“Do I have to date him?”
Sawyer laughed. “Get through the ride in the morning and then go from there.”
“What would I do without you guys?” I blubbered as tears started to run down my cheeks.
“Go crazy, turn into a hermit, and only talk to your horses,” Harper teased before putting her arm around me.
Chapter 7
Listen to the Horse
Wide-eyed, I stared at the ceiling in my bedroom, waiting for my alarm clock to start blaring.
To say I was dreading the morning would have been an understatement.
Too much wine mixed with my awful freak-out from the night before had left my head pounding.
After taking a quick shower, throwing my hair into a messy bun, putting on way more makeup than I should have, and throwing on my cleanest riding gear, I walked down to the stables.
“Annie, what is wrong with your face?” Jess asked while throwing a saddle on Cletus for his morning lesson.
“Thanks for noticing,” I sneered while flipping him the bird. “Where’s Cara?”
“Already working with her first rider. They got an early start today.” Jessup handed me a cup of coffee before ambling over to tie Cletus up by the back of the barn.
“We have some news,” Jessup snickered, synching the girth on Cletus’s saddle.
“Oh really?” Trying to act surprised, I widened my eyes and tried to force down my excited smile.
Jessup rubbed the back of his neck. “You know already don’t you?”
I nodded.
“Damn it! I wanted to be the first to tell you!”
Throwing my arms around my friend’s neck, I pulled him tightly to me. “Don’t be mad, it slipped out the other day while I was talking to Cara. I don’t care how I found out. I am just so overly happy for y’all!”
Squeezing me back, Jess pulled me into the air and twirled me around for a second. “It’s it amazing?”
As he sat me down, I beamed at him. “The absolute best!”
“I have to get this lesson started, but thanks Annie.”
“Go get’em tiger,” I teased.
“You too, boss.”
Walking over to Hunter, I leaned on the open doorway to his stall.
“Good morning, handsome,” I cooed to my horse.
“Why, good morning to you as well, beautiful.”
To my horror, Waylon was standing behind me in perfectly fitting jeans, worn-out cowboy boots, and a painted on black t-shirt.
“You’re early,” I remarked while patting Hunter’s side.
“Figured you might bolt closer to my time slot. Thought it would be best to surprise you early, maybe help around this place a bit.” Waylon grabbed my coffee cup, taking a long sip.
