Page 22 of Quiver

“And I’ve seen guys juggle chainsaws at the state fair, but it doesn’t mean I’d try to do the same anytime soon. There are building blocks. You have to start slow, master fundamentals.”

“I already have some of them.”

Fletcher’s dark eyes flicked to her seat in the saddle, causing Kylie to sit a little taller, adjusting her calves more forward, until she got a grudging nod, which was probably as close to a compliment as she could expect.

“You can’t shoot, and even if you could, it’s riding and shooting at the same time that wrecks people.”

“But you’re the person who helps them put it all together. You’re the best in the business. You run workshops up and down the East Coast and do demonstrations on all those building blocks you’re talking about.”

“You don’t know what I do anymore.”

“I do. I’ve seen all the advertisements and the YouTube videos and the competition results and …” Her voice trailed off as Fletcher’s eyebrows arched higher as she sat forward in her seat.

“Why Miss Manchester, have you been internet stalking me?”

“No.”

“Then, pray tell, where would you have seen those things? Not in New York City newspapers, and you certainly wouldn’t have heard about them from your high society friends or your agents. Mounted archery isn’t exactly at the top of the sports pages, either. There’s no way you’d ever hear about any of my skills workshops unless you went looking for them.”

She blew out a frustrated breath that clouded before her in the snow. “Maybe I googled you a few times over the years, but don’t act like you didn’t do the same, because you seem to know where I live and who I work with.”

“I don’t have to go looking for information. Your face was everywhere for years. Do you know how many movie posters and trailers and magazine covers I had to avoid in my twenties? Fuck, Kylie, I didn’t go to a theater for five years. I still skip all the previews when I watch anything.”

“The previews are the best part.”

“They used to be, and the fact that I had to go to extreme measures to avoid knowing about you while you had to become an internet sleuth to find me proves—”

“Nothing.” Kylie cut her off before either of them could slip back into places neither of them wanted to go. “It proves literally nothing relevant to this conversation. This is not the beginning. I’m fighting to hold off the end, and, in this moment, you’re infinitely more successful in your chosen career than I am in mine. Be honest, doesn’t that give you a little thrill?”

The corners of Fletcher’s lips quirked up slightly, giving Kylie the answer she needed.

“Go ahead, enjoy it. You made the right choice. You win.”

“It was never a competition.”

“Maybe not, but it felt like one at times. We both had plenty to prove to ourselves and each other, and I can’t speak for you, but that drive both shattered me and pushed me forward, so I’m not thrilled about being back in this place, emotionally or physically. This isn’t how I wanted to see you again, indebted and precarious, but here I am, practically begging for your help. Whatever else is running through your brain, you have to find some sort of kick there.”

“When are you leaving?”

“What?” The blunt question rocked her back in the saddle.

“Say I help you and you get the part. Will you leave immediately?”

“Um …” She shook her head. “There’s a lot of ifs there, but I suppose things will move quickly. They said they wanted to be further along by now, so I guess I’d probably go right away.”

Fletcher let out a low sort of grumble that caused both horses ears to waggle.

“What does that mean?”

“Fine,” Fletcher said sharply. “I’ll do it.”

“You’ll help me?”

“I’ll train you,” she corrected.

She heaved a huge sigh of relief, rocking forward until she rested on Winston’s neck, and breathed in the soft scent of his mane.

“I mean it, Kylie,” Fletcher warned. “Training. Nothing more. I’m not doing this for old times’ sake or personal connection or some form of therapy. This is a job, for both of us, and the sooner we get to it, the sooner we’ll have our real lives back where they belong.”