Chapter 19

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Eliot asked her to be ready by two 'o clock. He had also mentioned that if she had some old boots, to wear them. So there Sarah was, looking at her meager wardrobe spread on her bed. Since it was sunny and they would be outside, she needed a hat. She smirked and picked up the one she had bought on an outing with Sophie. She knew what she was wearing.

After laying out her outfit, she went to take a shower. She realized she only had thirty minutes to get ready, so it had to be quick. When she got out, she brushed her hair and put it in two braided tails that lay across her shoulders. She didn't bother with makeup, so she was dressed and ready with five minutes to spare. She grabbed her purse and hat and went to find Eliot.

He was sitting on the couch waiting for Sarah to get ready. With a smile, he watched Cam ramble on to Sophie and Nate all the fun things they would be doing that day. He was obviously very excited about it.

Sarah came out and Eliot stood up looking at her. He smiled at her outfit choice. She was wearing a white, button down shirt with brown pin stripes, the sleeves rolled up, a pair of nice fitting boot-cut jeans, and a pair of well loved cowboy boots.

"You look beautiful," he said simply.

She took in the faded jeans that were molded to his thighs nicely, the untucked, blue button up rolled up to his elbows, and his own pair of well worn boots.

"You look pretty good yourself," she replied with a smile.

Sarah walked over to Cam to give him a hug. "Okay sweetie, you sure you're okay staying the night here?"

"Yeah mama. I'll be okay. I'm gonna have fun with Uncle Nate and Aunt Sophie," he replied with a smile.

"Okay sweetie, I love you."

"Love you too mama."

She looked up at the older couple. "If you need anything…"

Nate interrupted her with a smile. "We'll call. Now go. Have fun and enjoy your day."

As they walked out to his truck, he looked over at the hat she was holding. "Do I get to see you wear that?"

She placed it on her head and looked at him. It was a brown cowboy hat with a small brim, and it looked perfect on her. "Too much?" she asked with a smile.

"That was not what I was thinking," he said as he pulled her to him for a searing kiss that left her breathless.

He pulled away and smirked at the dazed expression on her face. "We should get going."

When they were in the truck, curiosity got the better of her. "You gonna tell me where we're goin'?"

"Nope. But get comfortable, it's a couple hours away," he shot back with a smirk. She gave a resigned sigh and settled in for the ride.

Two hours out of the city, he pulled onto a dirt road. They passed the city limits an hour ago, so there was nothing around but trees and fields. A minute later the trees opened up on either side of the road to present a beautifully landscaped ranch. She could see the field with the horses and the stables. Workers could be seen tending their daily routines.

They pulled up to a large yellow and brick farmhouse. A dark wood porch wrapped around it and Sarah thought it was one of the nicest houses she had ever seen. "Who's place is this?" she asked in awe.

He smiled, "Mine."

Her eyes widened and he continued. "Bought it a year and a half ago. Always wanted a horse ranch. The owner and his wife wanted to retire. One hundred and fifty four acres. I get out here when I can, which is not often enough. I thought you might enjoy it," he finished.

"I love it!" she exclaimed happily. "Do we get to ride the horses?" she asked hopefully.

He chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Think I'd bring you to a horse ranch and not let you ride?"

He led her into the house and gave her a tour. It was a nice four bedroom, three bath open layout. The living room had large windows overlooking the front yard and the large kitchen was beautifully designed. Eliot gestured toward the woman occupying it. "Sarah, this is Anne. She keeps everyone fed well and takes care of the house when I'm not here."

Anne was a thin, Native American woman in her early 50s. She had her black hair in a loose bun and a large smile on her friendly face. Sarah loved her immediately.

"You made it," she said happily walking forward to hug Eliot. "And you brought a lady friend? This is a first." She looked at Sarah and smiled, "You must be very special."

Eliot looked a little embarrassed which amused Sarah, but she returned her attention to the older woman. "It's very nice to meet you Anne," she replied, holding out her hand.

Anne scoffed and wrapped her arms around her. "We hug around here. If he brought you here, you're family." She turned back to Eliot. "I have everything packed and ready." She reached behind her and lifted up a satchel and handed it to him. "You better get going if you want to get there on time."

"You ready sweetheart?" Eliot asked looking at Sarah.

"It was nice to meet you Anne," she said over her shoulder as Eliot led her out.

"Oh, you'll be seeing me again," the older woman replied with a knowing smile.

As he led her towards the stables, she asked him questions about the ranch.

"So was Anne working here when you bought the place?"

"She was a childhood friend of my mom and dad's. When I bought the place, she hired herself to take care of it," he said with a chuckle.

They entered the stables and she took a moment to look at the horses. She walked past the stalls admiring them. There were two American Saddlebreds, and a honey colored Palomino. But the fourth one had her attention immediately. It was a white Appaloosa with dark chocolate spots.

"Figures," Eliot mumbled.

Sarah pulled her attention away from the horse. "What do you mean?"

"Meet Sky Dancer. She was brought to us 6 months ago. And due to her stubborn nature, her owners sold her to us 3 months ago."

"She can't be trained?" Sarah asked curiously.

"None of the men can get her to settle. She'll tolerate me, but still not enough to ride often."

"I wanna ride her."

"Sweetheart, I don't think that's a…."

But Sarah was already introducing herself to the horse. Sky Dancer was looking at her with interest and sniffing her offered hand. After a moment the horse lowered her head to nuzzle against Sarah.

"I should have known," Eliot chuckled.

"We'll be fine," Sarah said with a smile as she rubbed the horse's face affectionately.

She further impressed him when she asked where the equipment was and proceeded to saddle the horse quickly and efficiently. He shook his head and walked over to the last horse in the stable. The horse had a dark brown coat with a black mane and tail and looked eager at Eliot's approach.

"Hey there boy," he said affectionately patting him.

He led the horse out of the stall. "Sarah, I'd like you to meet Shadow. He's a…"

"Paso Fino," Sarah finished. "He's beautiful. I've never seen one in person before. Hi there boy," she said affectionately stroking his mane. Sky Dancer started head butting her gently under the arm.

"Someone's jealous," Eliot said with amusement.

He saddled Shadow and they started off around the property. He pointed out the different parts of the ranch to her, and when they came to the back of the house, Sarah saw a large lake. They worked up to a trot and began to circle it.

Eliot looked over at her and saw how relaxed she looked. When she had told him that she hadn't ridden in a long time, he knew he had to do this for her.

About two hours into the ride they came full circle around the lake. He halted Shadow and dismounted. "This is our stop," he said with a smile as he removed the satchel Anne had given him.

Sarah dismounted Sky Dancer and let her join Shadow as she walked over to Eliot. He grabbed a blanket and spread it out on the ground. From the satchel, he began pulling out food.

"A picnic?" Sarah questioned with a smile.

"You'll see why in another…." he looked at his watch. "Twenty minutes."

He continued to lay out the food, fried chicken, fresh vegetables, and a variety of fruit. They sat down and he handed her a bottle of water. They ate in companionable silence until he asked her to look across the lake.

She gasped at the sight. The sun was setting over it, reflecting the purples and oranges on the surface of the water. "Oh, how beautiful," she whispered.

"It's one of the reason's I chose this place," he admitted.

Sarah leaned over to kiss him softly. "Thanks for bringing me."

They packed up and headed back to the stables. Halfway there she got a mischievous look on her face and looked at Eliot. "Race ya," she suggested, then raced off at a gallop.

"Cheater!" he yelled laughing as he took off after her.

She won of course, but he didn't care. She was happy and that was all that mattered.

Sarah was finishing up brushing Sky Dancer down when Eliot walked over to her. She turned around to face him and he pulled her into his arms. "I like seeing you happy," he admitted, smiling at her softly.

"You make me happy Eliot."

The kiss started off gentle, but soon became hungry. He pushed her against the stall doors as they greedily devoured each other's mouths.

"God I want you," he growled in her ear as he nipped across her jaw and down her throat.

Sarah let out a throaty moan at the sound of his voice. "Then what are you waitin' for cowboy," she gasped out.

AN: Don't kill me…lol. The next chapter will have lots of lemony goodness.

Now how soon I update depends on reviews.

10 reviews = 24 hrs

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