Page 51

She adds, "Alexander told me he's already put way too much into them, but Jagger's convinced they're going to be big winners."

"Alexander?"

She smiles bigger. "His brother. And don't worry. You'll get to know all of the Cartwrights after a bit. It's intimidating at first since they have such a huge family, but they're all amazing."

All amazing.

Of course they are, I bitterly think.

Charlie.

A fresh round of panic hits me.

I need to get her out of here.

"You alright?" Phoebe asks, stepping closer and tilting her head. "You've gone kind of pale."

"Long morning." I force a smile that feels like it might crack straight down the middle of my face. "I should finish up with her before the light goes."

"Did you pick the butterfly or stallion?" Phoebe asks.

"Huh?"

She smiles bigger. "The guesthouse. Which one did you pick?"

My insides shake harder. I stare at her finger and answer, "I don't know. Ruby went to show my mom the houses. I told her to pick so I could assess the horses."

"Gotcha. They're both amazing. I bet she picks the butterfly though. It's a bit more feminine," Phoebe gushes.

I blink hard and redirect my eyes on Two-Step's wrap, smoothing it flatter than it needs to be, willing myself not to shed a tear here.

Phoebe's perfect. She's beautiful, friendly, and seems like someone I'd want to be friends with.

I slept with her husband.

My gut twists hard, and I put my hand on the stall to steady myself.

Her husband is my baby's daddy.

"It's nice your mom is with you." She tilts her head, studying me with a kind of open, friendly curiosity. But it feels like she's peeling back a layer of skin I'd rather keep intact. "No husband tagging along?"

"No husband." The words come out clipped, sharper than I mean them to. I force my shoulders to unclench before she reads anything into it that isn't already written all over my face. "Just work. That's all I've got room for these days."

"Understand." She says it lightly, no judgment in it, twisting that ring again without seeming to notice the habit. "Though I'll warn you, this family's got a way of rearranging a person's priorities whether you ask them to or not." She softly laughs.

I don't trust myself to respond to that, so I busy myself checking a wrap that's already checked. Phoebe, mercifully, lets the silence stretch instead of pushing further.

She finally says, "It was nice meeting you."

"You too," I say and force a smile.

She studies me a moment.

She knows!

My stomach lurches, and I swallow bile.

"See you later, Lainey," she offers and wanders off toward the tack room.