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Do I play it cool, professional, like I don't already know every single freckle on her nose and exactly what sound she makes right before she laughs?

When I shut the water off, I still don't have any answers. I grab a towel, dry myself off, then stand in front of the fogged-up mirror trying to figure things out.

What's a man supposed to say to a woman who vanished off the face of Texas without so much as a phone number and then showed up eleven months later to fix his horses?

Fate's got a cruel sense of humor.

I pull a clean shirt out of the dresser, then put it back and grab a different one. It's a stupid thing to do over a woman who's already seen me naked.

My phone buzzes on the counter.

Mason: You drowning in there or what? Dad wants to know if you're coming back to finish the fence today, or if you've officially lost your mind over the rehab girl.

I stare at the screen a long second, then type back one-handed while I comb my hair with the other.

Me: Tell him I'll be out shortly. Had to come home and take care of some horse business.

Mason: Oh, I'm sure there's horse business.

I don't reply. I go into my closet, grab a clean pair of jeans, and pull them on. I shrug into another T-shirt and blue flannel, then go back to the front door and slide into my boots. I grab my hat off the hook, catch my reflection one more time in the hallway mirror, and force myself to breathe slow and even.

Every nerve in my body is wound tighter than a cinch strap.

She's here.

I close my eyes, trying to calm, praying she's happy to see me.

What if she's not?

Sweat furrows under my hat.

"Don't be a pussy," I say to my reflection, pulse not lowering an inch.

Whatever happens, happens.

I step outside into the cold, pull the door shut behind me, and head for the barn. My boots crunch the frozen grass. My heart races faster with every step than it has any right to over a woman I haven't technically spoken to in almost a year.

She's not just any woman, I remind myself, which only makes it worse.

I get closer, and I think she's going to turn.

I freeze, sweating and thinking I might be having a heart attack.

Instead, she softly purrs, "Great job. You're strong and going to get there."

Her voice hits my ears, and my cock hardens so much, it hurts.

Fuck.

"Come on. Time to rest," she orders, and guides Two-Step toward the barn.

All I can do is stand and stare at her until she disappears, feeling completely out of my element.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Lainey

"Come on. Time to rest," I tell Two-Step, guiding him toward the barn with a loose hand on his halter. He follows easy as anything, favoring that shoulder less than he was an hour ago.