Page 84 of Ethan

He asked about Piper on the way out and Sawyer’s whole face changed like it did when a man was asked about the right woman.

“She’s good,” he said simply. “Real good.”

“And Colson and Lydia?”

“Both are good.” Sawyer grinned.

Ethan shook his hand at the gate. “Tell them I said hello.”

“I will.” Sawyer looked at him for a moment. “You doing alright? You seem like you’ve got something on your mind.”

“I’m fine.”

Sawyer nodded once and had the decency not to push.

“We’ll take good care of her,” he said, nodding back toward the barn. “I’ll call you when she’s ready to come home.”

Ethan climbed into the truck, drove back toward the ranch, and thought about Naomi the whole way home.

He pulled up to the house, sat for a few minutes, then stepped out. He went inside, and after removing his boots, he headed for his bedroom where he sat on the edge of the bed and picked up his phone.

Naomi picked up on the second ring.

“Hey.” Her voice was warm and that loosened something in him.

“Hey.” He leaned back against the headboard. “How was your day?”

“Good. Vader had his best run yet. His times are coming down.” A pause. “How did it go with the mare?”

“She’ll be alright once she gets some weight back on her. She’s also lame so I took her straight to Sawyer’s place. He’s a Certified Equine Rehabilitation Practitioner.His practice involves hydrotherapy for horses.” He felt his jaw tighten at the memory of her dull eyes in that stall. “The owner wasn’t happy about it.”

“I imagine not.” Her voice went quiet. “Was it bad?”

“Bad enough.” He didn’t elaborate. “She’s safe now. That’s what matters.”

“You did a good thing today, Ethan.”

He looked at the ceiling. “I did what the contract states.”

“You did more than that and you know it. You drove eight hours to get her.”

He didn’t say anything to that.

“I’ve been thinking,” she said after a moment.

“About what?”

“About us.” He heard her take a breath. “About how angry I was and whether I aimed some of it at the wrong person.”

He sat forward. “Naomi—”

“Let me finish.” Her voice was steady. “You pushed me toward something I didn’t want to be pushed toward and that was wrong. But Serena said something that I keep turning over. She said you only did it because you wanted me to be happy.”

“She’s a smart woman,” he said.

“I know,” Naomi said softly. “I know she is.”

He closed his eyes briefly.