Chapter Five
Jake kept Maximus at an easy trot, to let Molly get used to being on a horse. He didn't say much as he showed her the edge of her land before moving onto his and beyond. He just wanted to show her around a bit, humming to himself as they went.
"So this lunch, are we almost there?" she asked him after a while.
"Patience city girl, it's just over yonder," he pointed to a small log cabin now.
She looked over his shoulder curiously. "Does that belong to your family?" she asked, trying to figure why else it was here.
"Kind'a. We used to use it on long rides 'n when we was lookin' after the field," he shrugged. If it had been in the mountains it would've been called a hunting cabin, just somewhere safe to hole up and keep supplies should you need them. It was a remnant from their past when their families still worked together closely and owned a big herd, that would need taking out to the fields and back. No one had done that for a long time though. Now it was just a quiet place to retreat to when he needed it. "There be plenty o' food there," he added, guiding Maximus closer to the cabin. "Right, bring yer leg back over 'n hold onto me as ye slide down," he instructed her.
Molly leaned forward a little, holding on to him tightly as she tried to lift her leg. But, as her body wasn't used to this, she felt like she was stuck after being sat in the same position for almost an hour. "Eh, I can't," she said a little pathetically.
Jake sighed deeply as he lifted his leg over Maximus's head, so he didn't kick her in the head and hopped off. "Lean forward 'n lift that left leg," he said a bit more firmly as he held her arms and shoulders, so she knew he had her.
"I'm trying," she said, definitely pathetic now, trying not to think about how close his hands were to her breasts.
"Fer Pete's sake," Jake swore under his breath. He took her by surprise when he readjusted his grip under her arms and lifted her off. She was surprised how strong he was, and even more that her legs almost gave way when he put her down. She was relieved he still had a hold of her so that she didn't just crumple to the ground in a heap as she held on to his muscular arms, but she was surprised at how close their faces were when she looked up. His brown eyes were inches away from hers, she could see every little speck of light brown, almost gold, in his otherwise darker brown irises. Her green eyes held him rooted, as he was very aware of how deliciously close her body was against his. If this was after a few drinks at night, and if he'd been like the other boys around here, he'd be pulling her even closer and leaning in to kiss those luscious lips. But they'd only met the day before and he wasn't like that. "Ye need to work on yer upper body strength," he said after clearing his throat as he pulled away, finally letting go of her arms.
A little embarrassed she straightened her clothes and cleared her throat as well. "Eh yeah, okay…" she agreed eventually, wondering how on earth she was going to do that, when they started lessons tomorrow. He cleared his throat again and focused on tying Maximus to a tree. He indicated for her to sit on one of the chairs that was set up outside, before he went into the little cabin to get the food out. "Is it just you up at the ranch?" Molly decided on some small talk, even though she didn't think he was the type for it.
"Nah, me, pa 'n little sister Beth," she heard him answer from inside the cabin.
"And your mama?" she was almost afraid to ask, proven right when he stopped rummaging around. "You don't have to answer," she said after about a minute.
"She left, three years ago," Jake said slowly, as he came back out with some bread and a hump of cheese.
She looked up at him sympathetically as he set it down. As much as she missed her parents, they hadn't left out of choice. She knew they would've stayed if they could have. "I'm sorry Jake," she said, getting a shrug in response.
"Is what it is," he muttered as he sat down in the empty chair. "Help yerself," he raised his voice a little so she could hear him and pointed at the food.
"Knife?" she asked as she picked up the bread. It was still nice and fresh, which made her think he'd been up here earlier in the morning, but she couldn't figure out if it had been with her in mind. He got up with a sigh to get one from the cabin and held it out to her. Molly cut the bread into slices and set about making them a sandwich each.
"Thank ye ma'am," he said with a nod when she handed it to him.