He stared at me like he genuinely had no answer, but then he waved a hand at the open door of the truck, exasperation on his features. “Get in.”
I crossed my arms. “You could ask nicely.”
“I could,” he said. “I won’t.”
I got in anyway, because I’d officially lost my entire mind when I’d signed up for a fake relationship that was turning into a full-time emotional rodeo. And it was only day two.
Naturally, that was when my brother decided to call back. My phone buzzed against my thigh. When I pulled it out to see Alex’s name on the screen, I slid it right back to where it had been without taking the call.
It wasn’t because I didn’t want to talk to him, but right now, one bossy, controlling man was more than enough for me to handle. The call ended, and a second later, Trent’s phone lit up in the cup holder.
He didn’t reach for it. The ringing simply echoed in the cab, loud and insistent. Meanwhile, we were just staring at each other, neither of us blinking or looking away.
Finally, the phone went silent, but it was only for a second before it started again. Still, neither of us moved. We just kept sitting there, locked in a silent standoff that felt like it might end with a duel, but eventually, he broke the tension. “Okay. No talking to the furniture. What do you want to do, then?”
My answer was immediate. “I want to see the horses.”
Resignation tightened his features as he raked a hand through his hair, a deeper red when it was sweat-damp. “I guess that was the selling point, huh?”
“It was,” I said. “You told me you had horses.”
“I do.”
“Then show me.”
“At least you’re wearing better clothes for it today.” Trent blew out a long breath, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. He turned down a dirt road snaking off to the left.
As far as I was concerned, this ranch was a maze, but as intimated as I was by it, meeting Claira had changed something for me. I wasn’t sure yet what it was, but I finally felt a little less insecure about being here.
She had known my mother. Trent knew my brother and my cousin. Hell, I was practically extended family already, even if Claira wouldn’t wind up getting her wish about me marrying into it officially.
CHAPTER 16
TRENT
Itook her down the long dirt path behind the house, past the hay barn and around the old oak that had been split by lightning when I was sixteen. Around the bend, pastures opened up in front of us, wide swatches of land dotted with shapes lazily flicking their tails in the sunshine.
According to Colby, most of these were overpriced lawn ornaments, but between Sadie and me, we’d bought up or rescued a lot of retired racehorses. Personally, I’d told myself I was doing it for the bloodlines. Sadie hadn’t bothered lying to herself or anyone else about it. She’d simply brought home the horses no one else had snapped up.
Charlotte sucked in a breath beside me when she saw them, leaning forward and shading her eyes with her hand. “There are so many.”
I sighed, shutting down the engine and dropping my hat back on my head. “Yep. Too many if you ask me and not all of them really earn their keep.”
“But hey, they’re pretty.” She grinned at me and climbed out before I could even think about opening the door for her.
By the time my feet hit the ground, she was already halfway to the fence, much faster now that she wasn’t wearing thoseridiculous heels. Dirt crunched under my boots. It was already getting too dang hot to be alive out here, but Charlotte didn’t even seem to notice.
She was too busy watching a gelding trot up to the fence, and she lit up, like actuallylit up, with a smile so bright it damn near knocked me backward. Slowly extending her hand toward him, she turned to look at me over her shoulder, those blue eyes bright when they met mine.
“Can I touch him?” she asked excitedly, her cheeks glowing as much because of the sun as the exhilaration. “I know he’s not a pet, but?—”
“Go ahead.” I slid my fingers into my pockets to the first knuckles, leaning against the fence and watching.
She carefully offered him a sniff of the back of her hand. The gelding tossed his head and came closer, nudging her hand and leaning into her palm. She stroked him and bent her head toward his, murmuring to him with soft, gentle words I couldn’t hear. It kind of sounded like she was telling the horse about all the adventures they would go on together, but I couldn’t be sure.
Meanwhile, I was feeling pretty jealous of my mom for some reason, and now, I wasn’t even sure I liked Charlotte paying this much attention to ahorse. My insides churned, making me question my own sanity in more ways than one.
The realization that I wasjealousof my momanda horse hit so hard that I tripped over it internally, coughed, and stared at the ground like I no longer knew which way was up or down.
