“Did I scare your brother off?” she asked with a nervous laugh when the older Murphy and his horse trotted up beside her.
Boone shook his head. “He’ll be out in a bit. I guess inspiration struck, and he’s out on the back porch writing before he ‘loses the magic.’” He said the last part with finger quotes.
“Writing?” Willow asked, and she fought the knee-jerk reaction to jump straight to anger, still stinging from her misinterpretation of Ash’s new injury when he returned home earlier that day. “Onoursong?” she added, trying to sound more curious than accusatory.
He shook his head again. “Nah. Said he’s always working on his next album and has to write when the words come. He told me about the duet, though.” Boone smiled at her, but even beneath thebrim of his hat, she could see the hint of concern in his gaze. “I know we don’t know each other well,” he continued, motioning between them. “But I feel like I know enough to ask… Are you sure you want to go down that road with my brother?”
Willow’s stomach protested before she could find the words, tying itself in copious knots, reminding her of just how unsure she truly was.
“No,” she replied, because what would be the point in lying to Boone when he did know enough to ask the question. “But I need a song, and your brother needs another image refresh.” She shrugged. “I know that tons of writers will tell you that there is no such thing as writer’s block, but I’ve been blocked for…well…a while.” How about twoyears? But this conversation didn’t call for that much honesty. “And for some reason—probably stemming from a hideous crime I must have committed in a past life—the universe has decided to open the floodgates of creativity only when I’m verbally sparring with your brother.”
Boone laughed. “I’m guessing that crime was hideous as hell.” He tipped his hat and nodded toward the expanse of track in the straightaway ahead of them. “You up for a bit of nonverbal sparring? Maybe clear your head?”
Willow nodded back toward the guesthouse. “Did you boys work your shit out like I asked you to?”
Boone gave her a wink, and despite the vastdifferences she could already see between the brothers, they both had the same mischievous glint in their eyes. “It was a good start,” he told her. “Admittedly better than me dragging him to the firehouse boxing ring and goading him into taking a swing at me.”
Willow winced. Not only had she accused Ash of starting some sort of daytime brawl, but now Boone had to tell her the guy didn’t even want to fight in the first place?
“Yeah,” she finally said. “Nonverbal sparring it is.” Then she gave Holiday a nudge with her heels as she called, “Yah!” And the mare took off, hopefully leaving Boone Murphy in the dust.
Chapter 7
Ash stood with Midnight’s reins in his hand at the entrance to the arena. The mare whinnied and snorted as Boone and Willow raced by.
“I know, girl,” he soothed, stroking her shoulder. “I want to get out there too, but can we just watch for another minute or two?”
Something in his tone must have calmed the mare because she let loose what sounded like a sigh and then all but stilled as Ash marveled at Willow not only holding her own against his raised-on-the-back-of-a-horse brother, but also smoking his ass, keeping at least a nose ahead of him at every turn.
She caught a glimpse of him as she approached the barn and pulled up on the reins, but she overshot him due to Holiday’s speed.
Boone, looking grateful for getting to call it quits, brought Cirrus to a halt right in front of his younger brother and his mare. He lifted his hat with one hand and swiped his arm across his forehead with the other.
“A heads-up that she was an ace in the saddle would have been nice!” Boone called down to him.
Ash laughed. “What’s the matter, old man? You outta shape?”
His brother plopped his hat back down on his head and glared at him. “You want to take it back to the ring?” he challenged.
Willow and Holiday trotted back toward the two brothers. “What did I say about working your shit out?”
Ash stuck his foot in Midnight’s stirrup and climbed onto her saddle. “No hitting. Isn’t that right…old man?” he goaded his brother again.
Boone growled, but his shoulders relaxed. “Good. I don’t have it in me for another round.” Then he shook his head and laughed.
Ash laughed too. It would take a lot for his relationship with either of his brothers to feel even ten percent like it did when they were growing up. But laughing and harassing his brother—good-naturedly, of course—felt at least like a small step in the right direction.
“Should we all hit the trail to the clearing?” Willow asked as if she was just getting started with their riding adventure.
Boone raised his hands in defeat. “Count me out. Kara will be up from her nap soon. I promised her and Casey we’d play beauty salon before dinner, which basically means Kara gets to paint my face with her mama’s makeup.”
“Did you lose a bet or something?” Willow asked.
Boone narrowed his eyes at his brother and thenturned his attention back to Willow. “Not exactly. But every time my daughter learns a new…um…colorfulword on my watch,Ihave to play client while Kara pretends to be her mama.”
Willow’s wide-eyed gaze volleyed between the two men until Ash finally spoke up.
“She might have gotten ‘shit’ from me, but ‘goddamn’ was all you. I think it had something to do withThe Vampire Diaries?”
