Page 60 of Heartstrings & Horseshoes

“Psh. You won’t even notice I’m here. Talk to me like we’re on the phone with your earbuds in,” he says with a dismissive flip of his hand.

“No, because when we’re on the phone I can hang up on you,” I quip, flinging muck into the wheelbarrow with a little more force than necessary.

“Stop being a whiny bitch and talk to me. Come on, you can’t tease me with hints that things are heating up with she who shan’t be named and then shut me out! Connorrrrr.”

Sometimes I forget how fucking annoying CJ is when he wants something.

I stab the pitchfork into a mound of shavings and manure, the crunch masking CJ’s incessant voice for all of three seconds. Sweat rolls down my neck despite the early hour. My lower back’s aching and I’m not even halfway through the stalls yet.

“You know, this whole brooding cowboy thing would be hotter if you didn’t smell like horse shit.” CJ plugs his nose dramatically.

“Then get the fuck out! Jesus. I’m serious, things are going well for me here and I can’t afford to get distracted,” I snap.

“Distracted from what? Shoveling shit?”

“Don’t be a dick,” I grumble, moving to the next stall. Scoop, toss, repeat.

I haven’t worked this hard, for this many years, to buy the damn white house with the blue door to lose sight of it now. It’s not an option anymore, but I refuse to give up on Delilah’s dream. I just haven’t figured out how to pull it off yet.

I must be a fucking fool to have spent my life saving money to buy a house for a woman who wasn’t even my girlfriend. I made good money with the highway, and I gave it all up to start a whole new career at Lucky Spurs Ranch. I can’t fuck up my chance.

“Daddy Reid working you this hard, or are you trying to impress someone?” CJ waggles his eyebrows.

Instead of answering him, I push the full wheelbarrow outside to dump it and return to lay down clean shavings. CJ follows me around like a petulant child offering lots of opinions, but zero help whatsoever.

“Where is Princess Delilah anyhow? Isn’t she here somewhere becoming the world’s best equine therapist?” he asks.

I warm at the mention of her name. And he’s right, she’s here working her tight little ass off. She’s blossoming as her confidence grows and her skills improve. I can never thank Reid enough for what he’s done.

Guilt mounts for going behind her back. But I’ve been making her life easier behind the scenes our entire relationship, so it’s easy enough to swallow the unpleasant sensation.

“Reid’s got her out on a trail ride. Part of her internship is learning to be comfortable around the horses, and Reid’s like the horse whisperer.”

CJ grows bored with his line of questioning and begins prattling on about the new guy he’s dating. I half listen while I check the automatic waterers and sweep the stable aisle clean.

By the time I’m finished refilling grain bins, I know far more than I ever wanted to about his new boytoy’s proclivities.

Checking the clock in the office, I don’t have much time to inspect the section of fence Reid mentioned before lunch.

God, I’m so fucking tired and it’s hot as shit today. It’s been unseasonably warm, and I’m reminded every day how much more difficult ranch work is than I expected. But the aches, pains, and smashed fingers are worth it because I love working here.

My farrier training is surprisingly interesting, and I love every minute I spend with the horses. It’s no wonder Delilah chose equine therapy as her career path. I get the same calming energy around the horses I do when I’m with her, because they’re both pure of heart.

I grab my bucket of tools and toss it into the UTV.

“Hey! Are you seriously leaving me here?” CJ shrieks from behind me.

I toss a wave over my head and start the vehicle.

I holler, “Hey! I thought you weren’t supposed to wear white after Labor Day,” to CJ as I drive past, kicking up dust onto his pressed chinos.

I laugh my ass off at his bitching and moaning before getting back to work.

“Who’s ready for boy’s night?” James claps his hands and rubs them together eagerly. Olivia kidnapped Delilah, Iz, and Harper for a sleepover at her parent’s mini mansion.

Being the ultimate hostess she is, Mrs. Andersen made homemade pizza and hot wings for the Broncos game tonight and brought them over to Reid’s cabin, before she and Mr. Andersen retired for the evening to the main house.

“Will someone put some food in his mouth and shut him the fuck up?” Greyson grumbles.