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“So it was fate?”
There’s that word again.
“I guess it happens.” Our eyes meet.
We come to a halt in front of her car. “This is me,” she says, waving at her SUV. “I’ll draw everything up first thing tomorrow. If you wanted to drop by the office? I know it’s a Saturday, but Regina and I have both agreed we can get things ready over the weekend to send on Monday.”
“Sounds good. What time works for you?”
“Say eleven? That way, Regina and I can have time to check everything before going through it.”
“She’s gonna be pissed about the house in Nashville.” I can’t help the amused tone in my voice. “I wanted to keep her off my back, but she’s choosing to play dirty.”
“That was generous of you, considering her actions during the marriage…”
“You can say it, Hart; affair. There’s no sugar coating it. I like to call it what it is.”
“Fine. Considering her affair, I think you were more than generous. I understand peace offerings, but sometimes it makes the other party even greedier. If she gets wind of you selling your company, then that changes things again.”
“She won’t. I have a business partner, Toby. I trust him. He and my best friend Hudson are the only ones who know the details.”
“Good. I don’t have to remind you that women like her will smell a rat from miles away. She’s sneaky, and clearly she likes to take cheap shots.”
I’m sick of this subject. Instead I say, “So are you coming to dinner?”
Her lips twitch. “As long as we don’t make it obvious that we’ve…”
My eyes flick to her mouth. How I want to take it again and do all kinds of explicit things to her. But a woman like Hartley should be courted before I fuck her again. The least I can do is buy her dinner. I don’t give a fuck about Keira finding out. I’m living my life. Just like she’s doing. Hartley may have her principals, but I know what I want, and it’s standing right in front of me.
“Does that mean I have to keep my hands to myself?” I pique an eyebrow and I’m delighted when her cheeks pinken slightly.
“For the moment.”
“I like that your words hold a promise. You know I will come to collect.” I don’t take my eyes off hers. Fuck it. I want her to know I’m serious. I want her.
“So I keep hearing.”
I lean toward her slightly. “I keep my promises, Hart, just remember that.” As I open her car door, she slides inside behind the wheel. “Oh, and I’m taking it our FaceTime meeting is no longer?”
She laughs. Surely she didn't think I’d forgotten about the plans we made for tonight before we accidentally ran into each other again. “I guess there’s no need. I had no idea we’d be running into each other so soon.”
“Me either, but I’m glad we did. It’s so much better in person. I’ll see you tomorrow at eleven.”
“I look forward to it.”
I close the door and tap the top of her hood, making my way back to the pavement.
She gives me a finger wave as she reverses. I give her a chin lift and as soon as she drives away, I hop over to the other side of the street to climb into my truck.
I decide to call Hudson on the way home. “Hey.” He’s outside somewhere because I can hear the wind in the background.
He’s probably hauling bales for his horses, something he likes to do in the afternoons before the sun goes down. I love horses, but they take a lot of grooming and care.
Brooklyn has half a dozen horses on his property; he and Blake love to ride.
While his favorite is his Tennessee Walking Horse named Bandit and Blake’s favorite is an American Paint Horse named Sailor, they’re always taking in new waifs and strays. While Gaitley and Easton run Horse Shoe Ranch, they train horses and break them in. My brother, on the other hand, takes in abandoned horses who were bred for racing and have nowhere else to go except the slaughterhouse. He’s a sucker for the underdog.
I guess that’s why my mom’s always saying he has such a big heart. He just can’t say no.
