Page 26

“Uh-huh. Also if you’re doing this, let Merle know, because she’ll skin you alive if you don’t.”

I chuckled. He wasn’t wrong. Merle would want to be involved somehow, for sure.

“Okay. That’s… that’s a good plan.”

He pulled away a little so he could look at me. “You don’t need to run and hide from Bodhi or the family. You can make your home here, Wren. You can’t control whether he realizes your feelings on his own, just like you can’t control what he’ll do with that realization if it ever happens.”

“I know….” I sounded whiny as fuck when I said that, but I didn’t even care.

“You can’t hide from your whole family just because one of them is problematic for your heart. Everyone here loves you. Even if it isn’t the type of love you want from Bodhi, you shouldn’t leave the rest of the family—and him—missing you for another ten years.”

And that… that got to me a little. Because I felt it here. I felt the way I was loved in the way I’d never been on the property next door. The Harringtons gave out unconditional love and care like it was the norm, and for me, it hadn’t been. I’d drank it in like a sponge whenever I came to this property with Bodhi.

Hell, maybe that was why my wretched fucking heart was so attached to the man. I’d associated him with the love and care his family gave me and then when I was old enough, it had flipped into romantic love on his part.

“It’s not because they’re all loving,” Ville, the creep that he was with a window into my brain, deadpanned.

I made a growly sound that made him laugh.

“But what if….” I couldn’t even form the thought into words. It hurt too much.

Leave it to the somewhat stoic, feels things so much deeper than people would ever think Finn to do it for me.

“If Bodhi never feels the same for you, what changes? Since you were kids, you’ve been holding this epic love in your heart, and he hasn’t known. His family does, at least some of them, but they don’t point it out because this is one of those things where they’re not going to butt in. Not that they do it much anyway, they’re not that kind of people, but you know what I mean.”

I grunted in agreement. Harringtons were a little pushy sometimes, but they didn’t reveal anyone’s secrets in a situation as delicate as ours.

“So maybe you’ll live on the property next door for the rest of your life. Neither of you finds someone and you’re both alone, but you’ll still be best friends and you live among family.”

I blurted out another core fear of mine. “But what if… what if he meets someone?”

Ville thought about it for a second. “I don’t see that happening; Emery said that as far as he knows Bodhi’s never had a relationship. But even if he does meet someone, that’s not something you can control any more than you can control your own heart, Wren.”

I tried to scoff, but the sound came out wrong. “So what? I’ll just keep being miserably in love with him for the rest of my life. Pining from next door instead of across the country?”

Ville squeezed me back to his side and said, “Yes. Because this is where your family is.” He put more weight on the reiteration of the word “family” this time.

“Uuuuuuugh,” I whined.

“Call Milton. Figure shit out. Who knows if it’s even a good idea? But you have people outside of this place who know a lot about the music industry. It doesn’t have to be either or when it comes to it all. You can have both, even if you’re not Wren Paxton anymore.”

I extracted myself from him. He went to make us more coffee, and I grabbed my phone from the coffee table to swipe to Milton’s number. Maybe he wouldn’t answer and I’d leave a message, but I needed to start figuring things out.

I’d been working pretty much nonstop since I was eighteen. I was done being idle. I just needed to find the next thing that felt mine in a way being a recording artist had been. This call would be the start of that.

Chapter 9

Bodhi

It didn’t matter if I had beginners or intermediate level riders, Western or English riders, the obstacle course was always popular. Well, we called it that, but it was really set up more like a trail class in one of the larger covered arenas. It taught control and desensitization, and for some it was as easy as breathing. Others struggled. But everyone had fun.

This group of guests was unique in that they were all friends, or at least friendly, with each other. They’d booked the session more than six months ago, as a group, and I’d been so pleased to fill fifteen spots at once that I gave them a group discount, which they appreciated. As Mallory, the de facto leader, had explained when she’d booked the session, the group was looking for a fun getaway where they could hang out with each other and their horses, and maybe hone some skills while they were at it.

I’d taken Ez through the course first, showing off the pattern and explaining each task. Through the gate, loop around in a figure eight, over the poles, then across the corner at a lope before weaving through serpentine poles. There were places to stop, turn, and back up through, as well as a wooden bridge to cross, all finishing with a walk-jog-walk pattern. Ez could have done it with his eyes closed at this point, and I barely had to give him direction, he was so used to it. He actually huffed out a breath when I finished, took off his saddle and bridle, and let him loose in his usual paddock.

This group was mostly intermediate skill level, with a few who were newer at riding. Now, on their second day here, they were laughing and joking with each other, calling encouragement, as they went through the course one by one. I sat on the top rail and watched, ready to jump in if anyone needed direction. But even though some made mistakes, and endured good nature ribbing for it, everyone had good control.

The beep from my pocket let me know a camera had activated, but a quick glance showed it was the ranch gate, so I didn’t bother pulling it up and checking things out. I did jump off the rail and take a few steps back though, so whoever it was could see me when they rode onto the property. Eventually I heard the clack of horseshoes on pavement, as the arena was off the main drive, and turned to the sight of three rather majestic-looking horses and riders coming my way. I couldn’t help but grin.