“Could I go riding with you sometime? Maybe on Sugar?”
“Gotta little crush?”
My face flames at her question.
Before I can stammer a response, she adds, “I told you Sugar is a flirt.”
Ohhh, she meant the horse.I force a chuckle, relieved. “I just . . . It looks . . . cool. I wish I knew how to ride like that.”
“Well, Sugar would love it.” She considers it for a second. “Sure, we can do that. But you can’t tell my dad. He’ll go ballistic. Worse than a prison guard. But he’s gone a lot this time of day for one thing or another. We can ride then. Just get your shit done before so you don’t get in trouble. Or fired.”
“Noted. Thanks. I . . . don’t know . . . anything—”
“It’s cool. I got you. Nothing to it once you know the basics. You’ll love it. And Sugar will love you more than she already does.”
My cheeks go crimson again.
Why does the mention of a horse’s affection embarrass me? Maybe it’s just a reference to anyone or anything loving me that does it. My stomach heats up like my cheeks and flutters too. “Can we start . . . go . . . ride tomorrow?”
Her giggle fills the barn and echoes off the empty stalls. “Yeah. Tomorrow’s perfect. He plays poker. He’ll be gone all night.”
“What about your mom?”
“What about her?” she snaps and kicks a pebble with the toe of her boot. “She lets me do what I want.” She shrugs as she says it, but the crease between her brows contradicts her words.
“Okay. I can get all my stuff done pretty quick. I’ll wait here for you.”
She’s taken the saddle, blanket and cinch off and set them on the ground beside Cookie as we talked. I scoop them off the ground and grunt a little with the effort and stiffness.
“I told you I got it.” She doesn’t say it with venom but leaves no room to argue. I ignore her and take it into the tack room. I return with a brush and begin brushing the horse down. She goes to the tack room and returns with a hoof pick and cleans Cookie’s hooves while I brush.
I have no idea if I’m doing it right, just mimicking what I’ve seen on TV or in movies.
When she finishes the hooves, she holds her hand out to me, asking for the brush without words. I place it in her hand and lead Cookie into her stall. Taya returns with a couple carrots. I wonder where they came from. She keeps two for Cookie and hands me one and tosses her head toward Sugar. “Here, take it to your new girlfriend.”
I dip my head as I chuckle to hide the flush coloring my cheeks again. I turn toward Sugar’s stall as she whinnies, eyeing the carrot in my hand.
Before I finish giving it to her, I hear Taya say, “Nice meeting you, Jay. Remember to stay off my dad’s radar so you can stick around. Get your work done.”
“Noted. And it’s Jayce.”
“I know. I kinda like Jay. See you tomorrow.”
Chapter 9
Julian
Six Years Ago
“Taya?” I hear her voice the moment I step inside the barn. Not words though. My heart drops at the sound of her sobs, then slams into my ribs and hammers like it wants out of my chest.
“Go away, Jay. I just wanna be alone.”
“Not gonna happen.” I find her sunk into the corner of Sugar’s stall, legs pulled up to her chest, cradled by her arms with her forehead pressed to her knees. Unlatching the gate brings her head up, and her waterlogged sea-glass eyes break my heart. Dropping to my knees in front of her, I clasp her face in my hands and raise it to mine. “Talk to me, Tay. Tell me what it is.”
“She did it. She finally did it. She got out. She’s gone.”
“Who, Taya? What happened? Your mom?”
