Page 40 of Once Upon a Prince

“Why would I start telling you now?” he asked and smiled at me.

“You and your surprises,” I said with a smile.

I had honestly thought that when Dax brought me back to the hotel the night before he was going to ask to come into my room. I had hoped at the very least that he would have kissed me good-night. He didn’t do any of those things. Instead, he had dropped me off at my room, told me to be ready at ten o’clock the next morning and left.

It was not how I had wanted the evening to end but as soon as I had gotten into the room, I had kicked off my shoes, taken off my dress and fallen into a deep slumber on top of the bed. Dax had probably done the right thing; I was too exhausted to be with him last night. I had slept soundly and woken up with just enough time to get ready to meet him downstairs at ten o’clock.

There had been a car waiting for us when we exited the hotel and Dax had gotten into the driver seat and took off out of the city as if he had been doing it for years. When we got on the highway and away from traffic, he reached over and took my hand in his. I looked over and smiled at him. I knew wherever we were going was going to have an amazing day.

“Not even a hint?” I asked.

He didn’t answer me right away but thought about my questions. “Okay, I’ll say this. It’s something you talked about doing a while back.”

“Well, geez, that doesn’t narrow it down at all,” I said.

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to wait any longer to find out, we’re here,” he said.

I looked away from him to see that we had arrived at what looked to be a farm. There were miles of green hillsides surrounding the long driveway. I sat up and looked around, trying to get a better idea of what we were going to be doing.

“Are we going wine tasting?” I asked.

“Not necessarily,” he replied.

“Are we making our own wine?” I asked excitedly.

“No. Though that might be something we could do another time, if you’d like. I thought it might be fun to spend some time with these guys,” Dax said as he pulled into the front of the barn.

I turned to see four horses with their heads over the side of the fence as if they couldn’t wait to meet us. I let out a shocked cry and then looked over at Dax. “Are you taking me horseback riding?” I asked.

“That was the plan, though maybe we can see about making some wine. I’ve always wanted to stomp grapes.”

“You don’t stomp grapes anymore,” I said and then reached over and put my hand on his arm. “This is a much better idea. Thank you.”

“I’m glad you liked it. Shall we go meet our new friends?” Dax asked.

We got out of the car and walked to the horses. I had a horse when I was younger and rode with my mother. When she died, I didn't want to ride anymore. I missed Chestnut and had longed to get back on a horse but I hadn’t. I couldn’t believe that Dax had remembered my off-handed comment about wanting to go horseback riding and had made it happen.

The horses leaned farther over the fence trying to get to us. I put my hand on one and it nuzzled its neck into mine. I laughed and looked over at Dax who was smiling at me.

“Do you know how to ride?” I asked.

“Yes. My father taught me years ago. It’s been a minute since I’ve been on a horse but I’m sure I can remember how it’s done.”

“Are we taking a tour?” I asked as I pet the horse in front of me.

“I was thinking it would be more fun if we went off on our own. They do tours but it is more for beginners. They own a fair bit of land that has a pond, cows, goats, and lovely hillsides to explore. Call me selfish, but I wanted to have you all to myself if I could. Are you ready to get back on a horse?”

“It’s been years, but if I have a horse as sweet as this one, I’m sure I’ll be fine,” I looked over at him and smiled.

We didn’t get to say anything more as Jaime, one of the ranch hands came over and got us set up on our horses. In no time, I was seated atop Honey, the sweet horse I had been petting. Dax had chosen Harrison, a beautiful Criollo mare with soft brown fur. The horses seemed friendly with each other and we took off on a leisurely tour of the property. Jaime had given us a rundown of the property and the best places to go, along with a map.

Dax and I weren’t in any rush and trotted next to each other as we enjoyed the property. After about an hour we took a break to stretch our legs. The landscape was beautiful with lush rolling green hills as far as the eye could see.

I stood next to a tree while the horses grazed and took in the sight. It had been wonderful going to the charity event with Dax the night before, but it had still felt a little like work. Today felt like we were doing something for us. It was nice to talk to him, to get to know him as a person and not as my boss. I had been a bit disappointed that he hadn’t tried to sleep with me the night before or even that morning, but I could see this was better for us.

There was no need to rush what we were going to be. I knew we would become lovers; it didn’t matter when it happened. It might not even happen when we were in Buenos Aires. If it didn’t. I was okay with that. Knowing that made things both less stressful and more exciting.

“What are you thinking about?” Dax asked as he came and stood behind me. He put his arms on my hips and I could tell he was waiting for an invitation to do more. I leaned back into him and he wrapped his arms completely around me.