Dark red flashed in my peripheral vision. I looked over and found Claire organizing papers inmyoffice that overlooked the little arena we’d carved out for my students. I looked at my watch. Savannah was gonna kill me. “What the hell are you doing here?” I yelled so she could hear me. “It’s one thirty!”
She froze, looking like a deer in headlights. “Shit! I’m going!”
“Who’s that?” Elliot asked, watching as Claire raced back to the house on horseback.
“Claire Hayes,” I told him.
His brows shot up. “The barrel racer?”
I was surprised he knew who she was. She hadn’t been pro very long before she quit to run the ranch. “Yep. My friend is proposing to her later today, so we need her gone to set up.”
“Cool.” We got back to his training, and when it was over, he said, “You’re really good at this. Teaching.”
My chest tightened, and I patted his back. I’d been so scared I wouldn’t enjoy this the way I loved riding—that I wouldn’t be good at it. So I needed to hear that. I cleared my throat. “Thanks, kid. See you next week?”
“Sure thing.”
Tess
“I don’t knowhow I’m going to keep this a secret all day,” I said as Levi drove me to the nail salon to meet Claire and Anna.
“You don’t have to. Tell everyone. I’ll order a skywriter right now,” he laughed.
“I can’t do that. It’s Claire’s special day.” I glanced over at him. Butterflies swarmed in my stomach. He was so perfect, andthe pregnancy hormones made it hard to keep my hands off of him. “I can get pink polish though.”
He brought my hand to his mouth, kissing my knuckles. “That’d be cute.”
“Stop that.” I pulled my hand away, giggling. “We’ll never make it to the nail salon if you keep that up.”
He smirked. “And that’s a problem, why?”
I looked up and we were pulling into the parking lot. “Because we’re here and the girls are waiting for me.”
Levi pouted. “Fine.” He leaned over the center console, sliding a hand in my hair. “Love you, babygirl,” he murmured against my lips before kissing the breath out of my lungs.
“I love you, too. Meet you at the ranch?”
He nodded, licking his lips while staring at mine. “Send me a picture of your nails.”
I giggled more. “Okay.”
Anna was already inside when I walked in. She smirked. “Pregnancy hormones, huh?”
I blushed and sat down beside her while the basin filled with water for my toes. “Claire isn’t here?”
“Weston texted that she’s on the way. He had to make her leave.”
I snorted. “Of course.”
I checked our group text that had all of us besides Claire. “Savvy and Delilah are setting up already.”
“I know, I can’t wait to see it. Claire is going to freak out.”
“Freak out about what?” Claire said, walking towards us.
Anna froze. My heart dropped. “How many colors there are to pick from!” I said too loudly, shoving the color swatches in her hands. “Look at them all. Soooo pretty.”
Claire arched a brow and sat beside me. “You’re being weird. Everyone is being weird today. First, Beau, for making this appointment. Then, Brittany was fussing over my hair for ages.”
