I followed behind her, trying not to check out her ass in the tight denim she wore, but failing miserably. I needed to get my shit together and at least attempt to be professional. Theo showed me Walker’s two western horses, Tex and Ranger. I laughed as Addison explained how unoriginal her brother Walker was. “Walker, Texas Ranger. Get it?” she said as she rolled her eyes.
Tex was a big, solid black gelding with no markings, and Ranger was a chestnut with a stripe down his face and two white stockings on his hind legs. I administered both their vaccines and then followed Theo to Walker’s mini donkeys, Bert and Ernie.Also excellent names, I thought to myself. After checking them over, Addison was waiting for me to follow her to her horse’s stall.
“This is Cash. Until about two months ago, we were competing at the Grand Prix level. He is an eight-year-old Holsteiner, and I want to be sure he doesn’t need any dental work yet. I think he is due soon,” Addison said.
I walked up to the impressive gelding, who was a dark bay with a white blaze on his face and two white stockings on his hind legs, similar to Ranger. My hand moved over Cash’s neck, and the horse leaned into me like I’d hit the perfect spot.
Addison laughed softly. “Careful—once you start, he’ll never let you quit.” The way she said it was easy, teasing, but I felt the words settle somewhere deeper than they should have.
I kept rubbing, mostly so I didn’t have to look up and give myself away. “So what happened two months ago?”
She grabbed the neck of her T-shirt and moved it to the side, revealing a significant scar that ran along her collarbone. “I had a nasty fall on a young horse and broke my collarbone.” She said it like it was no big deal, but I couldn’t stop my gaze from catching on the line of her collarbone, delicate and distracting. I shifted my weight, irritated at myself for noticing. Goddamn it, not her. Not now. Not with someone who could complicate everything.
“Sorry to hear that. That is quite the battle wound though,” I said.
Addison laughed. “You could say that. I’m feeling stronger now. I should be able to get back to riding in the next couple of weeks, thankfully.”
I smiled and turned back toward Cash and opened his mouth. I felt around and then turned back to Addison. “I think he can go another two months or so before I need to float his teeth. I’ll make a note of it and be sure to put him on my schedule. I think Tex could probably be done at the same time as well.”
“Okay, great.” Addison smiled.
I turned toward Theo. “Does Walker have any other animals hiding around here that I need to check out before I take off?”
Theo chuckled. “Nope, just the three horses and two donkeys. Thanks again for coming this morning.”
“No problem. I’ll have the office reach out to you with the date that I can come out to float Tex’s and Cash’s teeth.” After I packed everything up and got Coal back in my truck, I saw Addison jogging out of the barn toward me.
“Hey, sorry! There is a horse I’m interested in buying a couple of towns over. Could I get you to do a prepurchase exam on her?” Addison asked hopefully.
“For sure. If you want, I can go there with you. We can take my truck with all my equipment so you don’t have to haul her to me,” I said. Why was I offering this? I was clearly attracted to her. What good could come from being alone in my truck with her for a couple of hours?
A pretty smile spread across her face, and fuck, did I like itaimed at me. “That would be amazing! Thanks so much! I’ll text you the details. Give me your phone.” She held out her hand, and I placed my phone in it. She entered her contact information and handed it back.
“No problem. I’ll talk to you soon,” I said while climbing into my truck. She waved me off, and I drove down the long drive out of the property, looking back at her out of my rearview mirror.
I was in trouble. I didn't date. It wasn't worth the effort, risk, and time—hell, I barely had time to sleep. I’d just taken over the only vet practice in Primrose Hill, and half the town showed up in my first week. My schedule was shot, my stress level was off the charts, and the last thing I needed was a distraction I couldn’t afford.
Casual was all I could offer a woman, and Addison was not that kind of girl. She looked like someone who expected to matter. And the truth was, if I started something I couldn’t finish—with her, of all people—it wouldn’t just blow back on me. It could harm my reputation, my business, and possibly even the trust I was still trying to establish from this town. But damn it, the attraction wasn’t going anywhere, and neither was the frustration that came with it.
Chapter 3
Addison
Ithadbeenalmosttwo months now since I came home, and I felt like Cash and I were finally settling in. Cash was in Walker’s barn, and I was living in his guesthouse until I got my equine business up and running. He insisted I shouldn’t be spending any extra money while trying to start a new business. And as much as it pained me to admit, he was right. So, for now, I would be living here with Cash, helping with Walker’s horses as well as helping my parents out at our family winery and vineyard. I would admit that it could be worse. Walker’s guesthouse was idyllic. It was eighteen hundred square feet (much larger than my apartment in Boston) with a bedroom, a spacious bathroom featuring a giant soaking tub, and ample open space that combined the kitchen and living room. The guesthouse also had a back deck that overlooked one of the horse pastures, complete with a sizable pond. It was picturesque and quiet.
Walker’s place was the kind of property that I dreamed of one day owning myself. Not handed down, not given—earned. Being here only motivated me more to make it happen.
I had a decent-sized savings account that I had been buildingsince high school, along with a generous six-month severance package from Noah’s family’s company to survive off of in the meantime. Which honestly was the least they could do after everything that went down. I got cleared to start riding again, which was the good news I had been waiting for, and perfect timing for me to try a new young hunter prospect that Eli told me about. I also began looking for a location for my new hunter/jumper training facility and enlisted the help of my old high school friend Caroline, a realtor here in town. She and I were planning to meet up next week to start visiting some options. I was finally starting to feel like my life wasn’t a total shit show.
I was woken up by my phone vibrating loudly on the nightstand. I glanced at the clock. It wasn’t even seven a.m. yet. I reached over to see who on earth was calling me this early. My phone was lit up with Walker’s name on the screen. I put it on speaker and threw it back on the bed next to me, shutting my eyes again.
“Seriously, Walk? It’s only six thirty in the morning. Why on earth are you calling me right now?” I said grumpily.
“Oh shit, sorry! I forgot that you’re an hour behind me. I’m in New York for the ALCS,” Walker said.
“That’s right. Good luck, by the way. I know that this is going to be a tough series for y'all, but it’s pretty amazing that you made it to the ALCS. Proud of you, Walk. We will be herecheering you on. We are all super excited to see you live and in action when you’re back in Austin for game three.”
“Thanks, can’t wait. I’m just happy and honestly shocked that we made it this far with such a young team. If we don’t win the ALCS and make it to the World Series, I’ll still be happy with this season. The guys have worked hard this year. Anyway, just wanted to check in and see how the farm call went with the new vet, Dr. Adler?” Walker asked.
