Page 10 of Whispers of Sweetwater

‘Well,’ she said briskly, turning back towards the mare and colt. ‘I’ll need to check their progress again tomorrow.’ She stole back the breath he seemed to be effortlessly taking. ‘If Bella continues improving at this rate, my guess is they’ll both be out in the paddock by the end of the week.’

‘Sounds good.’ His gaze clung to hers, but not in an invasive way – instead he seemed intrigued. ‘You’re welcome to pop in any time that suits, there’s always someone around, me or Gav, if you need to chat about anything.’

‘During business hours, you mean, right?’ she added, with a pointed glance – she had to put this weird energy between them to bed. And not his bed, or hers.

Oh far out, Brianna, stop it.

As if reading her thoughts, his mouth quirked. ‘Of course.’ Something flickered in his eyes, playful, maybe even teasing, but it disappeared quickly, burying itself beneath his composed exterior.

Still, the air between them shifted. That thing from the day before, that moment they’d both felt but hadn’t dared speak of, still hummed beneath the surface like electricity in a storm-charged sky.

The sound of boots crunching towards the stall echoed and sliced through the fragment of a moment. Brianna had to stifle a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. Turning to face the approaching person, her eyes met those of the bloke she’d briefly met the day before. Hayden’s hired help, Gavin Morgan.

‘Hope I’m not interrupting,’ Gavin said with a weird grin as he strode in, each of his footsteps a relaxed saunter that spoke of years spent walking these grounds.

‘Brianna popped in to check on Bella and Maverick,’ Hayden replied with nonchalant ease.

‘We meet again,’ Gavin said, ‘and I hear we have you to thank for little Maverick making it into this world.’

‘Guilty as charged,’ Brianna responded with a warm smile.

‘I reckon you’ve already lived up to your last name.’ Gavin raised an eyebrow playfully. ‘From what Hayden told me, you’re as tough as your name suggests.’

Brianna couldn’t help but smile wider at Gavin’s effortless charm; it was playful, safe.

‘Yeah, and she’s got enough steel to handle someone like you, too, boofhead,’ Hayden interjected, his voice laced with dry humour and a half-smile that landed right in her stomach.

‘Oh really? Is that a challenge?’ Gavin playfully squared his shoulders before bursting into laughter.

‘Careful,’ Brianna said, arching a brow. ‘I wrestle bulls before breakfast; you wouldn’t last five minutes.’

‘I already like her!’ Gavin declared with a hearty laugh.

‘Just watch it, or you’ll find yourself on the receiving end of her syringe,’ warned Hayden, though the twinkle in his eye gave away his jest.

‘But what a way to go, at the hands of an angel,’ Gavin retorted with a dramatic hand over his heart.

‘Angel with a needle,’ Brianna corrected, smirking. ‘And don’t you forget it.’

‘Never,’ Gavin assured her with mock solemnity. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some fences to mend before the sun forgets what it’s doing.’

‘How thrilling,’ Brianna remarked wryly, the shared amusement edging them closer from being strangers to becoming friends.

‘Only the most exciting of tasks for me,’ Gavin responded with a theatrical flourish. ‘But fear not, you are in capable hands with Hayden here.’

‘Thanks, Gav,’ Hayden said with genuine gratitude. ‘We’ll catch up later.’

‘Looking forward to it,’ Gavin replied with a casual salute before spinning on his heel and disappearing down the aisle of stalls, his laughter lingering in the air like the scent of summer grass.

Brianna watched Gavin go, the warmth in her chest lingering like an ember fanned by laughter. Sweetwater Acres was more than just a workplace – it had the easy feel of a property built on loyalty, long days and a fair bit of cheek.

She turned back to Hayden, a smile still playing at her lips from their exchange. ‘You and Gavin make a good team,’ she said. ‘Bit of a double act, really.’

Hayden chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. ‘He’s a pain in the arse most days, but yeah, we’ve got each other’s backs.’ His easy smile hinting at playfulness, he met her gaze – steady, open and unguarded.

In that moment, with the scent of hay hanging warm in the air and the soft murmur of horses shifting in their stalls, Brianna felt something settle in her.

As if maybe, just maybe, she was exactly where she was meant to be.