It forms a lump in my throat again thinking about Clyde. He’s been in my thoughts a lot lately.
“Riding ain’t a necessary part of it, but a bonus if you can because horse trails are popular. It could just be a mixture from cleaning out the horse stables, taking the horses out in the field, saddling them up kinda thing. And there’s always shit to do around the farm with cutting and packing orders.”
I feel a jolt of excitement in my chest from nowhere, it’s suddenly bigger than I know what to do with, and I’ve no idea why it feels that way. There’s no way I need to work for the rest of my life, much less to shovel horse shit and become a farmhand, but something about it sparks me at the same time.
Maybe this is why I came here. Maybe it’s exactly what I need.
“We can check out the grounds on the UTVs,” Jed says.
“Sounds good.”
“And there’s a spare staff cabin coming up too, if you decide it’s for you.”
“That would be amazing,” I say, quickly explaining where I’m temporarily residing. Though I know they have upcoming bookings soon, so I can’t stay where I am forever.
“Let’s do it.” Jed jumps up. “I think the stables should be the first port of call.”
He and Zane share I look I’m not privy to.
“What’s hiding there?” I muse. “A killer horse who’s going to stampede over the top of me?”
“Nope. Just Zeus,” Zane says. “My pride and joy thoroughbred. He may look a little scary, but he’s really a softie. Gave me a big scare over the holidays last year with the horse flu. He recovered perfectly.”
“Glad to hear he’s okay,” I say, that knowing lump forming in my throat whenever I talk about horses because it always brings up Clyde. I’m happy that he got to live to old age, I’m not taking away from that. But the pain from losing him will never fade.
People think in time things get better with loss and grief, but for me, all I did was learn to live with it. That was all I could do. “How many horses do you have?”
“Seven and counting,” Zane says. “Come meet them all, then you can see if it looks like something you might wanna do while you’re in town. No obligation, but you’d be helping us out.”
“Sounds good.” I glance at Jed and he smiles, but his eyes are guarded because he knows my history and how I felt about Clyde. The people closest to me are the only ones who know my personal stuff. Bailey being the exception, of course. And Lord only knows why I felt the need to open up like a flower on a spring day to her. I guess she put me at ease about it all. And I could see under the tough exterior of hers, she cares about people. “Lead the way.”
Bailey
“Oh, Butterscotch, baby. Don’t look so sad, your papa will be better soon and be able to ride you again.” I rustle the beautiful girl’s mane as she looks at me with big, sad brown eyes. She lets out a little huff and her nostrils flare slightly. “Are you saying I’m not good enough?” I place a hand on my hip and tilt my head. She’s such a sweetie, proving it in a second by pressing her nose into my hand, and I stroke her gently back and forth. “That’swhat you’re saying, isn’t it?” I glance at Pepper in the stable next to her and tell her I’ll get to her next because her sister is hogging all my time. “I need to top up this hay first, girls and boys. You know how Zeus loves his fresh hay.”
“Are you talking to yourself again, woman?” I hear a voice call from nowhere. I spin around to see Jed at the barn entry. The usual cheeky grin he wears spreads across his face as he strolls in casually, one arm crossing over the other. “You know, they say it’s the first sign of madness.”
I flip him the bird, but that only makes him laugh. Typical of Jed to not be affected by a rude hand gesture. I’ve never really seen him get mad at anything, even when things are hectic at work during peak periods.
“Don’t be so hostile. I want you to meet someone, he might be working around here to help out, so it’s important that y’all get along. Happy faces only.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I know Buck is out with his shoulder, but I’ve told Zane a million times I’m happy to pick up any slack. It’s not that I think any of the Lawless family would hire someone unsuitable, I mean, I helped Sadie get the administration job here when she came out from New York. But I’m much better with horses than with new people. That being said, I can’t say the same for last night’s shenanigans. I obviously didn’t seem to have a problem with one person—Cowboy Brett. And I can still feel where he’s been. I’ve had to walk around quite gingerly most of the day because of our escapades, and even though I’ve been busy and have a ton of work to keep me occupied, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him. “Whatever. You know I have work to do,” I sigh. “Hurry up.”
“Is that what you call talking to the horses and claiming it as work? Some sort of horse psychology?”
I smile sweetly. “Bite me.”
I give him the middle finger again, just as Zane walks in with someone next to him and—oh my god, is that—Brett, appearing before me? I drop my hand gesture immediately. Zane’s frown is what I’m used to, but for a second I think I’m seeing things. I stare harder, like a complete gazelle that needs a pair of spectacles. But the only spectacle is me.
“Brett?” I murmur, my eyebrows knotting together, trying to figure out if what I’m seeing isn’t some strange figment of my imagination. Maybe I have been in here shoveling and chatting to the horses too long and need some fresh air.
“Bailey?” His tone is just as surprised as mine, and he looks just as confused. We’d never gotten around to discussing what we both did for work. We stare-off across the barn in front of Jed and Zane. Not that I’m thinking aboutthemright now. I’m trying to work out what the fuck Brett is doing standing here on the Lawless property and now he’s…my new stablehand?
My quick assessment of him is just as I remember it before we stripped down to nothing, literally. Tall in stature, brown wavy hair under the cowboy hat, Levi’s and hefty boots, and muscles that I know are ripe and ready under that short sleeve black Henley of his. His face has the same tanned complexion I saw from all angles yesterday, and that body—kill me now. Yep, that’s him.
“Oh, do you two…” Jed trails off as my eyes reluctantly leave Brett’s pools of wonder for a moment to make sense of this. “Um, know each other?”
Brett stares at Jed for a long moment and I see Jed’s lips twitch. I open my mouth to speak, but only a feeble squeak comes out, and here I was thinking I was built for any situation, big or small.
