Maisy was gushing.

I was too antsy earlier in the week to keep my feelings about John bottled up, so I told her about my date with him the day after he asked me out. We didn't get to talk or text when I got home in the early hours of the morning, but on Saturday we decided to go grab an early lunch in town, where she was more than happy to badger me relentlessly for all of the juicy details.

I loved her, I really did, but at one point the girl could get on one's nerves.

I gave her what she wanted to hear however, feeling like a teenage girl again talking about her crush. I told her about the picnic and the dancing, unable to contain my giddiness. I was probably smiling like a damn idiot.

"That's so romantic!" Maisy giggled, propping her elbows on the table and leaning in a little closer. "Did he kiss you? Is he good at it?" she asked.

For the first time in my life, there was something I didn't want to tell Maisy about. My first kiss with John was something very private that belonged to us. Of course, my burning, scarlet face was a dead giveaway of what had indeed happened, so I didn't even need to say the words for her pretty face to light up.

"Aww, that's so great! I'm so happy for you. You need a little bit of love in your life... all alone like a hermit up at that ranch of yours," she grinned.

"I'm not a hermit," I protested, shaking my head defiantly. "I'm always outdoors, and it's not like I'm lonely all the time either... My Uncle Scott and Dale are always comin' in and out... plus I've got kids comin' around for ridin' lessons a couple times a week," I argued.

"I was just teasin', no need to get all defensive," Maisy smirked.

I smiled at her and took a sip of my tea. She was right though, in a sense. It was pretty lonely on that big old plot of land all by myself, so things were definitely a whole lot more exciting ever since John came rolling into the driveway a couple weeks ago.

It was nice to have someone to cook for and talk to over meals, or even just to see his truck parked in the driveway or his tall frame coming in and out of the barn.

"So are ya gonna ask him to the weddin' next weekend?" she asked me with a knowing smile.

"Oh God... I don't know..." I murmured, running my fingers through my hair. "We've already set up the seats and-"

"Oh come on, I'm the damn bride, I can add a seat if I wanna," she rolled her eyes, reaching for my hand in the middle of the table. "...and as my maid of honor, you've got to do as I say... so I say you ask John as your date to the weddin'! It'll be fun! Besides, I really wanna meet him."

I wasn't sure. It was still way too early to be attending weddings together, like we were a couple or something... which we weren't... yet. Then again, he'd never gone to one before so maybe Maisy was right: maybe it could be fun.

I did want a reason to dance with him again...

When I got home a little later, I changed into a pair of jeans and a gray sweater: clothes I didn't mind getting dirty while out riding. I pulled on my riding boots and pulled my hair up into a ponytail.

I made my way down to the stables, walking towards the end of the corridor and stopping in front of the stall of an old chestnut mare.

"Hey crazy girl," I grinned, resting my fingers on Lady's forehead and stroking her gently. She used to belong to my mother. Years ago my father bought her at an auction for their first wedding anniversary.

Lady was almost thirty years old now and although she was still quite healthy, her age was slowly beginning to show in her gait whenever I took her out to get some exercise. She used to be so fast and agile, so fearless and eager to go out... Just five years ago we could barely keep her contained... but now...

She was always such a good horse with an easy temperament though, which made her perfect for riding lessons with my younger students.

"Have you been good? Eating all of your food?" I cooed.

I poked my head into her stall to check on her water and feed and frowned slightly, disappointed by what I saw. She still wasn't eating as much as she should be. I'd have to check in with the vet again if she kept it up.

"Alright babe..." I sighed, smiling as she nudged my forehead with her muzzle. "Wanna go for a ride, huh?" I wondered.

"Take me out on a second date first, then we'll see," John's voice came from behind. I whirled around and saw him coming down the rickety staircase leading up to his loft, a playful grin playing on his lips.

I hadn't seen him since last night, but I hadn't stopped thinking about him since.

"Easy there, cowboy," I laughed.

He crossed the corridor and came to stand next to me, leaning against the gate of the stall. He looked at the aging horse too, giving her a soft pat on the shoulder. Lady liked him. "You gonna try a different feed?" he asked, as if reading my mind.

"I don't know, maybe, I'll have to talk with the vet... He's comin' over to check on Juno anyway, so it'll save him a trip," I shrugged, running my fingers through my ponytail and letting out a sigh. "Did you know she was the first horse I ever rode? Then five years later, the first horse I ever competed with. She was a natural jumper... A lot of the ribbons on the wall are because of her," I told him with a small smile, gesturing towards the opening leading to my office, where I kept all of the ribbons and awards that had been won by the family over the years. My dad's belt buckles were in the house though, still tucked away in my parents' bedroom closet with a ton of other memories I hadn't sifted through since his death. "She was amazin', you should've seen her," I grinned.

"I felt that way about my first truck. Never let me down, right until her last breath," John said with a faraway look on his face that made me giggle.

"Guys and their trucks," I sighed dramatically.

"Girls and their horses," he retorted.

We walked around together for a little bit, checking on the other horses. He listened to me ramble about each and every one of them, not once taking his eyes off me. He was probably bored out of his mind, and yet if he was he didn't let it show. I liked this. I wasn't high maintenance and I surely didn't need all of the attention focused on me to be happy... but still, it felt kind of nice.

"I'm gonna go ride around with Lady for a bit. Do you wanna come along?" I asked him as we walked towards the tack room. I stopped in front of the saddle I was planning on using and turned to face him.

"Yeah," he grinned, picking a young buckskin Arabian with a fiery temperament and a serious need for speed. I warned him about Spirit - he was named after the horse from the movie - and what he was capable of, but John merely shrugged. "I ain't scared." he smirked.

"Okay, if you say so," I shrugged.

So we ended up spending Saturday afternoon together riding down an easy trail. John and Spirit worked well together, which was definitely a welcomed surprise. I'd never seen Spirit behave himself so well, although there were those instances where he wanted to bolt - it wasn't his fault, Lady just wasn't fast enough for his liking.

"At least he hasn't tried buckin' you off yet," I pointed out.

"I'm just that good," John smirked.

To give Lady a bit of a break before the trek back home, we roped up the horses in a little clearing to let them graze, deciding to walk on foot for a while.

"So you did a lot of competitive ridin' when you were a kid?" he asked.

"Yeah, a little when I was about eight or nine... but I didn't really start until I was fourteen," I told him easily. "I stopped when I was seventeen though," I shrugged.

"Why?" he asked.

"It was the year my mama died... I guess she was a big part of why I competed. I don't think I could ever do it again... not without her there cheerin' me on," I explained, brushing a few stray hairs out of my face.

"Sorry," he muttered, inching a little closer and reaching for my hand.

Despite the emotions threatening to overwhelm me, I smiled at him, brushing my thumb against the back of his hand. His fingertips were rough with callouses, but at the same time there was something soft and warm about the way his hand wrapped around mine, our fingers intertwining perfectly together.

"What about you?" I asked curiously. "I don't think I've ever heard you mention family. Do they live in Dallas?"

I could see his expression change, his eyes growing stormy and hard. I immediately I regretted asking him. There was a story there, one he didn't want to share.

"It's just me," he shrugged.

"Oh." I said dumbly, glancing away from him and down at the ground.

For a while we walked in silence, and I was pretty sure any further attempt at conversation would be pointless. He'd retreated back into himself, his mouth tight and his eyes fixed in front of him.

"I never knew my father," he said finally. "My mother never talked about him. I don't know if she even knew who he was," he shrugged.

I looked at him, a little nervous. His expression was a little softer now, closer to what I was used to, but he still wouldn't look at me.

"She uh... She was fifteen when she had me... just a kid herself, dropped out of high school to raise me up. She tried, God knows she tried, but she just wasn't ready for that kind of life... bein' a mother that young... y'know?"

"Yeah," I murmured, although I truly had no clue.

Only one girl in my class had a baby in high school, and she had her boyfriend and two sets of grandparents to help her out so that she could graduate. We lived in a small town, so people talked, obviously, but Amy loved her baby girl and that's what mattered in the end.

"She got into a lot of bad shit, brought home a lot of bad guys," he went on. "I was nine when child services took me out of there, spent the next nine years in foster care. She was in prison for most of my teenage years. Tried contactin' me a couple times... but... things weren't great and it never worked out... Haven't seen or heard from her at all since I was fifteen."

My heart ached for him. I squeezed his hand, not entirely sure there were any words good enough to say right now.

"I'm sorry, I made things real damn depressin', real fast, didn't I?" he said with a low chuckle as we made a slow U-turn and started walking back towards the horses.

"You don't have to apologize, I'm glad you trust me enough to tell me," I reassured him. "I want to get to know you," I added.

"Are you sure? It ain't that pretty up here," he warned me with a sheepish grin, motioning to the side of his head.

"I like what I've seen so far," I smiled.