Chapter 5
Amanda was excited to have Kevin to help plan the wedding. The next day she invited him over to go over some things. They had a wonderful meeting but after a while, he looked at his watch. It was nearing 3 in the afternoon.
"I'm sorry to cut this short, but I must get to the ranch and tend to my horses, I haven't visited them all day." Kevin said as he stood up.
"You own horses?" Amanda asked, following him to the front door. She had loved horses since she was a little girl back in New Jersey, and loved riding.
"My family owns a ranch about an hour from here. Brian and I go riding together once in a while." Kevin explained.
"Brian rides horses?" Amanda said, smiling. She found it hard for her to imagine him on a horse, he was so into sports like basketball.
"Oh yes, when I lived in Kentucky....Brian came to the farm a lot to ride. We used to go for hours...he loves it. Do you like to ride?"
"I haven't ridden since I was a girl, but I would love to do it again." Amanda said, remembering horseback riding when she was young.
"Well, maybe you could come with us sometime, Brian and I would love some company. How about tomorrow?" Kevin asked. Amanda agreed right away, she loved to ride. The next day Brian picked her up in the morning. The two of them were going to meet Kevin at the ranch, it was a beautiful day outside.
"Thanks for bringing me along, Bri. I can't wait to ride. I haven't been since I was little." Amanda said as they drove to the ranch.
"Yeah....I have been riding since I was a kid. I tried to get Nick to do it too when we went to Kentucky." Brian explained. He used to love going to the farm for Christmas when he was a teenager until Kevin's family moved to Miami.
"Did he like it?" Amanda asked, trying to picture Nick horseback riding.
"He wouldn't come with us....he kept to himself a lot..." Brian told her, watching the road as they drove through the woods.
"That's too bad."
"He was going through a hard time when he was 16....you were gone and he wasn't used to being away from his family yet. So my dad decided to take him along to Kevin's parent's farm in Kentucky. Well, he forgot to tell them about Nick when we went." Brian reminisced.
"They didn't tell Kevin's parents that Nick was coming? I bet they weren't happy about it." Amanda said thoughtfully as she stared out of the window.
"No, they weren't happy at all. Kevin's dad and my dad got into a fight on Christmas Eve because Nick wouldn't spend time with the rest of the family, he kept hanging out in the barn and reading. Kevin's mom said something must be wrong with a boy that only wants to read." Brian replied with a sigh.
"That's awful." Amanda offered, picturing the whole thing as he told her what happened. She knew Nick must have been hurt to hear all of the fighting.
"So Kevin's dad told my parents that Nick belonged in a foster home and asked why he...and I quote...couldn't be more like Brian. He then said Nick ruined Christmas and even though we had adopted him, he was not their family." Brian finished. He remembered how Nick had heard the whole fight and spent about two hours crying in the loft over the barn, not coming down for supper. They had called and called him, he spent the night out in the barn.
"We left there Christmas morning, we didn't stay any longer. My dad kept telling Nick that they loved him and they were sorry for Kevin's family but Nick wouldn't listen. He kept insisting he ruined Christmas and he was a burden.....it led to him running away."
"That's so sad. What did Kevin say about all of this?" Amanda asked curiously. She found it hard to believe that Kevin was so cold hearted as his parents, he seemed so friendly.
"Kevin didn't really talk to Nick during our visit. He thought he was strange...plus his parents were pretty adamant about him leaving Nick alone." Brian replied as they pulled into the driveway. The ranch was beautiful, with large white fences and a big stable...surrounded by trees. Kevin was waiting for them as they exited the car and walked over.
"Hello, Amanda. Nice to see you again." Kevin greeted with a warm smile as he shook her hand.
"Thank you for inviting me along." Amanda said. Kevin led them to the stable and they chose their horses before moving out on the trail. They spent a good part of the afternoon riding and when they were finished, all of them were happy.
"That was amazing!" Amanda exclaimed.
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. You may come with us any time you like, and Nick can come too if he wants." Kevin offered as he tied up his horse.
"Of course, I will be sure to give him the invitation." Amanda said. Brian drove her home and Nick was in the kitchen cooking dinner, his famous fried chicken.
"Did you have a good time, baby?" Nick asked, kissing her on the cheek.
"The best. It was so much fun....I am going with them again soon, Kevin said you can come if you want to." Amanda offreed. Nick smiled but thought about his fear of horses. When he had been in Kentucky, he had nearly gotten trampled by the horses in the barn and decided he would never go near them again.
"I would love to, baby." he lied, grinning as he kissed her again. He knew he shouldn't have told her he would ride...the thought of it scared him, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to take a couple of lessons and go riding with Amanda just once. He decided to keep up the illusion that he could ride to make her happy, even if it meant possibly getting himself hurt. He made a mental note to call for a riding instructor after dinner.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks for all the feedback! Hope you enjoy this chapter!
