my hand unless it’s a date. Then again, I don’t really know Brandon; maybe this is what he does with girls. I mean, he did say he would pay for any girl’s meal if he were with them in the cafeteria. So I suppose this could be the same situation with my hand.
His palm is warm and large. Brandon opens up the metal gate with his other hand and guides us to the stable. We mosey in through the entrance and I do a quick count of each stall. There are sixteen stalls with black poles in-between each one. Shoot, that’s a lot of horses. Is this a horse farm?
“The key to picking your horse is kind of like picking a…” Brandon pulls me in toward him and leans in to my ear. “Date.”
I blink several times. “Okay, I can handle that.” I grin back at him. He must think he is something else. I need to regain control of myself and stop acting like such a swooning fool around him. I let go of his hand and stroll through the stable, checking out each horse. They all are beautiful. It’s going to be hard to choose between these pretty animals. Their eyes are studying me, like they know I might let them out of their small room and they’ll get a chance to run free. Shoot, I want to let all of them run free and then brush their manes. I bet they like that. I never had an animal, it wasn’t something Mama was keen on. But my Barbie dolls had the nicest hair. I brushed their hair several times a day, that was until the day my mama said it was time for me to let the dolls go and move on to something else. I cried so hard that day. After I graduated high school, my mama told me she’d thought that if I got too close with the dolls, I’d end up pregnant before I crossed the stage to accept my high-school diploma. Little did she know I hadn’t ever experienced anything even close to making that a reality.
I run my fingers over the wooden gates, studying each horse. After I’ve given each beauty a full inspection I stroll back to the second stable.
“This is the one I want.” The name plaque on her stall reads “Goldilocks.” Even better. Her mane is a shade of white and her body is a light-gold color; her dark eyes stand out like a model with kohl-rimmed eyelashes.
“Good choice.” Brandon unlocks her stall and offers his hand to Goldie. He whispers something in her ear. He takes a saddle down off the wall and swings it onto Goldie’s back, tightening it around her belly.
“All right, here are her reins; hold on and I’ll get Rebel.”
“Rebel. Ha. Well, don’t that sound about right?” I say, only for Goldie to hear.
Brandon brings his horse around, a mocha-brown-colored beast with matching mane and a white spot on his face. Also a gorgeous animal. He takes the reins of both the horses and we leave the stable and enter a small, circled, fenced-off area; this is probably used for training the horses, or maybe even for training people how to ride the horses. Like me. Shoot, I hope I don’t fall off and break my back like I think Madonna did one year. Or maybe it was Lady Gaga; I can’t tell those two apart. I know they are from different decades, but they seem so similar.
“All right, now I’m going to ask you something and I want you to be honest with me, okay?” Brandon’s dreamy blues are piercing into me. As if I could ever tell him anything but the truth. He would surely drag whatever information he wanted out of me without any hesitation with just one deep stare from those blue eyes. It’s like I’m wading out into the lake and I’m going to go under and drown in his blue eyes.
I nod.
“Have you ever been on a horse before?”
I bite the inside of my cheek and let out a sigh. “I rode a pony once at a birthday party when I was ten.” There, I said it, and I’m sure he’s going to scoff at my unworldly ways, especially since I was born and raised in Texas.
“Okay, we’ll take this slow; let me help you up on Goldilocks and let’s see how comfortable you feel.” Wow, I thought for sure he was going to laugh at me or make some comment to make me feel less than I already do on my own… pretty much daily.
I nod.
“Put your foot in the stirrup and I’ll help you up into the saddle.” Brandon points to where my foot needs to go.
I stick my left foot in and Brandon lifts up my rear and I swing my leg over Goldie’s back, and then I’m up. I can’t believe I did that in one try. Well, with Brandon’s help.
“I’m up!” I shout.
“Yeah, you are. How do you feel?” Brandon stares up at me.
“Good, I feel good. Shoot, I feel great.” I let out a giggle. I can’t believe how great it is to be up this high and on top of such a gorgeous creature. I lean down and whisper into Goldie’s ear. All right, girl, take it easy on me.
“I’m going to walk you around the circle, all right?” Brandon grabs the reins and does just that. We make it back to where Rebel has been waiting somewhat patiently for us. He has only snorted less than half a dozen times.
“So, what do you think? You ready to leave the circle?” Brandon’s dreamy blues are flickering up at me. Even if I wasn’t ready, I can’t imagine saying so.
“Yes, let’s take these horses for a spin.” I laugh.
“Sahara, it’s for a ride; spin is for fast cars, and we can do that, too, but not today.” Brandon hops onto Rebel like he is a seasoned rodeo star.
I take in a deep breath. If this were one of those romance novels, I’d probably faint and fall off my horse at this point, because he is beyond swoonable. Which makes me wonder, why on earth is he with me?
“All right, I’ll hold on to your reins, just in case.” Brandon reaches for Goldie’s reins and clicks to Rebel. We are off, trotting away from the stables over the green, grassy fields and through a thick forest. I’m beginning to get nervous. What if I fall? What do I know about Brandon? Where are we going? We coast through the leaves and dead branches and I’m wondering if my shirt will catch on a snaggly stick, but Brandon is guiding us along a path that is free from any snags or deep holes. We’re trotting at a safe pace and finally we make it out of the woods and in front of us is a big pond; it might be a lake, I can’t be sure, but it’s definitely big. Brandon slows the horses down and leads us to a tree. He hops down and ties Rebel to the tree.
“Here, just fall into me. I’ll catch you.” Brandon opens up his arms to me. And I lean toward him and he reaches up and grabs me with both his hands. He pulls me off Goldie, and I’m afraid I’m going to topple him over. Not because I’m bigger than him, but because this is about as awkward as a dismount could possibly be.
Brandon stares down into my eyes. “What did you think?” His arms are still wrapped around my back and I take a deep breath.
“It was…” I’m at a loss for words. He’s got his arms around me and I want to blurt out things that should not be said, not on a first date… if this is in fact a date.
Brandon raises an eyebrow at me.
“Great.” I almost shout at him.
Brandon laughs. “I like your enthusiasm.” He lets go of my arms and ties Goldie to the same tree as Rebel. He takes a tan leather satchel from Rebel’s saddle and grabs my hand and we stroll toward the pond.
He digs in the satchel and throws down a light-blue blanket onto the bank. He nods at me to take a seat.
I plop down on the blanket. It’s mid-April and there is a light breeze, but I’ve got on my plaid buttoned-down shirt, which I think goes nicely with my jeans, and I’ve even got on my boots, which worked out perfect for today. It’s got to be close to seventy-so
mething degrees. I think Ms. Myra said it was only going to be seventy-three today.
Brandon sits down on the blanket with me. “Are you thirsty?”
“I’m a little parched. Are you thirsty?” I side-eye at him and press my knees down. I’m sitting criss-cross applesauce.
“I am; how do you feel about some pinot?” Brandon cocks his head to the right.
I bite the inside of my cheek. I’m not sure what pinot is. It might be wine, beer, or a sparkling water for all I know. But I’ve already admitted to him that the only horseback riding I’ve done was on a pony at a birthday party.
“Pinot sounds perfect.” I grin at him, hoping he appreciates my alliteration. I might not know what I’m about to drink but at least I can pair it with a good word choice.
Brandon pulls out a bottle, cork screw, and two glasses. So it is wine. He pours each of us a glass and I take a sip. Whoosh, this is some strong wine… reminds me a bit of the moonshine my cousin Monica got me to try when I was twelve. I was sick for days… not quite sure what was in it, or even worse, what wasn’t.
I swallow the ruby-colored wine. I guess I’m supposed to drink this slow or something? I’ll see how Brandon drinks his. He takes a gulp and his eyes are on me. Little tingles float down my arms and legs. I shiver.
“Are you cold?” Brandon raises an eyebrow at me.
“No, nope, I’m fine.” I twist the buttons on my shirt.
Brandon takes off his sweater and offers it to me. I said I was fine… shoot, now I’m not sure if I should gladly accept it or be stern about my temperature being adequate. I go with the former and wrap it over my shoulders.
“Thanks.”
Brandon grins at me. “You’re welcome. You know, if you aren’t comfortable about anything you can let me know.” He digs back into his satchel and pulls out an apple and slices it in his hand with a sharp knife.
“Apple?”
“Yes, it is.” I laugh. “Please.”
“Are you sure you want one?” Brandon raises an eyebrow at me.
I purse my lips to the side. I was just being silly, but I’m not going to beg for an apple; I’m not an animal.
“Yes, Brandon, I am.”
“Close your eyes.”
I scrunch my eyebrows together. This is not some taste test. I’ve already seen the apple; there is no guessing to be done about what it is.
“Why?”
“Just close them.”
I roll my lips together and close my eyes. The tip of the apple grazes over my lip and I open my mouth, but Brandon doesn’t put it in. He traces my lips with the apple until the fruit enters my mouth and I take a bite. It’s really juicy. I open my eyes. Brandon is inspecting me, waiting on a response.
“Tasty.” The sides of my mouth pull up.
Brandon takes a bite of one of the slices and nods. “Very.”
“I hope you don’t mind my asking, but are these horses yours?” I rub my lips together. I can’t help it; I’ve never known anybody that had their own horse stable, let alone with sixteen horses, along with all this property. If it is really Brandon’s, or his family’s, then I’m not quite sure why he would even be here with me.
“No, not mine, they’re a friend of the family’s.” Brandon takes a long gulp of his wine.
“Must be a really good friend to let you take out the horses for a ride?”
“Yes, you could say that… would you like another piece of apple?”
“Do I have to close my eyes?” I raise my eyebrow at him.
“Not if you don’t want to.” Brandon’s dreamy blues are piercing through my own eyes.
“Do you want another apple?” I rub my lips together.
“If you’re offering, then yes.” Brandon runs his hand through his shiny brown hair.
“Close those dr…” Good grief, can I not get myself together?
Brandon lets out a small laugh and closes his eyes. I take a slice from the towel and lean near his lips. And I must say he has luscious lips; they’re beautiful. I don’t want to trace them with the apple, but rather with my own tongue. I blink. I can’t do that. I won’t do that.
I let the apple brush against his bottom lip and then follow all the way to the top lip. Brandon’s eyes are closed and his arms reach around behind me. He takes the apple between his teeth and swings me into his lap. My breathing is working on overdrive. Brandon leans in close to me, his piercing blues staring down into my own eyes. He lets the apple touch my mouth and traces my lips with it. My chest is heaving up and down like someone needs to call an ambulance and rescue me before I fall into a lovesick quicksand of emotions. I take the apple into my mouth and our lips meet. I inhale a deep breath and bite off the apple that is in my mouth. Brandon takes the rest of the apple in his mouth and brings me up to a sitting position. The juices are so sweet. Who knew an apple could be so seductive? Certainly not this girl. My heart is fluttering around like it’s going to explode.
Our eyes are staring at each other like at a long-lost reunion… like I’ve known him longer than a couple of weeks. Yet, I don’t know him, or much about him for that matter. I need to fix that before I find myself in a situation where I’m nursing a broken heart. Brandon has the face of a guy who could break my heart. With a body to match, I’m still not sure what it is he sees in me. It’s like we came from two different worlds and I’m not sure why he is wanting to cross into mine.
“Brandon, I think it’s best I get to know you better before…” I rub my lips together.
Brandon’s dreamy blues sparkle at me. “Before… before what, Sahara?”
I take in a deep breath. Does he really want me to spell it out for him? I don’t want to sound like some sort of prim and proper do-good… but I do think I should know a few things about him, or any guy for that matter that I might be interested in more than kissing.
“Before you feed me any more apples.” I flitter my eyelashes at him.
The sides of Brandon’s mouth pull up and he nods. “Fine by me, though I do enjoy… feeding you… apples… and ice cream… and probably other things as well.” He winks at me. “But we can get to that later. What would you like to know? You want to play twenty questions? Or better yet, how about truth or dare?”
“Oh no, I’m not playing any more games with you.” I shake my head.
“Hey, I won fair and square. You’re not going to hold that against me, are you?”
“No, I’m not, but I’m also… what’s that saying: fool me once –”
“Right, got it… but you weren’t fooled. I won… I just have better taste buds than you.” Brandon wiggles his eyebrows at me.
I roll my eyes. “Oh, is that what it was? How do I know you didn’t study ice-cream tastes all weekend and then pretend to come up with that game as a last-minute sort of thing?”
“I assure you that did not happen. But let’s move on. What do you want to know? How about I ask you first? You grew up in Mexia. Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“Nope, just me and my mama.”
I peer over my shoulder at the pond. I’d like to dive in even though it would be super cold. The reminder of my daddy not being in the picture hits the lump in my throat. I swallow hard. Where is that pinot? I pick up my glass and take a swig. I blink. I’m not going to cry. No siree, I’m not giving a tear to my dad on this special date with this guy who is making me swoon more than I have ever swooned, even watching Richard Gere tell Jodie Foster he loved her in Somersby.
“How about you? Any brothers or sisters?”
“Both, brother and sister… I’m the youngest.”
I giggle. “You’re the baby! That makes sense.”
Brandon jerks his head back. “Makes sense how?”
I shrug. “You just seem like the kind of guy who always gets his way.”
Brandon bites his bottom lip and leans in close to my face. My breathing picks up.
“I am the kind of guy who always gets his way…” His eyes are boring into mine. “You
know why?”
“Because you’re the baby?” I let slip out.
Brandon glances down and smiles. “No. I get my way, because when I see something I want, I go for it.” His lips are centimeters away from mine, then he moves his mouth to my ear. His breath is heavy against my skin. “And I don’t give up, especially when I know something is worth the wait.” He breathes into my ear. I swallow. The hair on the back of my neck is prickling up and I’m sure I’ve got goose bumps along my skin like I’ve been left out in the cold during a hail storm.
Brandon retracts his face from my ear and smiles at me. My chest heaves. I wish I was in the eighteenth century and I could just fake a fainting spell. Goodness sakes, that was about as intense as could possibly be.
I take in a deep breath.
Brandon is standing above me. I must have gotten lost in the moment.
He glances down at me and holds out his hands. “Come on. I think Goldilocks and Rebel know me well enough to let me feed them the rest of this apple.” Brandon pulls me to my feet.
“I probably should feed Goldie, though… I think she would prefer that.” I let out a laugh.
“Oh, really? Are you worried about me spending any time with another Goldilocks?” Brandon tugs on my hair.
I scrunch up my eyebrows. “I hope I wouldn’t have to worry about you and any horses.” I laugh and throw my head back. Brandon wraps his arms around me and pulls me in close.
“You wouldn’t have to worry about me… ever.” He leans in close and I almost think he is going to kiss me. But he passes over my lips and his nose grazes over my hair and he inhales like he was smelling roses for the first time.
He releases me and hands me an apple. I get my breathing in order, but I’m beginning to ponder the idea of practicing breathing when I get home in front of the mirror so I don’t seem so out of breath with him.
“Here, Goldie, I saved you an apple.” I glance back at Brandon; his eyes are on me. “I suppose, maybe Brandon had something to do with it, but anyways, here you go.” I open my palm and her big lips part and her mouth flaps over the apple and she munches it up in a few bites. I wish I had more slices to give to her; one doesn’t seem like much.
