Chapter 19

            The same day after Nick dropped Heather off in the midmorning, Rich called her.

            “Hey Heather!”

            “Hey Bud! What’s up?”

            “Nothing really. I have the day off because Backstreet is going into the studio today to start a new album. I was thinking…”

            “You thinking? That’s not a good thing,” Heather joked.

            “Well then if you’re going to make fun of me I won’t tell you what I was thinking about,” Rich fired back.

            “I’m sorry Rich. What were you thinking?”

            “I was thinking about how much fun we used to have horseback riding together and I was wondering if you would like to go riding with me today.”

            “Oh Rich I would love to! Steph and I haven’t gone riding in a long while. When do you want to go?”

            “Whenever you are ready to I’ll come and pick you up. Does that sound good?”

            “It sounds perfect. I just have to dig out my riding boots and change quickly and I’ll be good to go. Do you know where we’re going?”

            “I found a little stable that you can rent out horses for a day and just hit the trails for as long as you want. If you’d like we can pack a picnic and eat out on the trail. The only thing is I don’t have a picnic basket or food to take with us.”

            “I have back packs we can pack and if you’d like you can come over now and we can pack lunch together.”

            “Alright. I’ll be over in a few minutes Bud.”

            “Ok take your time and drive carefully.”

            He chuckled, “I will Worry Wart.”

            Heather smiled but as she hung up she started to panic about how she looked and what she was going to say to Rich. She wasn’t at all nervous about riding a horse for the first time in years but she was more nervous about spending the entire day alone with her best friend.

            She was buzzing around getting ready for Rich’s arrival and once she opened the door to see his smiling face, she felt her heart pound in her chest as the world around her seemed to move in slow motion and she felt like a deer in the headlights. She didn’t know why she was acting this way around him but she couldn’t help it. There was something about the way his face lit up and smiled when she opened the door that made her blindsided.

            “Hey Rich!” she finally exclaimed when she caught her breath.

            “Hey Bud,” he flashed a handsome grin her way. “How are ya?”

            “I’m good,” she replied as she went to hug him, “Come on in and we’ll start packing.” She led the way into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, “I have all kinds of lunch meat and other fixings for sandwiches. Also I whipped up a batch of macaroni salad. Help yourself to whatever you want to make.”

            It didn’t take long for the backpacks to be packed and for Heather to throw on a pair of riding jeans and her boots that surprisingly still fit perfectly. Once they were ready and Heather told the Puppies she’d be back soon, they hit the road.

            The stable was only about ten minutes away and Heather fell in love with the fantastic place Rich found. They made their way to the main office to sign papers and afterward one of the stable hands showed them to their horses who needed to be groomed and tacked up.

            “I’ll be right back with another groom and your horses will be ready in a few minutes,” the groom said.

            “Oh you don’t have to,” Heather said, “We can groom and tack them up ourselves. I can see you guys are starting to get really busy.”

            The stable’s summer camp had just started and all the grooms were running around trying to get their campers’ horses ready.

            “Thank you so much for lessening my work load. I’ll get you guys the tack and grooming kits,” the groom said. “I greatly appreciate when people who know what they are doing help us grooms out.”

            “It’s my pleasure. I used to have my own horse years ago and I loved grooming him even more than riding him sometimes,” Heather smiled thinking about her horse. “This one looks like my old horse actually.” She walked over to the Palomino (a light yellow coat with a white mane and tail) standing closest to her and patted her neck.

            “This one’s a sweet heart that loves the trails and also loves to run. She’s a good listener though so you won’t have to fight with her,” the groom informed. “Her name’s Sammie.”

            “She sounds like my horse Cowpoke,” Heather ran her hand down the horse’s face, “I’ll ride her today.”

            “And this one,” the groom said pointing to the other horse, “is Fire. We rescued her from the race track. She wasn’t the best runner but she still loves to run right alongside Sammie. They’re best friends and you can’t keep them apart for too long or they get very nervous. Fire’s a good girl too. She can be a little more skittish than Sammie but if you keep them together she’ll be fine.”

            Rich chuckled, “Fire sounds like my old horse Samoya. It’s funny how we get to ride horses that are like the ones we had when we were younger.”

            “It is funny but in a good way,” Heather agreed as she brushed Samoya.

            After they finished readying the horses they hit the trail and soaked in the beautiful summer day. It wasn’t too hot and a light breeze whispered in their ears.

            The trail was right next to a small babbling stream that cut through the forest. The horses knew the way because they always went on the same trails over and over again. Heather and Rich let them pick their own way on the trail. The only thing the riders did was set the pace.

             “I have to say that I thought I would forget how to ride,” Rich said as he rode his horse alongside Heather’s.

            “You’re riding like a pro Rich. But I do know what you mean. I haven’t been on a horse in years.”

            “Heather, you have always ridden like a pro. Even when we first started lessons at my aunt’s stable. It’s like you were born to be in the saddle.”

            “Oh stop flattering me you sweet talker. I still think you were destined to be a cowboy. You’re a natural when it comes to horses.”

            “Why thanks,” he said tipping the rim of the cowboy hat he was wearing.

            They continued along the stream for a little longer when the forest opened up to a clearing where the old wooden holding pen the stable groom told them about was. The groom said it was the perfect place to set up their picnic and they could rest the horses in the pen while they ate.

            “Do you want to rest here for a little bit?” Rich asked after taking in the picture perfect scene ahead of them.

            “I am getting pretty hungry come to think of it and we have been riding for two hours already. The horses deserve a nice rest for a little bit.”

            “Wanna race there and see how fast these horses can go?” Rich looked at her and flashed a challenging smile.

            “Alright let’s do it. The finish line will be between the two stumps just before the pen and we’ll start the race after we get down from the hill. It’s not good to run them downhill remember?”

            “Oh yeah that’s right. The race is on Bud. I hope you enjoy eating dust because that’s what you’ll be doing when I get this ex-race horse running.”

            Heather laughed, “The groom said the only reason why she was retired from the track was because she not the best runner. Besides I’m riding a good ole Quarter horse and no other horse can beat them at short distance races.”

            “We’ll just see about that.”

            Once the ground leveled out again, Heather kicked Sammie and the golden horse exploded into a gallop. Rich was taken aback by the speed of Heather’s horse.

            When the distance between the two horses increased rapidly Fire started to dance under the saddle. She wanted to catch up with Sammie but Rich was holding her back because first of all he was shocked by the fierce way Heather was riding and secondly he wanted to see how Fire would react to him holding her back. He hoped that when he loosened up on the reins and leaned forward in the saddle that Fire would quickly gain speed to catch up with her friend.

            Rich was right. Once he screamed, “Go!” and punched his fist holding the reins forward, Fire jumped forward and quickly caught up to Sammie. He was almost vaulted from his seat.

            The two horses ran side by side for many strides and Rich couldn’t help but watch Heather ride.

            She’s beautiful! He thought as he watched his best friend’s long, brown hair tangle with the wind and her body move with the horse’s powerful, fast stride. She had a determined look on her face but at the same time she was smiling as she pushed her horse a little faster.

PT2      Rich kicked Fire to try and make her run faster but Fire just tossed her head in refusal. She was telling him that she couldn’t run any faster as she tried to keep up with the speedy Sammie. Fire tried her best but Sammie beat her by a head (horse racing term that’s about the length of a horse’s head) at the pretend finish line.

            Gradually they slowed the horses down and dismounted once they were fully stopped.

            “What did I tell you Rich?! No other horse could beat a Quarter horse at a short distance race. Sammie and I won!” she teased then stuck her tongue out at him.

            “But you only beat me by a head. Fire did a really good job of keeping up with you two.”

            “That she did. And she deserves a good rest in the pen for a while and so does Sammie.”

            “I agree.”

            They un-tacked the horses and turned them out in the pen where they munched happily on the green grass. Rich and Heather spread out the blanket they had packed and started eating their lunch in silence as they watched the horses graze.     

            Rich pulled out his ipod and a small speaker from his bag.

            “What shall we listen to while we eat?” he asked after setting up the speaker.

            “Doesn’t that need electricity?”

            “Nope its battery powered. Now what do you want to listen to?”

            “Hhmmm… you have any country on there?”

            “Yes I do. I have Sugarland, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum….”

            Heather interrupted him excitedly, “Lady Antebellum! I love them! Since when are you a Lady A fan? I knew you liked country but I didn’t know you would’ve liked Lady A.”

            “I’ve liked them since they started. You and I have the same tastes remember?”

            “That’s true. I keep forgetting about that.”

            “I’m guessing you want to listen to Lady A then?”

            Heather nodded her head excitedly.

            They ate happily as they listened to Lady Antebellum and when they were finished eating they started singing along.

            Rich smiled after “Perfect Day” ended, “This really is a perfect day Heather.”

            She chuckled, “Stop reading my mind. I was just about to say that Rich.”

            They looked into each other’s eyes and Heather felt her heart flutter.

            “This feels like the good old days,” Rich said in a near whisper as he turned the music down a notch. “Just you and me watching horses graze on a beautiful sunny day just like this, listening to music, singing along to the songs we knew. I miss those days.”

            “I miss them too. Words cannot how describe how much I miss those days. Words also cannot begin to explain how much I missed you.”

            “You were reading my mind just now Heather.”

            They stared into each other’s eyes for a fleeting second until Heather looked away. There was something about staring into his deep blue eyes that she just couldn’t handle. She wanted to stare at them all day but whenever she did she felt like crying.

            “You know there’s just one more thing to do to make it exactly like the good old days Violet.”

            Heather looked at him in shock, “What did you just call me?”

            “I called you Violet.”

            “No one has called me that since…”

            He cut her off, “Since I left?”

            She nodded her head slowly, “I thought I would never hear that nickname again.”

            “Then what do people call you when they are tired of saying Heather all the time? Violet was the perfect nickname for you because of how much you love the color purple.”

            “Well you were the only one who really called me Violet or Vi. Rose and a few other friends tried to call me that but I asked them to stop. It didn’t sound right when they said it. It only sounds right when you call me that.”

            He looked into her eyes and inched closer to her, “Can you do me one favor Vi?”  

            “What is it?”

            “Can you sing to me please?”

            “But I did just sing to you.”

            “You sang with me. I want you to sing to me… like you used to. You would look directly into my eyes and sing your heart out. It would take my breath away and I couldn’t sing along because all I could do was listen to your beautiful voice. Please sing to me.”

            She couldn’t resist the puppy-dog eyes he was giving her, “Alright. Which song?”

            “This one,” he played Lady Antebellum’s “All We’d Ever Need”.

            Heather liked the song a lot but she wondered why Rich chose that particular one. She was going to ask but instead she took a big breath and sang:

            “Boy it’s been all this time/ And I can’t get you off my mind/ And nobody knows it but me/ I stare at your photograph/ Still sleep in the shirt you left/ And nobody knows it but me/ Every day I wipe my tears away/ So many nights I’ve prayed for you to say/ “I should’ve been chasing you”/ “I should’ve been trying to prove”/ “That you were all that mattered to me”/ I should’ve said all the things/ That I kept inside of me/ And maybe you could’ve made me believe/ That what we had was all we’d ever need.”

            As she looked into his eyes she thought about the lyrics she was singing. She was about to breathe again to start the next verse but Rich beat her to it:

            “My friends think I’m moving on/ But the truth is I’m not that strong/ And nobody knows it but me/ I’ve kept all the words you said/ In a box underneath my bed/ And nobody knows it but me”

            She could feel tears starting to sting her eyes but she pushed them aside and harmonized softly with Rich:

            “But if you’re happy I’ll get through somehow/ But the truth is that I’ve been screaming out”

            Then Rich took over the chorus:

            “I should’ve been chasing you/ I should’ve been trying to prove/ That you were all that mattered to me/ I should’ve said all the things/ That I kept inside of me and maybe I could’ve made you believe/ That what we had was all we’d ever need”

            They got closer to each other as the song’s emotions intensified. They sang the rest of the song with as much emotion as they could both muster.

            As they finished the song they stared into each other’s eyes and their lips inched closer.

            This can’t be happening, she thought. I can’t be sitting here with Rich about to kiss me. He can’t be looking at me like he’s in love with me. This has to be a dream! I want to kiss him but I can’t! I should tell him… I can’t do this!

            Just as he closed his eyes Heather lightly pushed him away.

            “I think we should pack up and hit the trail before it gets too late.”                       

            Rich watched her pack her back pack hurriedly before walking to the pen to get the horses. He shoved everything he had in his back pack and followed.

            They tacked up the horses in silence then headed back the way they came.

            Heather rode ahead of Rich because Sammie was the leader out of the two horses. She liked being in the front because she could be a lone to think about what almost happened.

            How can I tell him? When can I tell him?

            About half an hour into the ride back to the stable Rich finally broke the silence, “Heather can we talk?”

            Her heart started to race, “Sure. Let me stop up ahead where the trail widens so we can ride side by side.”

            She reined Sammie over to the side once the trail widened and Rich kicked Fire to catch up.

            “I’m sorry about what happened in the field. I just got caught up in the moment.”

            “It’s ok,” she answered truthfully although she was a little disappointed.

            “Your voice took my breath away back there.”

            She blushed slightly and answered with a little giggle, “Thank you… I guess.”

            “That’s how I knew it was you at the after party. I knew I could never forget your voice.”

            “I guess it didn’t change since you were gone.”

            “It hasn’t at all.

            “And your voice sounds the same too except it’s a little… I don’t know… more mature.”

            “I guess you can say that.”

            Silence fell between them again for a little bit until they both came up with more words to say.

PT3      Once they got back to Heather’s house they started to BBQ and set up her picnic table. They talked and laughed as they ate and the laughter and conversations continued while they roasted marshmallows over her fire pit to make smores for dessert.

            “Now this reminds me of summer nights at your uncle’s house,” Rich commented after putting together his smore.

            “Yeah it does. I loved his back yard and the huge fires he use to make and the giant marshmallows we used to get,” Heather smiled. “They made the best smores.”

            “They did. I remember the stars too and how much you used to love looking up at them.”

            “There were a lot more of them though because his house was farther away from the city. It was prettier at his house.”

            “It was more romantic,” Rich said softly.

            “That it was,” Heather said without looking at him. She changed the subject and started reminiscing about the times they had spent camping with a large group of their friends at the camp grounds near her uncle’s house. The time flew by while they were remembering old camping stories and laughing about them. The fire had died down and they both agreed it was best to head inside.

            It was a good thing they did because once they did the rain poured down in another hurricane like storm.

            “Rich, do you want to stay over tonight? It’s late and I don’t want you driving in this weather.”

            “If you want me to stay the night I will.” Rich smiled warmly at her and she couldn’t help but smile back.

            “Wanna watch a movie?”

            “Sure. What do you want to watch?”

            “I don’t care. You can choose. All my movies are under the TV in the cabinet and if you can’t find something you like we can order off of on-demand. I’ll be right back. I’m going to change quickly and grab you a change of clothes.”

            “A change of clothes for me?”

            “Yeah.”

            “Vi, if you come down with some frilly pink, no wait knowing you, a purple robe or night gown I’m leaving.”

            “Would I do that to you?” Heather grinned mischievously.

            “Do you really want me to answer that?”

            Heather laughed, “I’ll be right back.”

            Rich shook his head and smiled while she nearly ran up the stairs.

            He just put the DVD he wanted to watch into the player when Heather walked into the living room in her pjs and she threw a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt at him.

            “Do you want popcorn?” she called from the kitchen.

            “No thanks. I’m still full from the smores. Unless you want popcorn.”

            “Nah,” she replied walking back into the living room, “I just wanted twizzlers and root beer.”

            “You’re going to make the twizzlers into straws aren’t you?” Rich grinned.

            “You got it!” she laughed. “You were the one who taught me that.”

            “Actually, would you mind if I have some root beer and twizzlers?”

            “Not at all. I’ll go get you a cup and I’ll bring the bag of twizzlers in.”

            “Thanks,” Rich said as he looked down at the clothes she had given him.

            “You’re welcome.”

            “Hey Vi, where did you get these clothes? They look familiar,” he called from the down stairs bathroom where he started to change.

            “They should look familiar because they’re yours.”

            He walked out of the bathroom while he was slipping on the shirt and at the same time Heather was walking back into the living room. She almost dropped the glass of root beer she was holding when she caught a glimpse of his well formed abs.

            Since when was he chiseled?! She said excitedly in her head.

            “You left those pants and that shirt at my house one day. I kept forgetting to give them too you.”

            He looked down at the old blue basketball shorts and the sleeveless T-shirt from a Bon Jovi concert. Heather liked what she was seeing. Rich looked hot in that outfit. But she felt strange thinking that way. Did she really thing her best friend was hot?

            “Now I remember this shirt. I’ve been looking for it since you went away to college.”

            “You never asked for them back and I accidently packed them for college. But they did comfort me. I slept in them whenever I felt lonely or like I didn’t fit in. They made me feel at home.”

            “You always did borrow them from me. Mainly in school when you didn’t have clothes to change into for gym.”

            She smiled, “Yeah then I would take them home, wash them then sleep in them until you asked for them back.”

            “I didn’t mind that you kept borrowing them. I knew you liked them. You picked out the shirt at the concert anyway.”

            “That’s right I did,” Heather giggled. “So what movie are we watching?”

            Rich smiled, “Hidalgo.”

            “My favorite movie.”

            “Mine too,” he agreed.

            “It was the first movie we went to go see for the first time alone together. It was just you and me that day. No one else in our group went with us.”

            “That was a fun day.”

            “It was. Remember you let me rest my head on your shoulder and I almost fell asleep?”

            He grinned, “I do remember that. Well let’s get started with the movie before you do fall asleep.”

            Heather sat down on the couch in her usual spot and Rich spread himself on the rest of it. He rested his feet on Heather’s lap like he used to do when they were younger.

            “Do you mind if I keep my feet on your lap?”

            She raised her eyebrow at him, “Since when do you ask to lay your feet on me?”

            He laughed as the movie started, “You have a point there.”

            About half way through the movie Heather started to get sleepy. She rested her head on the back of the couch but to Rich she didn’t look comfortable.

            “Violet you don’t look comfortable at all like that.”

            “No I’m good,” she lied.

            “You can lie on my chest if you want to. It’s probably more comfortable than cranking your neck like that.”

            She was hesitant at first but she accepted his offer. She slowly rested her head on his well developed peck. She breathed in his cologne and listened to his heartbeat. It was soothing to her.

            It made her flash back to when her father died. He was a New York City cop gunned down on the job. Heather’s mother had died in a car accident when Heather was 17. Stephanie took the death of their father very hard. She wouldn’t talk to anyone except for her then boyfriend who was now her fiancé. Rich was the one Heather turned to for comfort and support when her other friends didn’t know what else to say to her when “I’m so sorry Heather” was only making her feel worst. Rich wouldn’t say a thing. He would just take her in his arms and hold her close, push her head on his chest and stroke her hair which always calmed her down. It was the same thing her dad did when her mom died. The sound of Rich’s heart beat sounded like her dad’s and it made her feel secure and loved. He would also gently kiss the top of her head. She would just stand there with him and sob. He didn’t care that his shirt was getting drenched in tears; all he wanted to do was console his best friend. He was the only one who could really console her.

PT 4     Before the movie was over, her eyes were closed and she was quite comfortable lying on Rich’s chest. She wasn’t fully asleep but she was close to the deep slumber that was calling her name. She loved the feel of his fingers running through her long brown locks. It was a strange way to comfort her, especially knowing the fact that she would only let a select few touch her hair, but it comforted her almost instantly.

            She wanted to watch the rest of the movie because the end was the best part but her eye lids were so heavy and she was so comfortable! The only thing she needed was the blanket to be pulled up to cover her bare shoulders but she couldn’t find the energy to do so.

            She heard Rich chuckle lightly then he pulled the blanket up and covered her shoulders with it. He stopped stroking her hair and rested his hand on her back. After he turned off the TV he planted a sweet, gentle kiss on her forehead then drifted off to sleep. She felt a warm, tingling sensation shoot down her spine but it made her smile as she too drifted off to sleep.