“Yeah, okay,” I mumbled.
I was pretty sure he said something else very quietly before he left, but I was too sleepy to ask what.
The next time I was startled awake, it was to a brisk knock.
“Rise and shine, your bae brought us goodies from the bakery!” River called through the door.
It took me five minutes or so to get myself out of bed and feel refreshed enough to make it into the kitchen.
They were all chatting there, including Sierra who must’ve been early.
“There you are.” Theo looked at me with the sort of fire in his gaze I’d always thought was reserved for romantic movies.
I walked to him and cuddled against his side where he was standing by the island in front of a massive box of baked goodies.
“I slept too much,” I whined, trying to get my brain to cooperate.
“I haven’t slept that well in a while,” Theo quietly confessed.
Everyone else had immediately started to talk about other stuff among themselves to give us space, I thought. We really had the best friends.
“Your coffee is next to the maker,” River said off-handedly.
“And I brought the good croissants,” Theo added.
“You guys saved my morning. Maybe even my day.” I reluctantly let go of Theo and went to get my coffee, then went to grab two croissants from the box.
I carried my loot to the table and realized River was still home. “Why are you still here?”
He gave me a fond look that suggested I was a bit slow in the mornings. He wasn’t wrong. “Day off.”
Theo moved to stand behind me and rubbed my shoulders while he talked. “The newbies are pretty good. Seb’s coming to examine them later. I also think Izzy and Ursula are going to do well in the new corral.” He squeezed firmly, kissed the top of my head, and said, “Sierra, you had something to discuss…?”
She nodded and gratefully accepted what looked to be her second coffee from Rey. “I did the math. We’re going to need donations soon. The sooner the better. So the usual donation drive we do for the supporters we already have is going live online next week.” She sighed. “But we need more than that.”
I sighed, too. “I’ll make a call.”
River nodded quickly. “I can do the same. We’ll make sure we get some new eyes and wallets on this place.”
The front door opened and closed, and we all turned towards it.
Hudson walked in. “Morning,” he said brightly. “Oh, baked goods!”
“Is he a morning person?” I grumped.
“Oh yeah.” Sierra grinned.
Hudson expertly made himself a drink and grabbed a croissant, then pulled out a chair. He’d met Ben before, so no introductions were necessary.
“What are we talking about?” Hudson asked, peering at everyone.
Theo cleared his throat. “Well, we got another load of horses yesterday, so that, but also donations.”
Hudson took a sip of his coffee and appeared thoughtful. “I can reach out some.”
Sierra glanced at Hudson, looked as if she was going to say something, and then clearly changed her mind.
“Okay, well, while y’all figure that stuff out, I’m going to go do my actual job,” Theo said, and kissed me when I tilted my head for one, too.
