“Oh, really? Are you doubting my speed to get off this horse?”

A smile teased at the corners of her mouth. “Maybe.”

“I can prove it to you. I’ll even show you just how fast I can get you off your horse.”

She adjusted her hands on the reins, glancing at the horn of the saddle. “I’d really like to stay—” But before she could finish her sentence, I had pulled my reins, stopping Ace in his tracks, jumped to the ground, and was reaching for her.

“On,” she said through a laugh as I grabbed her by the waist and lifted her off. “Callan!”

I hoisted her up and over, slinging her over my shoulder as she laughed. “What’s up?” 

“Tickle her!” Avery shouted from up ahead. 

I shot her a wink and moved my hands to Sage’s sides. In an attempt to get down, she moved her hands to my shoulders to push away. As soon as I felt the pressure against me, she hissed in a breath as she winced, like she was in pain. Immediately setting her feet to the ground, I looked over her body.

“What happened? Did I hurt you?” I asked hurriedly, worried I’d injured her.

She held her wrist in her opposite hand, her brows pulled together. “No. No, you didn’t hurt me.” Her voice was slightly strained with each word.

I grabbed her hand from her, flipping it over. My eyes landed on a long, thin scar that stretched a few inches in diameter. She pulled her hand back, dropping her arm to her side.

I couldn’t take my eyes away from her dainty wrist. The only sound I could hear was the blood rushing through my veins. “What happened?” 

“I broke it a long time ago,” she said, her voice small.

“You did, or someone else?”

Her eyes bored up at me, but all I saw was that scar. How had I missed it before now?

“Don’t try to tell me someone didn’t do that to you,” I warned. 

“I slipped—”

“You don’t slip and get a scar like that, Sage.” She very well could have slipped and broken her wrist, but I got the feeling that was far from the truth. She’d begun to recite her response on impulse, like she’d trained herself to answer with that when people asked. I knew when people were being genuine, and right now, Sage was covering something up.

I slowly raised my gaze to hers, and the fear I saw in her eyes was a sight I never wanted to see again. I could have gone my entire life without seeing that look.

I gently grabbed her hand again, but instead of examining the scar, I cradled it in both of mine, like it could break any moment. “Who did this to you?”

“My ex.”

My jaw locked, my teeth threatening to break with the pressure.

“How?”

“He grabbed it,” she whispered, a strain in her voice. The term was putting what he did to her lightly.

I pulled one of my hands back, clenching it into a fist. The muscles were pulled taut with how hard my grip was. We had to talk about these things, and while it wasn’t the most ideal time, we couldn’t avoid hard topics. I wanted to know everything about her, the good and the bad.

“I got flowers!” Avery announced. 

Sage’s head whipped in her direction and she inhaled deeply, pasting a smile on her face. “What kind?”

“Purple and yellow,” she replied.

“Good job, honey. Why don’t you make me a bouquet?” 

“Do you want more purple or yellow?”

“Purple, please,” Sage said. 

“Okay!” Avery turned back around, the pony’s reins in her hand as she walked over to a patch of purple wildflowers. 

“Sage,” I murmured, shifting her attention back to me now that Avery was occupied.

Her eyes shot up to me. “Yes?”

“Do you want to talk about it back at the barn?” I didn’t want to put her on the spot, but something as extreme as her ex breaking her wrist was not going to be brushed under the rug.

Her eyes shone up at me, unshed tears brimming in them. “Please.”

“Okay.” I leaned forward and brushed a kiss to her forehead, running my thumb across the back of her hand. “Later.”

Standing in the middle of the field with our horses waiting quietly and Avery a dozen feet away probably wasn’t the best time to discuss it. I wasn’t sure how much Avery knew, but if I knew anything about Sage, she’d want to protect her at all costs. Mentally and physically.

The tip of my nose brushed hers. “Why don’t we head back?” 

Sage nodded right as a rain drop fell on her forehead. “Yeah.”

Reaching up, my thumb wiped the drop away. 

“Rain!” Avery yelled out along with a high pitched giggle. 

Taking my hat off, I leaned forward, lightly pressing my forehead to hers. “You’re okay,” I murmured.

She closed her eyes, giving a small nod. The rain started coming down faster, droplets sticking to her hair. 

After a moment, I straightened, setting my hat on her head. “Come on, Aves,” I called out.

“Coming!” Avery replied. She hurried back over to us, the bundle of flowers gripped tight in her tiny hand. 

“Need some help?” I asked, turning to Avery as she came around the side of her pony.

“No, thank you.” She hiked her foot up and tried a few times, but eventually got the momentum she needed to hoist herself up. 

Once we were all back on our horses, we headed for the barn. We hadn’t made it too far out in the field, but we still got drenched in the sudden downpour. 

Instead of dismounting outside the barn, we stayed on until we were in the aisle and out of the rain, then got off. I grabbed Butterscotch’s reins from Avery and nodded toward my parents’ house.