“Not as lovely as it will be to finally see you on her back,” Raoul replied, squeezing her waist.
Iesha, recognizing Cantara, whickered a greeting and was rewarded with a carrot. The mare ate her treat and then snuffled around Cantara’s pockets, looking for more of the same. Finding none, she arched her neck and gave her head a disgruntled toss, sending her long mane dancing, and pawed irritably at the ground.
“Told you she was precocious,” Zeke said. “Iesha, that is, not you, darlin’,” he added, blowing Cantara a kiss.
“Sure you’re up for this?” Raoul asked.
“Definitely,” Cantara replied with firm assurance.
“Okay then, let’s get going.”
Zeke legged her into the saddle and the guys watched, trying not to show their anxiety, as she gathered up the reins and adjusted her stirrups. They relaxed when Iesha didn’t play up, which she sometimes did because she liked to be the center of attention.
“All set?” Raoul asked.
“Will you stop fussing? I’m fine. Besides, if I fall off and take another knock to the head, it might bring my memory back.”
Zeke shuddered. “We hadn’t thought of that.”
“And you are definitely not going to bash your head again,” Raoul added, wagging a finger at her.
“Are you guys gonna stand there and stare at us?” she asked, patting Iesha’s neck. “Or do you plan on joining us?”
“Baby, you just got yourself an escort,” Raoul replied, winking at her as he and Zeke mounted up themselves and rode up on either side of her.
Raoul watched her closely as they rode away from the ranch, worried that this was too much, too soon. He quit fretting when Iesha remembered her manners and Cantara seemed to be as much at home in the saddle as she had been three years previously. Instinct over instruction, he figured, deciding it would be safe to give the horses their heads.
They galloped flat out for several miles. Cantara and Iesha stayed with Raoul and Zeke and their much bigger horses stride for stride. When they finally drew rein, Cantara was laughing. Pure, uninhibited laughter that communicated itself to Zeke and Raoul, who laughed right along with her. This was the way it had always been in Raoul’s imagination. Cantara’s face was flushed from the exercise, and instead of the wary expression that had disturbed her eyes since her return, they now sparkled with the pure joy of living.
“This mare is a pleasure to ride,” Cantara said, patting Iesha’s sweaty neck.
“No, darlin’,” Raoul replied softly. “The pleasure comes from seeing you shed your inhibitions.”
“Isn’t that what I did this morning?” she asked, canting her head and sending him a smoldering smile from beneath her tangle of hair.
Zeke laughed. “I’ll have to take your word for that.” His responding smile was full of wicked intent. “For now.”
“It’s real pretty out here,” Cantara said, taking in the view. “Is this all part of the ranch’s land?”
“Yep, as far as the eye can see,” Raoul replied.
“I didn’t realize I was married to a rich man.”
“Aw, darlin’, he don’t get to take the credit. We only got to buy the land because of my Arapaho blood. They won’t sell to anyone without a connection to the tribe.”
“He has his uses,” Raoul added, grinning.
“Wise guy.”
It felt good to be trading insults with Zeke again, Raoul thought. They had stopped their habitual banter once Cantara came home and concentrated on getting her well. Now that she appeared to be on the mend, Raoul could get serious about tracking Levi down. Life couldn’t return to normal until they’d exorcised that particular demon.
“I had no idea this lake was here,” Cantara said, as she looked out over the expanse of water that had just opened up in front of them. “It’s real tranquil out here. Another world.”
“You can’t see it from the ranch, which is why you didn’t know about it,” Zeke told her. “In fact, you can’t see it from anywhere, unless you do what we’ve just done and ride out here. There’re no roads, no access even by all-terrain vehicles. We have you to ourselves, my dear,” he added, waggling his brows at her. “Don’t say you haven’t been warned.”
“Should I fear for my safety?” she asked, fluttering her lashes in mock alarm.
Zeke winked at her. “Absolutely!”
“Come on,” Raoul said. “Let’s take a break and enjoy the view.”
He slid from his saddle and helped Cantara down from hers. Zeke fixed the horses’ reins so they couldn’t wander too far and left them to graze. The three of them flopped down on the soft grass on the lake’s bank, leaning back on their elbows, Cantara in between them, just where they liked her to be. They stared over the wide expanse of water, its surface dappled by sunlight but barely rippled by the soft breeze. The only sound, apart from the horses’ bits jangling as they chomped at the grass, was bird song and the occasional buzz on an insect. Peaceful, rural Wyoming at its finest.
Cantara closed her eyes and threw her head back, offering her face up to the sun. “This is paradise,” she mumbled.
“Sure is,” Raoul agreed. “The best things in life are free, darlin’.”
“If you can afford a thousand acre ranch to ensure your privacy,” she added, giggling.
“Well, like Zeke said. He does have his uses.”
“Hmm, so I hear.”
“Witch!” Zeke gently tapped her thigh. “Stop teasing a man who ain’t getting any.”
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
Cantara lay flat on her back, her breathing slowed and it was obvious she’d fallen asleep. Sex followed by the fast ride had sapped her strength, the poor baby. Raoul and Zeke exchanged a smile across her prone body, content to watch her sleep for as long as she needed to. The sun rose higher in the sky, it got a lot hotter and the guys stripped off their shirts.
“What you thinking about?” Zeke asked softly.
“Levi,” Raoul replied succinctly. “Where the fuck is he?”