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Swell, she thought, laughing as she took the saddle off.
Lugging it to the tack room took more effort than usual. Everything was harder, more tiresome, than normal just a week ago. It was time for baby Chastain to come out, but she wanted her to stay in as long as possible.
“You made it.”
She looked up just as Justin appeared out of nowhere. “Why aren’t you at work?”
“I saw you ride out of here like the wind, and I thought I’d better stick around to make sure you made it back.”
“Justin, get over yourself.”
“My dad is filling in. It’s okay. I couldn’t leave with you angry at me.”
She turned the hose off for a second. “Justin, stay away from Amber. Don’t talk to her; don’t talk about her; don’t engage her at the wild horse meetings. You want me to be happy? Do those things. Or don’t do them. I’m not bargaining with my freedom, either. You involving yourself with that maniac and me being free to ride a horse are not trade-offs.”
“I know. I’m sorry. That was a crappy example.”
“It just occurred to me you might want to be free to engage with her. If that’s the case, go with my blessing, but don’t speak to me again.”
“I didn’t realize you felt that strongly about it.”
“Now I think that’s BS, Justin.”
“You were friendly not so long ago. You wanted her to watch your dog.”
“First of all, I had just had my head rattled. I knew she’d be kind to Brulee. Being cordial at a social event is different than being besties, okay? I’ll never be that with her because you slept with her. No more should have to be said about it.”
“I’ll never speak to her again if I can help it.”
“And don’t accept her help at the clinic. That’s an absolute no-no.”
“No help.”
“Okay, all’s well, I guess. You can go to work.”
“How did you find out she was at the clinic?”
“Gus told me.”
“Why didn’t you say something to me?”
“I was waiting for you to tell me. I think you almost did that night, but I didn’t want to hear it. I had finally calmed down.”
“I’m so sorry. That was a long time to hold a grudge.”
Looking at him with her head cocked to the side, she nodded toward his truck. “You’d better get a move on before you put your foot in your mouth again,” she said.
Laughing, Justin reached for her and gently pulled her body to his. “Aw, I’m sorry. I’m just a hick from a small town in Southern Louisiana.”
“You wear it well.”
“I’ll call you later?”
“Okay.”
“What are you going to do now?”
“Get in the shower and get to work. I have a few projects to finish up before Tina’s b-day. In the meantime, I hope you have some appointments booked for this.” She pointed to the clinic.
