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Ryder reversed the truck out of her driveway and drove towards home. Once there, Isobel quickly took her things inside, then joined Ryder at the small shed by the barn. Ryder had already opened the doors and was starting up the large, orange zero-turn mower.
“Have you ever driven one of these before?” Ryder called out over the loud hum of the mower.
Isobel shook her head.
“Come here,” he gestured for her to step onto the mower and sit on his lap. He drove it onto the grass and began explaining the basics. “You engage the blades by pulling this up.” Ryder demonstrated, pulling up the button which caused a roar as the blades engaged. He pushed it back down to stop them and went on with his explanation.
After his brief tutorial and a small test drive around part of the yard showing her how it worked, she got off, allowing Ryder to dismount. She took her place on the seat and started mowing the eight acres around the barn, up and down the driveway, and in front of the house.
Ryder deliberately didn’t mention the area behind the house, keeping his ongoing project a secret for now.
Ryder watched her mowing along the north side of the barn, satisfied with how she handled the machine. Confident she was fine on her own, he headed into the barn to get his first horse.
Two hours later, as Ryder was working with his second horse, Isobel approached and observed him from outside the round pen.
Inside was a large bay mare. She stood in its center while Ryder crouched fifteen feet away from her. He remained motionless as the mare eyed him warily, snorting softly. Isobel quietly slid onto a nearby picnic table, watching with fascination as Ryder stayed perfectly still.
Ryder held his position for over ten minutes. Suddenly, the mare took two tentative steps toward him before pausing again. She pawed at the ground but then retreated a step. After another couple of minutes passed, she advanced once more until only a few feet separated them. Stretching her neck out as far as she could, she sniffed at Ryder’s presence.
In that moment, she moved forward until she stood directly in front of him.
Isobel’s heart raced as she watched this unfold; captivated by his patience yet anxious that something might go wrong with such a large animal so close to him.
Ryder extended his hand slowly, holding it just inches away from the horse's nose. The mare responded by pressing her muzzle into his palm, leaving it there. Gently, Ryder moved his hand along the side of her face and traced her jawline. Isobel could hear his soft murmurings, though the words were indistinct.
Maintaining contact with the mare's face, he gradually stood up and sidestepped to her flank, letting his hand glide along her neck. “You're alright, girl. I won't harm you,” he assured her as his hand reached her shoulder. “Good, girl. This is how it will be—no more pain.” Ryder whispered gently, running his fingers down her side. “That's good, girl. No hurting.” He returned his hand to her head as the mare stood serenely. “You're not a bad girl. What did they do to you?” Ryder stroked around her eye with care as she lowered her head slightly. “You won't be hurt again.”
Ryder continued this soothing routine for several more minutes on the mare’s other side. Glancing over at Isobel sitting on a nearby table, he smiled before returning to his task.
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Upon finishing, Ryder stepped away from the horse and walked towards the edge of the pen with the mare following forlornly behind him. He strolled along the circular pen gates with the faithful mare trailing closely until he reached the exit gate. Turning to face her, he gently patted her and spoke softly once more before exiting, allowing the horse some peaceful time alone.
“It’s incredible what you do with horses, Ryder. You have such patience,” Isobel remarked as Ryder joined her on the table.
“You need patience with some horses,” Ryder responded, eyes fixed on the mare exploring the pen ground. “She suffered severe abuse from her previous owner and lacked trust in humans.”
“I noticed she tailed you at the end—much like Delilah used to.”
“Yes, it's called joining up. When a horse joins up with you, it trusts you and sees you as a partner rather than a threat. She needed to learn that I meant no harm.”
“It's fascinating.” Isobel said softly as she looped her arm through Ryder’s and rested her head on his shoulder.
The two sat in mutual silence for a few peaceful minutes, watching the horse adjust to its environment. In that stillness, Ryder slid an arm behind Isobel and drew her closer against him.
“Did you abandon mowing duties?” Ryder finally asked with a chuckle.
“Nope—I ran out of gas.”
“I’ve got extra in the shed.” With that, Ryder slid off the table and took Isobel's hands to help her stand before him. He kissed her gently on the lips before heading towards the shed.
After refueling the mower, Isobel resumed mowing while Ryder secured the horse and moved on to repair a stall door. Tools in hand, he replaced broken boards with new ones, diving into his next project.
After completing his task, he went to check on Isobel. She was making her way down the drive, weaving between the trees. As she got closer, he could see her singing, so he walked over to the fence lining the drive to try and hear her. Resting his arms on the top rail, he listened and identified a Taylor Swift country song. Ryder smiled at the sound of her beautiful voice mixed with the roar of the mower.
Returning to the shed, Ryder pulled out his large gas-powered weed trimmer and began trimming around all his buildings, fences, landscaping, and house.
Two hours later, Ryder finished trimming around the same time Isobel completed mowing the areas he had pointed out. She parked the mower inside the shed and stepped out as Ryder approached.
"What about behind the house? You don’t mow there?" she asked while he hung up the weed trimmer.
"I’ll do that tomorrow," Ryder replied, pulling Isobel close despite smelling like exhaust and fuel. "Thanks for helping; the yard looks great."
"No problem," she said with a smile. "It was fun to do something different and get some fresh air." She kissed Ryder, tasting a mix of exhaust on his skin. "You taste like work," she giggled.
"Yeah, I need a shower. Sorry."
"No need to apologize—I don’t mind." She kissed him again, this time lingering longer.
Ryder wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I love having you here," he whispered into her ear and kissed just below it.
Isobel pulled back and gazed into his eyes. "We should elope."
Ryder thought she was joking but saw she was serious. "What? No, Isobel. I want you to have your wedding." He smoothed back a stray hair that had escaped her ponytail and tucked it behind her ear softly. "We can wait; it’s not long."
"I don’t need all that. I just need you."
"No, Isobel," he insisted gently. "I don’t want you regretting it later—wishing you had your special day or that you hadn’t made a snap decision."
"Ryder, this isn’t sudden; it’s been building for weeks."
"I understand how you feel," he assured her, kissing her soft lips again. "But please let me give you your day."
Isobel searched his sincere eyes and felt her heart melt. "Alright, Ryder."
"Let’s clean up and have some supper—it’s getting late."
They walked hand in hand across Ryder’s property toward his large, beautiful house, which Isobel admired each time she approached it.
Ryder watched her keenly as they strolled through the graveled parking area, observing her eyes as they scanned the entire front of the house. Halting abruptly, he gently tugged her hand to turn her towards him. With a firm grip on her hips, he leaned in and kissed her deeply.
"I've never officially asked you this, but once we're married, would you want to live here with me?"
Isobel lifted her arms, draping them over his shoulders, and threaded her fingers through his hair. "Of course I do, Ryder." She pulled him closer until their lips met again. When they finally broke apart, she gazed into his eyes. "This is where I fell in love with you."