Forbidden by Fate
Chapter 19

Liam

I hear the creak of the packhouse doors opening as she emerges from within its depths, relief washing the tension from my body. The curls on her head are a bit disheveled, her makeup smeared, and her eyes red, giving me the distinct impression of realizing she has been crying. A pang of guilt nips at me and my wolf growls within, upset that we played a part in her pain. I make a promise to myself to never be the reason for her tears again.

She feigns an awkward smile as she approaches, “So, I heard you wanted to ride horses?”

I consider apologizing for my behavior, but something tells me that she needs some time. “I do,” I say smiling.

A grateful grin spreads across her face as she leads me to the stalls of the two largest horses in the barn. “These are my favorites, Bonnie and Clyde.”

I swallow hard looking at their sheer size, before replying in a small voice, “Are they all so big?”

She nods her head towards what looks to be a miniature version of the beasts she is lovingly stroking. She genuinely laughs as she replies, “Well we have a pony for the pups to ride, if that’s more your speed?”

I shake my head, knowing that if I sat on that poor creature, he would surely collapse.

“No, I’ll be fine,” I say more to reassure myself than anything. “They are just so big.”

She grins as she begins to get the saddles and tack ready. “I promise we will take it easy. I won’t torment you anymore.”

I give her a disappointed look as I reply, “Really? It would be a shame if you just started being nice to me. I don’t even know how to handle that.”

She looks at me for a moment, hesitating as she answers, “I suppose you are right. I could always put you on our bronc?”

I laugh as I answer, “What’s that?”

“Let’s just say you may never walk the same,” she says slyly grinning.

“I’ll stick with this guy,” I say smiling at the large horse that she has prepared for me as he snorts in my face. “You and I, are going to be friends, right?”

The horse grunts as he takes a step towards me, I try to suppress the yelp that threatens to escape, but it comes out more like a school girls yip. Emersyn bursts into laughter as she says, “I see that your animal talking skills don’t quite make it to horses, huh?”

I laugh as I reply slyly, “Apparently, not!”

She gently touches the horse’s snout gently rubbing up and down between his eyes as she whispers against his cheek, “Clyde, be kind to our friend.”

The horse nuzzles his head against her in an obvious sign of adoration as she hands me the rein and points to the stirrups. “Just put your left foot in there and throw your other leg across his back, and whatever you do, don’t let go of the reins!”

Beggars can’t be choosers, I remind myself as I force myself to follow her directions to the best of my ability. I nearly throw myself across the horse’s back but catch myself holding onto the saddle and reins for dear life. This is much higher than I expected and as history has shown, I despise heights. Emersyn tries to hide the amusement clearly playing on her features as she replies, “Okay, loosen the reins just a bit.”

She spends the next few minutes explaining how to stop and go, and how to turn the horse in the direction I want to go. Before it is all said and done I am convinced that this is how I die, but I keep my face as calm as possible, hoping she doesn’t see the fear that is threatening to swallow me whole.

When we finally make our way from the barn, she keeps her promise and takes it slow. She stays by my side on Bonnie, while Clyde seems to match her horse’s pace. It takes me a bit to begin to relax, but surprisingly I begin to enjoy myself. We follow a path through the pack lands that the horses seem to know better than we do.

I replace myself lost in the beauty of their land as I hear a sigh from beside me. I glance at Emersyn through the corner of my eyes as I watch her tilt her head back as she allows a breeze to wash over her. Her curls feather in the wind and I see the most subtle genuine smile wash over her face. I can’t help but be intrigued by her beauty, and have to remind myself not to stare.

We don’t talk. We just ride in silence and I can see why this is one of her favorite things to do. It is the very picture of serenity.

The sound of rushing water echoes ahead of us, as I hear Emersyn speak up, “Do you want to stop for a bit before we go back? We can let the horses drink and we can sit on the bank. This is one of the most beautiful places you will ever see.”

As we approach the small creak my mouth falls open in awe as I look around at the scene laid out before us. There are snow-capped mountains in the distance covered by the most vivid colors of the trees changing upon them. The very essence of change was in the air, as she looks to me and says, “I told you!”

I shake my head and whisper, “Yes, you did, but I am not going to deny I have no idea how to get off this thing!”

She bursts into laughter as she replies, “The same way you got on!”

After a debacle of watching me nearly tumble from the saddle, I finally replace my feet on solid ground. I laugh as I realize I am walking with the gait of a man who has never rode a horse before. I nearly stumble to the ground as I sit allowing my legs to adjust to their normal sitting position before turning my attention to the beautiful woman before me.

She is staring off into the distance when she says quietly, “I owe you an apology.”

I don’t hesitate to answer back. “No, you don’t. Emersyn, I am not a fool. You are a beautiful woman. It doesn’t surprise me that I am not the only one that has noticed.”

She looks at me with a puzzled look as she asks, “You aren’t angry?”

I want to reach out and touch her cheek, but I decide better of it as I answer honestly. “I am angry that he hurt you. But I would be an idiot if I said I didn’t understand. Do you love him?”

I know the answer already. I seen it the moment that she came out of the stables. The realization had hit me like a ton of bricks. She hesitates as she cast her eyes downward, “Yes, I do.”

I ponder her admission for a moment before I get the courage to ask, “Do you want me to leave? I will not force your hand in marriage, and if he makes you happy then that’s all that matters.”

I see her weighing my words before she turns locking her gaze with mine, “I love him. I won’t deny it, but I made a vow to give you a chance. I have not done that. So, I have a question for you, as well.”

“Ask.” I state with curiosity.

“Are you willing to take a risk on me, knowing that I am in love with someone else?” she asks with a quiet voice.

I don’t think twice as I reply, “I am willing to make you realize that what you and Callum have is not the kind of love that I have to offer.”

She looks at me confused as I continue, “The kind of love I have to offer is the type that will last a lifetime and more. It won’t hurt you like he has. It will cherish you and treat you like the woman you are. I’m not just willing to take a risk on you, Emersyn O’ Connor, I am willing to prove my love to you every single day for the rest of our lives. Can Callum offer you that?”

She doesn’t answer immediately but I can see that I have struck a nerve as she replies, “I don’t know.”

The wind whips her hair around her face as she turns her face away, hurt marring her features. I reach my hand out and touch her chin directing her attention back to me as I answer, “Then he doesn’t deserve you.”

“And you do?” She asks honestly.

“I damn sure want to prove that I do, so give me a chance? If you don’t feel the start of something beautiful by the time that I leave then I make a promise to deny our union myself.” I hold her gaze as she leans into my hand and shakes her head in agreement.

“Let’s try,” she whispers.

“That’s all I ask,” I state honestly.

I know that I need this to work for so many reasons, but as I look into her desperate blue eyes, the responsibilities fade away. I don’t just want this to work because of that anymore. I want it to work because there is something about this girl that drives me mad. She may not know it yet, but she is going to love me, because despite myself I am beginning to fall in love with her.