Chapter 8: "Risk" (S2, Ep 6)

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After much internal debate about how to surprise Cassie with the perfect outing, Sam had arranged for them to visit a ranch for some horseback riding.

After they'd spent some time riding along the property, Cassie and Sam returned to the front of the ranch. They continued chatting while they dismounted their horses and prepared to walk them back to the paddock.

"You're saying you're ready to take a leap?" Cassie nonchalantly asked him.

Sam chuckled. "Waiting for the opportunity to present itself."

Cassie smiled and ran her hand along the horse's face before petting him behind his ear. She appreciated the fact that she knew Sam's intentions, but that he was taking things slow, giving her the time that she'd asked for. As their connection deepened, she was becoming more comfortable with the prospect of more, although she still had reservations when she thought about what they could lose.

Cassie noticed Sam was eyeing her curiously, and she asked, "What's that look for?"

Sam shrugged. "I was just making sure you weren't going to share some vague comment or quote about not waiting for something that might never happen. You know, as a subtle hint to tell me to retreat." He was joking, but was also trying to get a sense of where she was with the situation.

Cassie smiled and cocked her head to the side. "Sam, I can assure you that no such quote popped into my head."

"Okay, good," Sam replied.

"I don't want you to retreat," Cassie added, and Sam smiled at that. "But I will share a quote if you really want one… the strongest of all warriors are these two, time and patience."

"Tolstoy," Sam replied, and then he thought for a moment before adding, "I'll take it."

Cassie smiled. "Another quote that comes to mind is that life is full of surprises," she said. "And I can say with absolute certainty that you did surprise me today. I was definitely not expecting this type of activity."

Sam smiled. "I know it might not be as adrenaline-pumping as ziplining, but I tried to find something that you wouldn't expect, and that you haven't done in a while."

"Well, you succeeded. And taking that extra step to get Grace involved to make sure I was prepared and comfortable was a very nice thoughtful touch," she said.

"Thank you very much," Sam said, and tipped an invisible hat toward her, making her smile. "And by the way, speaking of Grace, I told her that this was just something we were doing as friends. I made no implication of anything else."

Cassie nodded. "Okay."

They started walking the horses down the path toward the entrance to the paddock. Sam had something on his mind that he'd been thinking about and wanted to ask her, but didn't want to risk it souring their afternoon. But then he realized… this was Cassie. Nothing went sour with her. She was so easy to talk to and never reacted negatively to any questions he asked.

"So, I want to ask you something, but it's none of my business," Sam tentatively said. "So, I'm not sure if I should ask it."

"Well, you've gotten this far into the question, so you might as well go for it," Cassie replied. He didn't respond right away, so she looked over at him. She saw the hesitant look on his face, and her senses told her what he was thinking. "It's about John," she stated.

Sam's eyes widened and he shook his head in disbelief. "How do you do that?" he asked with a laugh.

Cassie smiled. "What do you want to know?"

Sam hated to admit that he had gotten slightly jealous of both men Cassie had spent time with since he'd known her. First it was Ryan, and now it was John. He realized that meant something, the fact that she brought out this side of him. It showed him how much he cared about her and how important she was to him... and how badly he wanted to be with her.

"Well… I'm just curious if the situation with him is the same as the one with Ryan?" Sam casually asked, trying to not sound overly concerned. "In terms of one side being interested in friendship, and the other side wanting more?"

Cassie thought it over for a few seconds. "I'm honestly not sure," she said, and when she saw Sam's eyebrows raise with surprise, she quickly added, "I'm sure about the first part… that one side is strictly interested in friendship. That I'm interested in just friendship."

Sam felt relieved, and the tenseness that had just hit him faded. "And the other part?"

"It's hard to tell with John," Cassie said with a shrug. "Like I said the other night, attachments have always been a thing for him, so I don't really know what his intentions are."

"Usually you have a good sense of things," Sam said. "Not this time?"

"There have been a few moments where I've thought he was hinting at an interest of more than friends," Cassie said. "But he's a complicated one, so intentions that he may have had one day could very well have been gone the next."

Sam nodded, and Cassie knew he would only be asking these questions if John was on his radar, if he had concerns about where Cassie's interest might lie.

"We've had a good time reconnecting, but friendship is where it ends for us," Cassie assured Sam. "Regardless of what other expectations he may or may not have."

Sam smiled at her, appreciating that she clarified that for his benefit. "That's good to know."

Cassie smiled and glanced toward the ground for a moment. When she glanced back over at him, she asked, "You still think I'm going to make a subtle comment about not waiting for the opportunity?"

Sam smiled and shook his head. "Nope."

"Good." Cassie leaned in closer and lowered her voice, as if sharing a secret. "Because like I said, no retreating necessary."

They smiled at each other and their gazes were locked for a moment. As Sam stared into her brown eyes radiating warmth and calmness back at him, he felt like they were getting closer to something. In fact, he knew they were, and it felt good.

Cassie was the one to break the moment of silence. "So, any other surprises in store for today?" she asked cheerfully.

"Well, I made a reservation for dinner at that Italian place we passed on the drive," Sam said. "I figured we could finish out the evening with a nice meal while hoping we don't smell like horses."

Cassie smiled. "That sounds nice."

Sam glanced down at his outfit. "I brought some clothes to change into, by the way. Just so you know that I don't intend to go to dinner looking like a ranch hand."

Cassie laughed. "Okay, good to know. But I do kind of like the rugged look on you."

Sam raised an eyebrow at her, pleased to hear the undertone of flirting from her. "Oh, yeah?"

Cassie smiled and nodded. "Mmhmm."

After returning the horses, they stopped at the car and grabbed their bags, and walked to the changing area of the ranch.

Sam finished first and exited his changing stall, and then waited for her near the exit door. She walked out of her stall and over to him, and Sam reached for her bag. "Here, I can take that," he said.

"Oh, thanks," Cassie replied appreciatively, offering it toward him.

They walked out to the car, and Sam put the bags in the trunk before walking to the passenger door to open it for Cassie.

Before getting into the car, Cassie took a few moments to look around and observe the ranch. "You know, I love this place," she said. "It's beautiful and peaceful and I get a really good feeling here… it just feels like a special place."

Sam followed her gaze around the ranch, and then looked at her with a smile. "It does feel pretty special. We'll have to come back here sometime."

Cassie smiled. "I'd love that."

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