Strawberry Wine ✓

Chapter 2

I loved riding. It was the one place I truly felt free. Free from Mother's overbearing expectations, free from society's rules about how a young lady should act, free from everything. I was just me, just Dallas and I love it. I'm riding along one of the mountain ranges that edge our land when something catches Milky-way's attention, causing her ears to prick up. I'm immediately on edge. I knew better than most the dangers that came with riding up here. Mountain lions weren't as uncommon as some people think.

A faint nicker meets my ears and I relax. Just someone else on horseback. "You know you really shouldn't be riding up here alone." I hear someone say. I turn slightly in my saddle. It's Jimmy.

"I've been riding these hills since before I could walk in heels properly. I wouldn't be worried about me." I say before turning back to look out on my father's "kingdom".

"Are you always this standoffish?" He asks, coming to a stop next to me.

"Excuse me?" I ask.

"You got kind of an attitude there. Doesn't exactly surprise me, the princess of the Rhodes dynasty has returned. At least, that's what the other stable hands have said."

"If they have that's bullshit. I'm the only person in this family, besides my father, who actually does shit around here. I'm out there mucking out the stalls along with them. Just because I'm a woman, and one from an affluential family, doesn't mean I don't get dirty. I'm probably the first one to do so, much to Mother's annoyance." I finish before turning my horse and galloping away.

I make it down the ridge and out into an open pasture before I hear him catch up with me. He comes to a stop in front of me, blocking my way. "I'm sorry. That was incredibly rude of me to assume. You don't know me, and I certainly don't know you. Let's start over. I'm Jimmy." He says, stretching out his hand.

I smile. "Dallas. It's nice to meet you. I'm sure we're going to be seeing a lot of each other this summer."

"How do you mean?" He asks as we settle into a nice slow walk.

"Every summer I help Daddy with the births. It's kind of like our thing. Anyway, if you work with the horses you'll be seeing a lot of me. I practically live in the stable while we're here." I say. "I'm assuming this one is yours," I say pointing towards his horse. "I know every horse in that barn so I can pick out a new one very easy."

"Yeah, this here is Houston." I laugh at his name.

"I guess you were meant to be here. A horse name Houston, and you work for a man who named his only child, a daughter for that matter, after another city in Texas." We both laugh at that. I could see the house and the barn pop up in the distance. "Race ya!" I shout as I take off. I hear him let out a loud laugh before I hear another set of thundering hoof beats come up behind him. "Ok Milk. Let's show him what a Rhodes' horse is made of." I whisper to her and I feel her push herself, pulling ahead as I lean over her neck. We pull ahead and I only start to slow us down when we're entering the side yard.

"Beat ya." I say as he comes to a stop. He's breathing heavy.

"How in the hell?" He asks, taking a look at Milk-way.

"She was bred for speed. Her sire is Galileo's Comet," I explain, pointing towards the barn where he's kept. "She had a successful first season but didn't produce quite the same results last year," I roll my eyes at this. "So now she'll be used to 'breed champions' as my dad puts it."

"You don't agree?" He asks as we dismount and walk the horses into the barn.

"I don't think that one, or even a few, bad races should disqualify her from even trying. As if the only thing she's good for now. I could get her trained to show but 'we don't breed show horses'. I love him, and I'm closer to him than Mother, but he drives me crazy." I say.

He doesn't respond as we take of their tack and begin brushing them out. "Is that something you would do, if you could decide?"

"It doesn't matter. I'll never get the opportunity to so it doesn't help anyone for me to sit here and wish."

"I know. But if you could, what would you do with it?"

"I wouldn't only see a horses value in its winnings on the track. Just because we've only bred racehorses doesn't mean that that is all we're good for. Some of these yearlings aren't cut for it but would make excellent jumpers, hunters, and dressage. But he won't hear of it." I say, looking to the house.

"You seem to really care about the business."

"I do. My dad doesn't have any sons. This'll pass to me when he's gone. It's the only thing I've ever wanted to do." Before we could continue, my mother returned. "Shit! I gotta go. Thanks for listening. I don't even remember the last time someone did that. And thanks for the race, if that's what you want to call it." I joke as I put Milk-way back in her stall.

"You actually said that." He looks at me with amused disbelief.

"Yes I did." I smile cockily before racing out of the barn and around the house, sneaking in through the back and up to my room that way, the whole while thinking about the boy in the barn with the sky blue eyes.