“I do not.” But I wipe my mouth just in case.
Holt grins. “You shouldn’t need to worry about steering. Huck will follow any one of the three of us on the trail. If you need to stop or you think you’re gonna fall off, shout at me and we’ll help you, okay?”
“Okayyy,” I draw out with uncertainty. This is happening. I’m riding a horse in the Colorado mountains. Who the hell am I?
“Come on, you four. Come get some hot chocolate to warm up.” Muriel waves at us from the front porch.
We’re all bright-eyed and pink-cheeked after our ride. My smile is a mile wide, and the girls are full of giggles.
Holt took us to a beautiful lake that was iced over. It’s too late in the season to ice skate, but there was still enough snow on the ground for me to instigate a snowball fight. Holt got the short end of the stick when the three of us girls teamed up. Then the girls staged a coup and came after me.
I hadn’t ever seen Holt laugh that hard before. Even the girls noticed how happy he was, and I felt incredibly privileged to be a part of it.
We hang all of our wet outer layers in the bathroom to dry before we sit down at the small eat-in table in the kitchen. Stan is at the stove, stirring something I can’t see, but whatever it is smells amazing.
It isn’t long before the room fills with the loving chaos of Holt’s brothers. Being surrounded by them makes me miss my family. I video chat with them regularly, but it’s not the same as seeing them every day.
“You okay, Rainbow?” Holt asks in my ear. He wraps his arms around my shoulders, pulling me back into his chest.
“Yeah, just missing my family a little.”
“You should invite them to come out. Mom and Dad havea crap ton of space out here. We could all stay together for a few days.”
I turn my head to look up at him. “Really? You’d want to do that?”
“Of course I would. They’re a part of you, and I’d love to meet them in person instead of through the phone.”
“I’ll ask Ginny when her tour starts. Maybe they could come out before she gets too busy.”
“Let me know, and I’ll clear it with Mom and Dad.”
CHAPTER 29
Holt
Ituck my phone into the crook of my shoulder to stir the pot of chili on the stove. “When do you think you’ll need help?”
Reese grunts in response. “In a couple of weeks, probably.”
“Are you gonna have Grayson come out to shoe the horses before?”
“Obviously.”
I roll my eyes. Reese is the one who called me to ask if I’d be willing to help him work the cows, and he’s acting like I’m being a pain with my questions.
“You okay otherwise?”
“Fine. Cam’s been up my ass about renovating the house for Mom and Dad.”
“Are they still struggling to go up and down the stairs?”
“They won’t admit it, but it probably would be good to put their room on the main floor. Even if it’s not too hard for them yet, we might as well get it renovated.”
“Agreed. Thanks for watching out for them. I know you didn’t sign up for that responsibility, but I’m grateful.”
Reese snorts. “It’s not that hard. And having our own place on the property helps. Plus, Dad cooks for us every night.”
“You definitely got the better end of that deal.”
