Caine

Chapter Four

As fun as it had been, riding with no saddle or bridle, Sarah led Glory into the barn and tied her up next to Dan. Caine didn't bother with a bridle, he just threw the big heavy stock saddle on effortlessly, adjusted the stirrups and leapt on. He waited patiently for Sarah to finish tacking up Glory, then they headed for the hills at the back of the farm.

Sarah couldn't take her eyes off Caine. She was awed by how natural he looked in the saddle, as though he'd been born there. He just sat there, completely relaxed, back straight, one hand holding the reins, the other just resting lightly on his thigh. His light hair shone in the evening light and she could see his muscles bulging through his shirt. He was even gentle when he rode, but firm in a way - it was obvious he wouldn't be disobeyed.

They took off at a canter up the hill, racing neck and neck. Caine's big gelding was in the lead at first, then the small mare showed her true spirit and stretched out further, catching up in a couple of strides. As the hill levelled out a bit Dan gained the lead again, but with a bit of encouragement, Glory caught up to him, racing hard. The small mare was galloping hard, Sarah leaning forward over her neck, encouraging her, as the hill got steeper again, and the climb got tougher. It took several minutes of hard riding before they reached the top, and as they reined in to look at the view they were dead even.

"Wow. It's beautiful, isn't it?" Caine breathed the words, and Sarah barely heard them, but there was no missing the smile he gave her. It was obvious he loved this land nearly as much as she did.

"Yep. I love it here. We can see everything – pretty much the entire farm. Look that way –" she pointed to the east. "That's the Manukau Harbour. Across the water from there is the Auckland airport. Cool, huh? Feels like we're in the middle of nowhere, but civilisation isn't really all that far at all."

They could see over the entire farm, see their farm house below, see Caine's little cottage 100 metres down the road; Sarah pointed out the woolshed and yards, the stables, the implement sheds and the barns. They could see the contours of the land, every tree; the stream meandering its way through the valleys out to the sea. They looked down onto the sea then, and watched the waves crashing violently onto the rocks below.

It was a beautiful view, and Caine inched closer to Sarah and took her hand in his. Raising it to his mouth, he kissed the back of her fingers and smiled into her eyes.

Oh wow.... Caine just kissed my hand! Oh my gosh..... Speechless, her heart pounding, she returned the smile. Caine kept hold of her hand, his fingers entwined in hers, as they continued riding along the cliff, looking down at the beach, the wind threatening to blow their hats off.

"The track down to the beach is just over here a bit, see it?" Sarah pointed with her free hand, and led the way. The track was steep, narrow and slightly treacherous, and she was disappointed when Caine released her hand so she could go first. The sure-footed mare negotiated the descent with no trouble at all, but Dan wasn't quite so lucky and slid the last part, with Caine leaning back in the saddle trying to counter the slide. Trying not to laugh, Sarah was secretly pleased that she did a better job of coming down the hill – Caine was such a magnificent horseman, so skilled, that to excel on horseback against him was pretty cool.

Hiding her smile from Caine, she waited for him to ride up next to her and take her hand again. Mmmm I could get used to this! No one's ever held my hand like this before! He kept his fingers entwined in hers as they made their way slowly down the beach, their horses leaving the only prints in the black sand. A completely private beach, there was no public access, and it was one of Sarah's favourite places to ride.

"This is such an awesome beach," Caine told her, smiling at her.

"Yep, it is pretty cool. It's probably one of my favourite places; I spend hours here in the summer. I love it."

"I'm honoured that you're sharing it with me." Caine squeezed her hand as her smiled at her, and Sarah smiled broadly back.

They continued riding down the beach, cantering along in the surf, the waves pounding against the horses' legs, splashing their jeans. As they neared the big rock where Sarah liked to sit and read or daydream or listen to the waves, they reined up. Dismounting and leaving the reins dangling on the ground, they climbed up onto it, and Caine put his arm around her.

Mmmm this is nice! She thought, as she leaned in closer to him. She could feel the strength in his body and she felt safe. She'd never snuggled up to a boy before, and it was such a nice feeling – so warm, so comforting, so nice. She couldn't think of the right word to describe the way she felt, but she was certain that she didn't want the moment to end. She wanted to sit right there, on the big rock, in Caine's arms, forever.

They sat there for a while without talking, just enjoying the peacefulness of the beach, the tranquillity of their private rock; but eventually Caine broke the silence. He turned to face her, and looked into her eyes. He took her hand in his, and with his free hand he softly brushed her cheek with his fingers. His work-calloused hands felt rough against the soft skin of her face, but his touch was gentle.

"I want to kiss you, Sarah. Can I kiss you?" He sounded like such a gentleman, asking for her permission for a kiss, and there was no way she could refuse him. She gave the smallest nod in response, and Caine lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her deeply, passionately. She closed her eyes as she got lost in the moment, buried deep within the kiss.

As the kiss ended, and they slowly pulled away from each other, Sarah was blown away by the emotions she felt, rising up within her, and she sank back into Caine's arms. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and held her close and she snuggled against his broad chest and listened to the rhythmic thudding of his pounding heart. Her heart was pounding too – her first kiss had thrilled her like nothing else.

They sat there cuddled up like that for a long time, not moving, not speaking, until finally the sky started to glow orange over the horizon and the sun started to disappear. The sunset was beautiful, to mark the end of a perfect afternoon, and they knew they should go home before it got dark and her parents worried, though neither of them wanted to. .

They rode slowly back along the beach, following the prints they had made earlier, which were starting to fade. They rode home hand-in-hand, in silence, remembering their first kiss. It had been a first for both of them, and each of them knew they would never forget it, no matter what the future held for them.