Free An American Love Story by C. S. Moore Page B

he whispered into my hair.
    I looked around, Storm stood behind Garrett. "Where's Rojo?" I asked.
    "She took off; some horses get spooked pretty easy. I could kill that horse," he growled.
    "Well, she's your brother's horse, so you better not."
    "How can you joke? For a second, I thought I was going to lose you… and I just found you!" he said searching my face.
    What did he mean he just found me? "Really, I'm fine."
    He ran a hand down my back. "Do you mind if I take a look?" he asked, tugging at my shirt.
    "Sure, just don't get any funny ideas."
    He smiled and pulled the back of my shirt up; his rough finger tips inspected the skin. "I have a few ideas, but none of them are funny," he said continuing to caress me, sending my heart into overdrive. I winced in a few places. "You're going to be sore, probably going to bruise," he said muffling a curse. "I'm so sorry, Tessa."
    "It's all right," I said, although he looked unconvinced. "Let's go find that horse."
    Rojo didn't go far, and we had him tethered to Garrett's horse in less than fifteen minutes. I still didn't want to ride her, so Garrett put me in his saddle with him. His thick arms were on either side of me, and even after what I'd just experienced, I felt perfectly safe. He decided to go straight home; apparently, I wasn't going to be hand fed strawberries.
    When he had the horses put away and the saddles hung in the tack room, he helped me off of the fence I was perched on. "I'm sorry that didn't go as planned," he said.
    "Me too," I pouted.
    "If you're upset and want me to take you home, I will. But I'm a little worried about your head. You could have a concussion. You need to go to a hospital or have your dad keep an eye on you," he said, his head hanging low.
    "I'm not upset, and I don't want to go to a hospital or home." I shuddered to think what my worry wart dad would do if he found out. He would be unbearably overbearing. "I was just looking forward to your picnic, especially the strawberries," I said.
    "Are you sure you don't need a hospital?" he asked.
    "I'm positive."
    "Well, I'll be keeping an eye on you," he said.
    "I'm sure you will." I winked. "Now are you going to feed me or not?"
    "Let's hop in the truck. It won't buck us off if a snake's in the road," he said.
    We drove back through the small town and Garrett pulled to a stop in front of the tiny grocery store. "I'll be right back," he said.
    "What, I have to stay here?"
    "I'll be back." He leaned in and pecked me on the cheek. "Bye!"
    He was in and out in a flash and threw the grocery bag in the back of the truck with the picnic basket. "Okay, now we can go," he said.
    ****
    Garrett took me to a clearing that overlooked the whole valley. He spread out the picnic stuff in the bed of his truck on top of a thick blanket.
    "Your mother is a great cook," I said picking up my second piece of cornbread.
    "She is, and to top it all off," he said, turning to the grocery bag behind him. "Strawberries!" The carton of berries he pulled out of the bag looked perfectly ripe.
    My mouth watered.
    "They won't be as good as the wild ones would have been, but I didn't want you to miss out," he said, handing one out to me.
    He meant for me to take it with my hand, but I leaned forward and took it with my mouth, making my daydream become reality.
    His eyes widened and he dropped the carton, after only a second's hesitation, he crushed into me. His lips found mine, and they moved in time together perfectly.
    "Tessa," he whispered against my lips making me shiver. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?" he asked.
    What I did to him? What about what he did to me? For nine months, I'd hoped for a man to come along and make me forget Phil's name and Garrett made me forget my own name. When he kissed me, it took everything in me to remember to breathe. He was all that I wanted in those moments, even more than air.
    His palm cupped my face and tilted my head back. "You are so gorgeous." His breath came out in a rush.