“Two.”
“I wish it was tomorrow.”
“You’ll want to be here tomorrow so you can start making friends with your foal.” He couldn’t bring himself to use his name for that colt.
“Speaking of birthdays,” Graham said, “Looks like today will be someone’s birthday.”
“Whose?”
Adorable. He really hadn’t figured it out.
“Your horse!” Graham chuckled as the light dawned on that innocent little face.
“Oh! My horse!”
“If he’s born before midnight, today will be his birthday.”
Looked like Graham wasn’t eager to use the name Monty, either.
“You mean Monty’s birthday.” Then he giggled. “Then comes Mister Monty’s birthday. Twins!” He glanced toward the barn door as Zinnia walked through it. “Mommy, I gots something to tell you.”
“What’s that, sweetie?” Zinnia had left her cap in the house. Looked like she’d brushed her hair, too. It fell in golden waves to her shoulders.
That probably wasn’t a signal that she wanted him to slide his fingers through it. But he sure wanted to. Oh, hey… was she wearing lipstick?
What was that supposed to mean? She hadn’t worn it this morning, so why now? In any case, he needed to stop staring at her tempting mouth ASAP.
“Guess what?” Tex wiggled on the seat, clearly excited about his news.
She grinned. “What?”
“Monty and Mister Monty almost have the same birthday. Isn’t that funny?”
“Yes. Yes, it is.” She pressed her lips together as if holding back a laugh. Then she swallowed and turned in his direction. “What do you think, Mister Monty?”
“It’s funny, all right.” He held her gaze. Definitely lipstick. “How’re the potatoes doing?”
She took a second to answer, as if she had trouble processing the question. Then she blushed and shifted into efficiency mode. “They’re almost done.” She glanced at her uncle. “Would you and Tex please go make a salad? I need to discuss a few things with Monty.”
“We’re on it.” Graham stood and reached for the brownie pan in Tex’s lap. “C’mon, cowboy. Let’s rustle up some grub.”
“But I don’t wanna miss?—”
“I’ll call Uncle G if Speckles goes into labor.” Zinnia held up her phone. “I’ll make sure you don’t miss anything. I need you to help with the salad. Will you do that, please?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Tex got to his knees and peered into the stall. “It’s okay, girl. I’ll be right back.”
The mare gave a snort.
“She’s gonna wait for me.” He slid off the stool and started out of the barn with Graham. “Can I use the sharp knife, Uncle G?”
“If you promise to take it super slow, buddy.”
“I promise.”
The minute they’d cleared the open doorway, Monty’s heart began misbehaving. He couldn’t breathe worth a damn, either.
She turned to him, her color high, her voice seductively low. “This is about Tex.”
