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I hated feeling out of control. Giving it to someone else.
“Is she really?” I asked in what amounted to a snarl because my cousin had a twisted sense of humor. “In one single morning, she’s both ran into the back of my SUV and was fifteen minutes late.”
Paisley led Mazzy out by the reins, and I watched like a hawk in case I had to dart across the space to get between Evelyn and the horse.
Ryder laughed a low sound. “That’s all part of her appeal, man.”
I wouldn’t be giving her this chance if it hadn’t been for him singing her praises. He’d told me I was a lucky bastard she had moved back into town because he didn’t know of anyone better.
“Appeal?”
Irritation burned across my flesh as I watched the woman talking to Evelyn while she ran her hand down the white and black-dappled neck of the pony, giving some kind of instruction I couldn’t hear.
“Her brilliance. Her smarts. Her skill and experience. Whatever you want to call it. It just can’t be tamed or controlled the way you like to control those around you. She might do it her own way, but you won’t find anyone in Time River who is going to take better care of both the horse and Evelyn. That little girl couldn’t be in better hands.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
“You need to lighten up, Caleb. Loosen the reins. Literally.”
I all but growled.
He chuckled, though the amusement in his voice filtered out. “You know I wouldn’t recommend someone being around Evelyn if I didn’t implicitly trust them. And I trust her. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
I had plenty to worry about without having to worry about this woman, too.
“She screws up again, and she’s out,” I warned.
Paisley stretched out her hand and slowly guided her up to the horse. Evelyn reached out, her movements tentative as she brushed her little hand along the side of the horse’s neck, touching it for the first time since it had arrived five days ago.
“Can you do me a favor and try not to be a total prick to her? Know that’s your M.O., but Paisley-Cakes has been through her own shit. She doesn’t need you ridin’ her ass and making it worse.”
Paisley-Cakes?
What did that even mean?
“I’ll see what I can do,” I gritted.
“Well doesn’t that sound promising,” he tossed back, dripping sarcasm. “You are nothing but a fuckin’ ray of sunshine, Caleb Greyson.”
I grunted.
“Just relax, man. It’s all good. Try to chill and enjoy your ranch. You have some of the most beautiful property around, and you’re over there wound so goddamn tight you can’t enjoy it.”
Enjoy it?
There was no enjoying anything until I buried this threat.
“Listen, I need to go. Swing by later?”
“Yeah,” I told him.
“Cool.” The line went dead.
Annoyance gusted, and I pressed the end of my phone against my forehead in hopes it would relieve the splitting headache that had formed.
Had to wonder if coming here hadn’t been the biggest mistake I’d ever made.
Only I knew that wasn’t the truth. Because I had a fucking lifetime of them, and one had destroyed everything.
FIVE
PAISLEY
I flopped onto a champagne-colored velvet stool at the high-top counter at Time River Market & Café, still reeling from the whiplash I’d sustained by being in the presence of one Mr. Greyson.
The café oozed both luxury and comfort.
The epitome of Dakota herself.
Trendy and eclectic with a country kick.
Growing up, it had been a regular greasy diner until Dakota had gotten her hands on it. She’d sectioned the large building into two rooms and had opened a country store in the front, but the real draw was the delicious café and bakery in the back.
I still didn’t know how she’d pulled off its transition. Creating something that was both upscale yet downhome.
Booths ran the walls of the café on three sides. They were high-backed, gray wood with blue and cream-colored checked cushions, and each had a spray of cream-colored flowers in metal containers tucked against the wall.
The middle section was set with long tables, at least ten chairs on each side, which she’d meant to encourage random people to eat their meals together. In a small town such as this, you were likely to eat breakfast or lunch with a friend who happened to be in that day.
Or run into your biggest enemy.
Funny how I’d never even had one of those until today.
Lucky me.
When I came into the café, I preferred sitting here at the rustic bar, one half of it running with six high stools and to the left of it the bakery display cases and coffee bar. It gave me a chance to chat with Dakota in between her running around taking care of customers.
About five minutes after I’d been sitting there, she came out of the kitchen through the swinging doors.
