8. Something else

Lee and Amanda had been riding for about twenty-five minutes when they arrived at a clearing. The people in charge of the trails had told them that there would be several places to take breaks along both the long trail and the shorter trails. They had chosen one of the short trails, that didn't require a guide because it was basically impossible to get lost on. When Lee spotted the picnic tables, he pointed ahead.

"Amanda, look. I think this is the first break spot. Do you want to take a break or do you want to continue to the next one?"

They were enjoying the scenery very much and Lee was also pleased that it was just the two of them. There were more people on the trail of course, but they weren't riding in groups and if it were up to him, he'd like to keep it that way. But Amanda wasn't used to sitting in the saddle so if she needed a break, she would have it.

"Oh no, let's keep going," Amanda called out.

She was getting used to the brown horse she was riding on, and was really enjoying the view as well as Lee's company. It actually felt a little like a vacation and it was nice to let her guard down for a while. She thought they might avoid running into other people if they skipped the first stop and kept going a little while longer. When they arrived at the next stop about fifteen minutes later, she wished they had brought along something to eat. All they had were the complimentary water bottles from the guide that had helped them choose the horses and had pointed them to their trail. She had left their lunch at the boys' camp site for later. After dismounting her horse, Amanda stretched her limbs and rubbed her behind. Lee chuckled.

"Saddle pain already, Mrs. Dunkirk?"

"I'll be fine," she was quick to say. She wasn't going to complain, although she was glad she was out of the saddle for the moment.

They tied the horses loosely to the fence that had been placed there for that purpose and sat down at one of two picnic tables. They both sipped their water for a few minutes, a comfortable silence hanging between them.

Lee thought he heard other horses approaching, and scooted closer to Amanda on the bench. When she looked at him with questioning eyes, he nodded in the direction of the trail and she understood.

"This is so lovely, isn't it Lee?" she chirped, hoping that whoever was approaching would hear.

"It sure is. Reminds me of our honeymoon," Lee played along and she shoved him playfully.

"Oh Lee. You have to keep bringing that up? I couldn't sit without a pillow for days!"

Lee laughed out loud, loving how good Amanda was at this game. She could always think on her feet so well, even in dangerous situations. He'd follow her blind through a blizzard at midnight, knowing that not only would she get him out safely but she'd make him laugh out loud getting there. He did love her quirks more and more …

Amanda cocked her head and looked at him attentively, in a way that suddenly made his face flush. She smiled at him sweetly and he was at a loss for words for a moment. They heard the voices of at least two people chatting as they approached the clearing on their horses, and Amanda bit her lip while she looked up at him through her eye lashes. The thought of kissing her again flashed through his mind but why was he suddenly so nervous?

"What is it, darling?" Amanda asked him sweetly. "Do you want to continue on the trail?"

She reached up to pick an imaginary leaf from his hair and Lee felt his heart skip a beat unexpectedly.

Then, four horses emerged, with three girls and an older woman on them. The woman was telling the girls something about their surroundings while they approached. Amanda, whose back was turned to the group, rolled her eyes. Lee took that to mean that she wasn't excited about the company and he quickly made his move, kissing her full on the lips. Amanda made a soft sound of surprise but then she joined in, wrapping her arm around his neck and kissing him back. Lee felt something akin to electricity shoot through his entire body and before he realized it, he had parted her lips to deepen the kiss. Amanda moaned softly and he pulled her closer to him. The party of four that had appeared in the clearing was completely forgotten for a minute while their tongues found each other in an intimate dance for the first time.

When giggling reached their ears, they reluctantly pulled back and Lee blew out a breath while Amanda stared at him with wide eyes of wonder.

"Come along girls, let's go and find the next clearing," the older woman suggested rather loudly.

Lee glanced at the woman over Amanda's shoulder. She was very stubbornly not looking at them, while all the girls couldn't resist glancing at the couple a few times. Amanda looked over her shoulder and grinned at the girls, and one of them even gave her a thumbs up. She giggled and rested her head on Lee's shoulder for emphasis. Lee rubbed the back of her head with his cheek, enjoying having her so close to him for the moment. Once the girls had disappeared between the trees, he wasn't sure what to do. He felt like a fish out of water with Amanda, and it was the first time he wasn't sure what to do with a woman he was attracted to. Because he was. There was no denying it now: he was attracted to Amanda King.

And that was the thing. She was Amanda King. He wasn't supposed to feel attracted to her. She wasn't even his type.

"Everything alright?" Amanda asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. "You didn't … you didn't really hate doing that, did you, Lee? I mean, you were frowning so hard just now."

Her completely unfiltered honestly was so disarming that all Lee could do was take Amanda in his arms again and hold her close to him while he assured her,

"No. I didn't hate doing that at all."

"I'm glad," Amanda sighed. "We wouldn't be much of a married couple if you did."

Her comment made Lee chuckle and he pulled her close once more to kiss her cheek before he released her.

"You're something else, you know that, Amanda?" he told her, still grinning.

"Yeah. I know," she responded so seriously that Lee wondered if she could actually read his mind.

Was she aware that she was different from every other woman he'd ever kissed? And did she think she was coming up short in the comparison? He didn't want her to think that. Not at all. And so he told her quickly,

"And it's a very, very nice kind of something else."

The truth of his words didn't hit him until he said them out loud and now he felt even more like a fish out of water. Amanda saved him from saying anything stupid or embarrassing by caressing his cheek gently with her hand and telling him,

"That is a very sweet thing to say, Lee. Thank you."

He grinned at her sheepishly, and was almost relieved when he heard more horses approaching.

"Oh look!" they suddenly heard a familiar voice shout. "It's my daughter and her husband!"

Amanda rolled her eyes before turning around with a wide smile to greet her mother and her companion, and Lee cleared his throat. He wasn't entirely sure what had just happened, but whatever it was, the moment has passed.

"Hello mother. I didn't know you were on the trail as well."

Amanda sounded as chipper as ever and Lee stood up with her to greet Dotty and her companion, who dismounted their horses and tied them to the fence next to theirs.

"Lee, Amanda, this is Alfred. He's here with his son and granddaughters. Alfred, this is my daughter Amanda and her husband Lee."

They all shook hands and exchanged pleased-to meet-yous' and then sat down at the picnic table. Dotty had brought some salted crackers and passed them around. Lee wondered if they were going to be riding as a group from here on, and part of him was disappointed. He'd been enjoying spending time alone with Amanda, away from her children who were always at the top of her list when it came to giving attention. But soon, Dotty suggested that she and Alfred be on their way. She was clearly interested in getting to know the older gentleman better, and Amanda smirked when Alfred stood up and followed Dotty to their horses without any argument.

"It was nice to meet you," Amanda called after them, and Alfred waved at them while Dotty grinned and then winked at her daughter.

"Don't hurry to catch up with us, dear," she instructed her daughter and then it was just the two of them again.

Lee smiled at Amanda, who gave him a radiant smile in return.

"Well then, Mr. Dunkirk. Looks like it's still just the two of us."

Lee nodded.

"Yeah. It's kinda nice, right?"

"It is."

Amanda nodded too but wasn't looking at him anymore. He wondered what she was thinking, and if she was maybe looking away for a reason. He wanted to reach out to her in some way but he wasn't sure if that was inappropriate. They didn't need to play a role when they were alone. Still, now that he was finally admitting to himself that he was, in fact, attracted to her, he wanted to know more about her. Not about her job or volunteer work or her family. He knew all that stuff. And he'd read plenty of other facts in her personnel file. No, he wanted to know what her favorite food was and her favorite movie; if she had any more of those strange books in the cabin and if she would want a pet or even another child …

He swallowed hard when he realized his mind was running away with him. He was conjuring up images of a real family life with her, not a pretend one like they were having right now, on this little outing. He'd want to have horses of his own and go riding with her on weekends …

He shook his head in a feeble attempt to shake these thoughts out of his head. He watched Amanda's profile as she stared in the distance and he couldn't help smiling. No matter how serious she could be, how angry even, there was always something so delicate and sweet about her. And here, she looked like she felt completely at home; content with being exactly where she was. They were in no rush and in no danger for the time being and he wished they could stay here like this for a while longer. But they would have to continue riding at some point, and once they climbed their horses again, Lee tried to put all thoughts of Amanda as more than a partner and a friend out of his mind. They hadn't kissed again and he suspected they wouldn't for quite some time. Not unless he made a real move, not as Mr. Dunkirk, but as Lee Stetson. He'd never been as nervous about the idea of making a move on a woman as he was now.

...

A/N: I know this was short but I really wanted to give you all an update, since you've been waiting for so long! To be continued ...