He lipped my palm, and I pulled out the apple I’d stashed in my pocket. “Don’t tell anyone I gave this to you. They’ll get jealous. Especially Ranger.”
“Talking to your horse like he’s your best friend. If I weren’t your sister-in-law, I might be swooning right now.” I turned toward the sound of Ever, my brother’s wife. She stood behind me, leaning against the outside wall of our indoor arena where we trained horses, gave riding lessons, and hosted local barrel racing competitions.
I tipped my hat at her and gave her a wink. “Maybe you chose the wrong brother.” I was only teasing. She and Clint were the perfect match; everyone knew it.
She laughed and jutted her chin toward Wildfire. “You’re really gonna let him try again?”
“Course I am. He’s learning to be a good citizen, is all. When he came to us, he was wild and young. He’ll get his shit together. Just gotta give him time.”
Opening his stall door, I smiled when he let me slip his halter over his head with no trouble. Then I clipped the lead rope onto the ring and clicked my tongue. He followed, relaxed and obedient. Beaming at Ever, I said, “See?”
Then, the asshole horse shoved his shoulder hard into mine, nearly knocking me down. I stumbled but righted myself, the back of my neck prickling in embarrassment. Ever, to her credit, didn’t laugh out loud, but she couldn’t hide the smile on her lips.
“Not a word,” I warned.
“Never.” She snorted as she walked away, and I gave Wildfire a healthy dose of side-eye.
“Traitor.”
He huffed.
After turning him out into the pasture, I watched on for just a few minutes, like a nervous dad dropping his kid off for the first day of school. What if he got into a fight? What if he didn’t fit in? But Wildfire galloped past the small herd of horses before stopping and watching them.
“Come on, boy. Make some friends.” It had taken so long to get him to this point.
Then, Midnight and Teddy both approached him. I tensed as I waited, and when they started sniffing him and he didn’t rear back, something in me eased. It didn’t take long before they were running and playing together.
“Well, he did it. Finally,” Buck said from next to me.
I’d been so caught up in what my horse was doing, I hadn’t even realized he was there. “Just needed to have faith in him.” My grip on the fence rail relaxed, the ache in my hands finally becoming evident. “It’s obvious he was abused and traumatized in his first home.”
“We should have seen it sooner. I’m sorry we wanted to get rid of him.”
I shrugged. “But you didn’t.”
“You wouldn’t let us.”
We stood there in silence, watching Wildfire finally integrating with the other horses. He was beautiful, spirited, and had so much potential.
“Penny might be pregnant.”
My heart stuttered. “What did you just say?”
I looked at him, my eyes wide. He was grinning like an idiot. “She told me last night.”
“Shit, Buck. That’s amazing.”
Something that looked a lot like terror flashed in his eyes. “I…what if I fuck it all up? What if something happens to her?”
“You’re not gonna. I’m the fuck up, remember?”
He gave a nervous laugh.
“You tell mama yet?”
Shaking his head, he sighed. “We wanna wait until she gets it confirmed at the doctor. I guess the result on the test was super faint. Could be a false positive.”
I didn’t even know what that meant, but I wasn’t gonna share anything with anyone. “Well, my lips are sealed until you decide to tell her. She’s gonna lose her mind.”
“I really thought it’d be Clint and Ever before anyone else.”
“We all thought it’d be you the way you been sowing your oats all over creation.”
I punched him in the shoulder. “I always wrap it up.”
Shrugging, he pushed off the fence and adjusted his hat. “Come on, little brother, there’s a shit ton of work to do before the guests wake up. Let’s get saddled up and move those heifers from pasture eight to seven. You know Clint’s gonna yell at us to do it anyway.”
Laughing, I followed him into the stable. He was right. There was always work to do.
Hazel
I ran my palm over the slight swell of my abdomen. It had been four weeks since I’d found out I was pregnant, and I already had a pretty pronounced bump. Surprising since it was my first, but I knew everyone was different.
“Wow, you popped already?” Erin asked, standing in my doorway.
I stared at myself in the mirror and nodded. “Looks like it. Don’t even start with the twins thing. I had an ultrasound last week. One occupant only.”
“Did you find out the gender?”
“No. It’s too soon, and I don’t want to anyway.”
She pouted. “Oh, you’re no fun.”
“I like a little bit of mystery in my life.”
Snorting, she gave me a look that said I was full of shit. “I don’t know, Haze, you’ve got more mystery in your life at the moment than anyone I know.”
My stomach churned. “Tell me about it.”
“Any luck finding him?”
“No, but I admit, I haven’t been looking too hard. I mean, what am I going to say to him? Hey, you remember that night you dicked me down so good I came five times?”
Laughter escaped her, but she tried valiantly to roll it back. “Maybe don’t start there?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I should just leave it alone. I’ve been trying for a month now. Maybe I’m not supposed to find him.”
She shrugged. “Maybe. Whatever happens, we are going to love this baby so much.” Pushing off the doorframe, she came over and rubbed a palm on my belly. “I’m sorry it happened this way, but I’m so glad you’re getting the baby you wanted.”
Heart filled with love, I smiled. “Me too.”
“Okay, I’ve got a video to prep for. I’m starting a new show tonight. Wanna come watch with me? We can take notes together.”
I grinned. “Sure, why not?”
After popping a bag of popcorn and pouring herself a glass of wine and me a big cup of water, Erin joined me on the couch and grabbed the remote.
“Cowboys,” I said as soon as she landed on a show called Saddle Up.
“How fitting?” Her teasing tone made me laugh.
As soon as the credits began, I knew we’d chosen something good. Hot cowboys riding toward the camera in the sunset, gratuitous shots of them working the ranch, shirts coming off. God. It was marketed by someone who understood who their target demographic was.
“Oh, my God, Hazel.” Erin grabbed my knee, but I already knew what she was going to say. It was him. Tristan was on the screen, taking off his white t-shirt and pouring a bucket of water over his head as the credits flashed his name across the screen.
“It’s him,” I whispered.
“It’s fucking him.”
My stomach flipped. “He’s a Ryker? How did I not know that?”
“Well, it’s not like you’ve ever watched the show. How would you know?”