Page 19 of Maid for Daddy

“Jump?” I’ve barely asked the question when Crystal leaps into the air. She clears the stream with ease and continues running into the forest.

“Okay, slow her down. The woods are for easy riding not racing.”

“How?”

“Pull back on the reins and say, ‘Whoa.’”

She responds like she already knows what I want from her and walks us gently to a clearing.

“What’s that sound?” I ask.

“That’s a waterfall. Want to see it?”

“A waterfall? Let’s go.”

“Alright, you have to stop her so we can get off. Just…”

“Pull back on the reins and whoa.” I grin as Crystal comes to a halt.

Stephen climbs down and brings me down in his arms. “I see you’re a natural at this too.”

“What about her?”

“Drop the reins over her head. She’ll stay right here and graze.”

He takes my hand and leads me across the clearing to a stone cliff on the far side. The sound of the rushing water grows louder as we approach. The sunlight dances on the glistening rocks, casting tiny rainbows into the air. A cool breeze mists my face with tiny droplets of cool water, and I inhale the scent of lavender that floats through the air.

“This place is like a secret treasure hidden away back here in the forest.”

“I would come out here and climb on the rocks when I was supposed to be hunting with my father and brother.”

“Is that safe?”

“No.” He chuckles and squeezes my hand. “When I was twelve, I slipped on some moss and went right over the falls. Cracked my skull open on the way down. I hoped the fall would kill me because I was sure that if it didn’t, my father would.”

“Did he? I mean, obviously, he didn’t kill you, but was he angry?”

“Yeah, he was angry, but looking back, I don’t think it was about my cracked skull.”

“What was it?”

“It was me. Who I was and who I’ll always be. My father was a powerful man, almost larger than life, and my brother bowed at his feet and followed in his footsteps. I couldn’t be like that. Even as a kid, I was independent and had my own way of thinking. My father hated that.”

“But you’re still here at his estate. You must have learned to get along.”

“I think he came to respect me once he saw that I was capable and smart. I did a lot of things I’m not proud of because of him, but a day came when that changed. I didn’t bend or compromise for him anymore. I showed him that I could be just as powerful as he was but on my own terms.”

“It’s hard to imagine anyone being as powerful as you.”

We arrive at the edge of the falls, and I pull my phone from my pocket to snap some pictures including one of us with the falls as our backdrop. It’s our first picture together. It may seem silly, but for me, it somehow makes our relationship more official.

“I have something for you.” Stephen reaches into his jacket pocket.

“You’ve given me flowers, a bracelet, and an amazing horse. You don’t have to keep giving me gifts.”

He takes out a delicate gold chain and holds it up so I can see the pendant hanging from it. It sparkles so brightly in the sunlight that I have to step closer to make it out. It’s a horse-shaped pendant adorned with tiny diamonds and sapphires.

“It’s beautiful.” I’m stunned at how expensive it looks.