He slammed his fist over his chest and pretended to sag down with his front over the horse’s neck. “Has anyone ever told you that you know exactly how to go for the jugular?”
“No, but that’s your heart you’re holding. Not your jugular.”
“Smartass,” he retorted as he sat back up. “So you want to help with the poles once we get back or what?”
“Absolutely.” I nodded at Dottie, who had stuck close all the way but went off on her own from time to time. “Aren’t you worried about losing her?”
“Nah, she’s known this place since she was a puppy. She’ll always find her way back home. Do you have any pets?”
“If I could have an entire zoo, I would. I love animals, but my apartment isn’t pet-friendly.” I continued giving him far too much information all the way back, then told Hailey to go ahead and that I would stay outside.
“I have to go call Nick,” she said when we walked back to the house. “I also definitely need a shower and to change my clothes. Are you sure you’re going to be fine without me?”
“A hundred percent,” I assured her, feeling Harrison’s heat on my bare arm closest to him where he walked beside me. “We’re going to set up some stuff for us to practice later.”
She flicked her gaze from mine to his, then shrugged before she went inside. Harrison swept his arm out to the left once the door shut behind her. “It’s this way to the paddock where we keep the poles. Are you still sure you wouldn’t rather go take a nap or something?”
“And miss out on seeing more of this place?” I shook my head. “Never.”
The paddock was enclosed by wood fencing and the poles he’d been talking about were just that—plain old poles a few feet long that he carried and laid out in seemingly random patterns. I tried helping, but it turned out that the things were a lot heavier than they looked.
Settling for playing with Dottie instead while he did the heavy lifting, I started when I heard his voice behind me, much closer than he had been just a minute ago. “I’ve never actually seen her playing like this with anyone.”
“That’s because she’s never met me before,” I said, holding up the stick she’d been fetching for me above my head. “We’re bonding. It’s really cute the way she licks the back of my hand every time she brings this back.”
“She does?” He dropped his chin in surprise, his mouth hanging slightly open. It drew my attention to his lips, which made me wonder what it might feel like to press mine against them.
I really, really needed to stop staring at him the way I undoubtedly was, but it had been a very long time since I’d last been this instantly attracted to a guy. If ever. My self-esteem also wasn’t so low that I was even going to try to convince myself that he wasn’t flirting and staring right back.
He was, but that still didn’t mean it was a good idea. The man lived hours away from me, and it wasn’t such a leap from attraction to attachment.
“Yeah, she does,” I said distractedly, turning to Dottie to toss the stick once last time before I glanced back at him. “Hailey’s been gone for a while. I should go check on her.”
“Sure thing,” he agreed. “It’s not a bad idea to get some lunch while you’re in the house. The fridge should be stocked with the groceries you ordered. I’ll meet you out front in about an hour?”
“We’ll see you then,” I promised.
And when we do, I’ll have found a way to stop wanting to lick you. I promise that, too.
9
HARRISON
Ashton was at my place when I finished setting up the training course. Whenever I was on the farm, we usually ate lunch there together. He claimed not to like me any more than he did anyone else, but we’d become close in the last few years.
By the time I walked in, he’d already made sandwiches for us and was sitting in the small breakfast nook eating his. “The flies will get yours if you don’t hurry.”
“Ever heard of wrapping it so that doesn’t happen?” I asked as I swiped the waiting plate and carried it over to the nook as well.
As I sat down, he narrowed his eyes at me and swallowed the sip of water he’d just taken. “I don’t know why you went through all the trouble of setting up a course for them. That Hailey girl was bitchin’ and moanin’ about her ass all the way back home.”
“Maybe, but we’ve still got a job to do.” I picked up my sandwich, my stomach grumbling at the scent of mayonnaise when I brought it near my mouth. “You’ve never complained about me setting up the course for guests before. What’s so different about these girls?”
“The other people we’ve had out here at least wanted to learn. Those girls are only here to pretend to be something they’re not.”
“That’s the point,” I said. “They’re here doing this for a wedding, not to practice for the circuit. Where’s the harm in that? Last I checked, you don’t need to want to become a professional just because you want to learn how to do something.”
“The only reason you’re defending them is because the nice one who at least seems to like the darn animals keeps eye-banging you. What’s our policy on fraternizing with the guests, boss?”
“We don’t have one,” I replied, pointing at him with one half of my sandwich. “Don’t forget that nice lady who was here last month. You kept whipping your hat off when you saw her and you didn’t hear me giving you shit for it.”
The wrinkles around his eyes deepened as he glared at me. “Dorothy was a perfect lady who’d been riding before. It doesn’t matter if it was fifty years ago, she came because she loved it and wanted to do it again. After I saw what I did this morning, these two girls aren’t even going to use the horses in the wedding.”
“You want to bet?” I asked. “Keira seemed to be enjoying it just fine.”
“Yeah, but it’s not her wedding, now is it?” He dabbed his mouth with a napkin and stuck out his free hand. “I’ll take your bet, though. Whoever loses has to clean the shit out of the barn for a month.”
“You’re on.” We shook on it and then turned the topic of conversation to the market in town next weekend. “Mariana tells me it’s to show off local produce. They might want to get a stall. What do you think?”
“I think there are still going to be a horde of people with imported shit, but why not? It could be good exposure. We need as much of that as we can get.”
“Agreed. I’ll let her know. They’ll get to keep their profits as well, so it might be a good way for them to earn something extra if the market becomes a regular thing.”
The old guy shot me another rare, if short-lived, grin. “I don’t know how you’ve done as well as you have in business with your propensity for letting everyone share in the profits you should be making off this place, but I’m telling you right now, if you lose the property because of it, we’re still going to be pissed at you.”
I didn’t tell him that I’d made enough money to last us all several lifetimes and then some. The Hynes Group was responsible for that money, but the farm wasn’t running at a loss by any stretch of the imagination. “You have nothing to worry about. We’re doing well. Trust me.”
After lunch, Dottie and I went out onto the porch. To my surprise, Keira was walking our way. She grimaced when she reached the bottom of the stairs.
“I’m glad I caught you guys before you went back to the stable. Hailey says she wants to rest for the afternoon, but we’re going to come out tomorrow for sure.”
Ashton had already descended the stairs but stopped just behind her when he heard what she said. He smiled again when he caught my eye, making a shoveling gesture behind her.
Yeah, maybe it was stupid to make that bet.
“Sure, no problem,” I said, ignoring him in favor of looking at a much prettier face instead. From the corner of my eye, I saw him turn and walk away with a triumphant grin still on his face. “You and I could take the horses out this afternoon if you’d like to?”
“I’d better stick around in case she needs me.
” She seemed genuinely sad about it. “That being said, I also don’t want to sit around the house while my sister talks to her fiancé in baby talk all afternoon. Anything else we can do?”
“A lot, but I doubt you’d be very interested in farm work,” I said, stilling when I was hit by a thought I’d never had about another guest. “Want to have a beer? We can drink out here, so you wouldn’t be stuck inside.”
A bright smile lit her up from the inside out. “Are you sure you don’t mind? That sounds amazing, but I understand if there’s work you need to do instead.”
“Nothing that needs to be done right away,” I said honestly. “Come have a seat. I’ll go grab us a couple of beers.”
When I got back outside, she was sitting in one of the armchairs with Dottie’s head in her lap. The dog’s eyes were closed as she stroked her neck, and for a second, I was jealous that she got to have Keira’s hands on her. I shook myself out of it immediately though, feeling like an idiot as I handed over Keira’s beer.
“Hailey’s okay, right?” I asked as I sat down. “She didn’t hurt herself this morning or anything like that?”
“She’s fine.” A glimmer of humor appeared in her dark eyes. “Nick just told her to take it slow now that she knows she can sit on a horse. He said she’ll be too stiff to move tomorrow if she doesn’t take it easy, and then the conversation went in a direction I really wish I hadn’t heard.”
I nearly choked on the sip I was trying to swallow as laughter worked its way out of my chest. “Yeah, well, I suppose I can get how talking about things getting stiff might lead down that road between two people who are almost getting married.”
“Exactly.” She chuckled before making a face. “I just wish she’d have waited until I was out of the room before they went there.”
“You guys seem close. She probably didn’t think it would bother you.” I shrugged. “I don’t have any siblings, but it’s my understanding that if you’ve been in the same womb as someone else, the usual boundaries don’t apply.”
“Maybe they don’t, but they should.” She leaned back in the chair, her eyes on the view from the porch as she released a soft sigh. “We’re not that close actually. I think we used to be when we were very little, but we haven’t been for a long time. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but we’re totally different.”
“I have noticed that,” I said. “It’s kind of hard not to. Even Ashton noticed, and I don’t know if you noticed this, but he’s not exactly the friendliest, most observant guy when it comes to people.”
“I noticed.” She tipped her head back and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply as a soft smile spread on her lips. “Man, I bet he’s got some stories to tell about living in a place as amazing as this. He must’ve had quite the life out here.”
“He has. Some of those stories are pretty unbelievable for someone who grew up in the city,” I said. “When I first met him, I didn’t believe half of it. It was only after working with him for a while that I realized they could be true.”
“You grew up in the city?” she asked, glancing over at me with surprise written all over her features. “How did you end up here then?”
“Just because I grew up there doesn’t mean I liked it. The first time I got a taste of the quieter life, I fell in love. A little bit like you, I think.”
She smiled. “You make a good point. I’m not sure if I’d make the trade even if I had the opportunity to, but there’s definitely something to be said for living here. What did your parents say when you moved away?”
“Not much actually. They’ve retired to Maine, so it’s not like we were seeing each other all that often anyway.”
“Maine, huh?” That same spark of excitement I’d seen so many times already ignited in her eyes. “That must be amazing. I’d love to visit there if I ever get the chance. A friend of mine went a couple of years ago, and she couldn’t stop talking about it.”
“It is beautiful,” I agreed. “You’re one of those people who have a lot of places you want to visit on your bucket list, aren’t you?”
She shrugged but inclined her head. “I’d like to see it all if I can. Realistically, I know that probably won’t happen, but I can still dream about it. There’s a lot of life to be lived outside of just one city.”
“Fair enough,” I said. “What about your parents? Won’t they mind if their daughter is away so often?”
She laughed. “Nope. They still live in the same house in New Jersey I grew up in, but they know all about my wanderlust. When all the other girls, Hailey included, were hanging up posters of shirtless rock stars and ballplayers in their bedrooms, I was putting up pictures of faraway, exotic places I wanted to visit.”
“So you’ve always been different,” I said lightly, a lot more things about her slowly clicking into place the more we talked.
“Unfortunately, yes. So different that I don’t even have a date to my sister’s wedding.” She gave an exaggerated shudder. “My mother is going to crucify me for it.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being different.” In fact, I was learning just how much I liked her being different as we spoke. “I’m sure if you wanted a date, you’d have one.”
“I work fourteen hours a day most days, and I have zero interest in anyone at my office. Online dating didn’t work out very well for me either. There’s just no way an app on my phone gets to tell me how well I match with a person.”
I held up my beer to clink it against hers. “Amen to that. I haven’t ever tried it myself, but I’ve heard it can be a nightmare.”
We finished our beers and then another after that, and all the while, we kept our easy conversation going. Eventually, she got a text from Hailey and drained what was left in her bottle. “I’d better get back to the house. Thanks for letting me crash your afternoon.”
“You didn’t crash it,” I said. “We just changed our plans a little from riding to drinking. Should I get the horses ready tomorrow morning?”
“Definitely. If Hailey doesn’t want to, I’ll still go out with you. It was really fun and I’ve already missed riding Molly once. I won’t do it again.”
I laughed and bowed my head. “I’m sure she doesn’t mind, but I’ll see you in the morning then. Good night, Keira. Let me know if you guys need anything.”
“Good night.” She stood on the edge of the porch, looking like a vision in that ball-cap and her jeans, and I wondered if there was something wrong with every other man in the damn city since no one had made her theirs yet.
As she walked away, I still couldn’t take my eyes off her. I sat there for a long time after she’d left, nursing my beer and contemplating why it was that a woman who should’ve felt like the complete stranger she was had me thinking about making someone mine for the first time.
10
KEIRA
Bright and early the next morning, I was showered and ready to go. I’d called Hailey after I’d set out some breakfast for us, but I hadn’t seen her yet.
In fact, I hadn’t seen much of her at all after we’d gotten back from riding yesterday. We’d made lunch together, but she’d been on the phone almost the whole time. Then, despite the fact that she’d texted me to find out where I was when I’d been having a drink with Harrison, she’d been on the phone again when I’d come in.
After that, I’d made dinner while she soaked in the tub, and then she’d decided to go to bed shortly after we’d finished eating. Knocking firmly once on her door, I pushed it open to find her still in bed.
Her curtains were still drawn, her room dark, and she had a fluffy sleeping mask over her eyes.
I frowned. “What are you doing? It’s time for us to go. Our lesson is starting soon.”
“I’m not going,” she groaned and rolled over to bury her face in the pillow. “Why don’t you go? I’d rather stay in the house. My body feels like it’s been hit by a truck.”
“This was your idea, Hailes. You can’t stay in the house all weekend.” I marched
up to the bed, but she knew me well enough that she gripped her comforter so I couldn’t yank it off. “Hailey Piatt! We’re leaving in five. Get your skinny ass in the shower.”
“I’m not going,” she protested again, burrowing deeper under the covers. “I’m being serious. I really don’t feel like going back out there and riding a horse for twelve more hours with the sun beating down on me.”
“You hardly rode for two hours yesterday. Maybe almost three, but it definitely wasn’t twelve.”
“No, but it will be twelve today. Even if it isn’t, it will feel like it is. Just go on without me and tell them I’ll see you all later.”
“Hailey…” I started but then trailed off. If my sister set her mind to doing something—or not doing it, as the case may be—she stood solid as a rock by her decision. Obviously, she’d had enough of horse riding already, which meant she wasn’t going to budge no matter what I said. “Fine, stay here then. If you fall off your horse in your wedding dress, at least you can’t point the finger at me.”
I wasn’t proud of it, but I slammed her door shut behind me when I left her room. She was just so frustrating sometimes. It was so typical of her to drag me along on one of her genius plans, and then to leave me to follow through while she did whatever the hell it was she wanted.
As I marched out of the house, however, it dawned on me that if Hailey wanted to stay in all day, that left a whole day for me to spend with Harrison. It was difficult not be excited by that possibility, even if I was disappointed in Hailey for behaving this way.
Both men were at the stable when I arrived, and Ashton gave Harrison a strange but victorious look when he saw me walk up to them alone. He grinned and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “It doesn’t look like I’ll be needed today. I’ll just go take a look at that fence.”
Harrison waited until he’d shuffled away before looking back at me. “So, your sister decided she’s not joining us this morning after all?”
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