I release a breath, “It’s just a lot, you know.”
“What is? The ranch, your ex, or Silas?”
“All of it,” I flick my eyes to her, “I’m supposed to be leaving.”
“Says who?”
“Me.”
“But why? Do you want to leave?”
“I thought I did.”
“But now you don’t. You’re allowed to change your mind, Juni.”
“I’ve been stuck a long time,” I sigh, “Quite literally trapped, and this is the first time I’ve felt truly free; do you know what I mean?”
“I do,” she softens, “I’ve been there.”
I nod, “So what did you do?”
“I wouldn’t do what I did, Juni. It wasn’t healthy, but I wouldn’t change it either; it shaped me to be who I am today. I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, but that’s okay. I don’t want to be.”
“You’re my cup of tea,” I assure her with a grin.
Her face breaks out into a smile, and she barks out a loud laugh, “Good to know. But Juni, no one can tell you what to do. You have to feel it, and sometimes what we think is best and what isactuallybest are two very different things. If there’s a chance of happiness, I say listen to that feeling and grasp it with both hands. If that happiness happens to be a single dad horse trainer that’s hotter than the sun and looks damn good in the saddle,” Her dainty shoulders lift on a shrug, “Then so be it.”
I laugh, “You’re not wrong about the saddle. How does he do it?”
“Girl,” Ada lets out a low whistle, “you should have seen some of the cowboys on thecircuit.”
“Thought you swore off cowboys,” I wink.
“I did, but they didn’t swear off me.”
A burst of laughter erupts from me just as we exit the stables to take the horses to the field, but a car catches my attention. I don’t recognize it, but it’s gunning right for us, the shiny black paint gleaming in the sun. They’re going entirely too fast, a plume of dust trailing them as the tires kick up gravel and dirt. The horses in the fields that neighbor the drive scatter, spooked by the disturbance, and even Ginger tugs back, attempting to get to safety.
“Easy,” Ada soothes Granger, eyes on the car.
The car comes to an abrupt halt; the tires barely stopped when the door flies open.
My eyes widen when I catch sight of Calvin.
And he looks pissed.
Chapter Thirty-one
Ginger rears up at the sight of my ex, the rope pulling tight as she physically tries to get away from him. I know my horse, so I let her go, expecting her to dart off. Instead, she paws at the ground, big huffs of air puffing from her nostrils. She gets closer to me, using her body to shield me from him.
“It’s okay,” I soothe her, but I can’t be sure, not when the man looks one minute away from murdering me.
“Is that him?” Ada demands, keeping her horse steady.
“My ex?” His eyes stay on me as he closes the gap, “Yes.”
Ada moves in closer to me, shielding me from the other side, just like Ginger. Tears sting my eyes.
“You fucking bitch!” He yells, loud enough that everyone around us can hear him, “You’re going to fucking take it back!”
