“Hayes,” she whimpered, then unclenched her hand and held them up.
I glanced away from the drive and saw the panties were basic white cotton and there was a wet spot on the gusset. A big one.
I took them from her and put them to my nose. Breathed in her scent for the first time. Sweet. Spicy.
Now it was my turn to squirm in my seat. I was so fucking hard I could go out and hammer nails. Fuck, this had been a mistake. I had to spend dinner with a raging hard on and knowing my girl’s virgin pussy was bare. And wet.
9
CASSIDY
“Show jumping is sodifferent than barrel racing,” Katie said.
We were sitting on Katie and Bray’s back deck, our finished meal on the picnic table in front of us. Bray and Katie were on one side, with Bray holding their three month old, Trace. The beautiful baby had dark hair like both of them and was sound asleep on his shoulder. Sage had told me there’d been five new babies born this year in the Wilder family, and Sage and Buck’s one coming in a few months would be the sixth.
“I’ve never done that,” I replied. “It looks like fun. Definitely less formal. Different breed of horse.”
“I didn’t do it,” Katie added. “Lainey and Taylor both compete. Or they used to. Neither have gone back to it after having their babies. They’re the ones to show you how.”
“We could add it here,” Bray said.
Katie had her hair up in a bun and in a white tank top and jean cutoffs. When Trace cooed in his sleep, she glanced lovingly his way. Bray patted his little butt.
“What? Jumping? We could put some obstacles up and make a course in the paddock, but that’d only be good for a few months in the summer. We’d need an indoor ring.”
“We’ll build one,” Bray said.
Katie’s mouth fell open. “Just… build a riding facility.”
Bray looked to Hayes. “She’s got money coming from the settlement, right? We can use it for that.”
“It’s not a given yet,” Hayes said.
“It’s gonna happen,” Bray added. “Conrad Trout’s a dick. After what he did to Ellie, plus he owes Katie for lost income and–”
I stiffened at the mention of my father. Yes, he was a dick. I knew it firsthand.
Katie set her hand on Bray’s arm. “He knows. We’llwait.” Katie looked at me and smiled. “Hayes is my lawyer on a lawsuit. I don’t want to leave you out of the conversation, but it’s not a fun topic and we have more exciting things to talk about. Tell us about you.”
“Oh, um. Not much to tell. I graduated in May. As I said, I like to show jump and compete in dressage. But that was in school, not here.”
“Headed to college in the fall?” Bray asked.
Hayes stiffened beside me, as if the idea surprised him.
I shook my head. “There isn’t really any money for that.” There was money–because my father was crazy rich–but I didn’t want to touch it. I didn’t want to be beholden to him for anything. It had been his choice to send me to boarding school instead of the local public school. But that was behind me and I wanted to live a life without my father and brothers in it. Going to my father for tuition money meant he had a say in what I did.
Katie looked sympathetic. “What is it you’d like to do? Cammie’s studying to be a teacher. Frankie’s a really good mechanic.”
I shrugged. “I really have no idea. I like horses. That’s why I work at your family’s ranch. Maybe teach jumping to little kids? I went away to school when I was ten so I have no idea how to cook. I never had myown room. Never cleaned. I don’t even have a driver’s license.”
I could feel my cheeks heat, ashamed. And young. Buck and Katie had a life they’ve built at this amazing ranch. People trusted them with their horses. And they had a baby!
“I guess I just want to live a little.”
“You don’t have to decide anything right away,” Bray said, then pointed across the table. “Hayes here, at eighteen, had–”
“Don’t you dare,” Hayes warned.
