Free The Sweetest Gift (The Gift) by Pamela Warren

had made together, but they were
all under the impression that she was married to Tucker Travis. They started to
wonder if this was why Justin had never gotten seriously involved with any of
the women he had dated.
    Maggie, Justin and the children spent the next two weeks
at Tucker’s. The children enjoyed being home, they had friends from school that
lived nearby and there was a lot for them to do at Tucker’s. He had an
in-ground pool and a stable with horses. Gabe and Belle had been taking riding
lessons and were pretty competent with the more gentle horses. Tucker sometimes
rode an Arabian stallion named Samson that was fairly spirited, but the
children weren’t allowed to take that horse out. Tucker had been thinking of
buying a Shetland pony for Jake, but that had been put on hold until Maggie and
her children returned from their travels.
    One afternoon, Tucker invited Justin to ride with him.
Tucker’s horse needed the exercise and Tucker preferred to ride with someone
else. They went down to the barn and saddled the horses, and took them out onto
a trail that ran around the periphery of Tucker’s property. Maggie went down to
the barn too, but didn’t go out with them. She had taken some riding lessons
when she was young, but she didn’t feel totally comfortable on a horse since
she couldn’t see well. Justin tried to persuade her that she would be fine on
Tucker’s mare Delilah, but she said she would wait for them to get back. Maggie
fed some apples to Tucker’s three other horses and petted the barn cat. When
the two men returned from their ride, Justin got off his horse and led it over
to Maggie. He tied it to a rail fence outside the barn and told Maggie that she
should get on the horse.
    “I don’t know, Justin. I don’t feel comfortable riding
when I can’t see.”
    “If you slide up to the front of the saddle, I think I
can get on behind you Maggie. We can ride together, I’ll hold the reins.”
    Tucker watched them, but didn’t say anything.
    Maggie put her foot in the stirrup and swung her leg
over the saddle until she was on the horse.
    “O.k. Maggie, now slide towards the pommel. You can hold
on to that. You’re going to have to take your feet out of the stirrups so I can
get up.”
    Maggie did as she was told and then Justin mounted the
horse and swung up on the saddle behind her. He put his arms around Maggie and
then grabbed the reins. Tucker untied the mare, and Justin kicked the horse and
she walked towards the trail. Maggie got used to the horse’s gait after a
while. As soon as they got out of sight of the barn, Justin started kissing the
back of Maggie’s neck.
    “How are you doing, Maggie. Are you having fun?” he
whispered in her ear.
    He could feel Maggie relax in his arms. He waited until
she seemed completely comfortable and then said “Let’s step it up a notch,” and
he kicked the horse into a trot.
    “Justin, I feel like I’m going to slide off since I don’t
have any stirrups,” she said.
    “Don’t worry, Maggie, I’ve got you. I won’t let you
fall.”
    He pulled back on the reins and the horse slowed back
down to a walk. Justin held Maggie even tighter against him, his arms
surrounding her waist and his legs enclosing her legs.
    “Maggie, I want you so much,” he whispered softly in her
ear as they headed back towards the barn. Maggie was starting to feel aroused
by her close proximity to Justin and the way they moved together on the horse. When
they got in sight of the barn, they saw that Maggie’s children and Tucker were
waiting for them.
    “Mama, I can’t believe you’re riding,” Belle called out.
    “I think we should help your mother get comfortable on
Delilah and then maybe she would be able to ride by herself,” Justin suggested.
    “I’m not sure that I would ever get to that point.”
    “You never know what you’re capable of Maggie, until you
try,” Justin answered.
    Justin halted the horse in front of the barn and
dismounted. He