The Cherished Wife

The horse ranch lay on the outskirts of town. It was a vast and open space frequented mostly by the sons and daughters of the rich. Noelle had heard Rowena talk about it plenty of times, yet she had never seen it herself.

Rowena's family was not rolling in dough, but they had enough to be comfortable. Back in the day, Noelle had big dreams for Rowena and would often whisk her off to fancy spots where the rich and famous hung out. However, Rowena once told a story about coming to this ranch at fifteen years old and almost getting stomped into the ground by a horse. That scare kept her away for good.

Noelle was excited at first, dreaming about galloping around. However, when push came to shove, she got cold feet. She had only seen horse riding on television and had never been on one herself before. She had seen some pros in competitions, but that was a whole different league.

Charles picked up on Noelle's jitters and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't sweat it. I've got your back. Nothing bad's gonna happen!" He flashed a grin. "This place is super safe, but if you're still worried, you've got me to count on!"

isn't enough, you've got me and Peter here too," Sean chimed in, strutting up without a care in the world. "Peter's way better on a horse than Charles, and he's got good skills." Not one to be outdone, Sean thumped his chest. "And if Peter's off his game, you've still got me. I'm the

with a chuckle at Sean's antics. "I can believe that Peter might outdo Charles, but I

a playful glint in her eye. "You know, I really think Charles

he said, "Peter, can you believe these two? Charles just tied the knot, but they're already showing off their love like it's a competition. How is that fair? You didn't

a stormy frown. His

his hands in surrender. "Okay, I'm sorry! Isn't that enough?

"Do you guys really have to gang up on me? I get it, but it's been years since Tania left us, Peter.