Page 4 of His Fifth Kiss

Mikey nodded, though he didn’t look convinced. “Well, I’ll be here all summer,” he said, and with that, he stepped past her. Actually went by her like the conversation was over. Done. Like he had nothing else to say to her.

“I’m sorry about your grandfather,” she blurted out.

He turned back to her, his face showing shock. He cleared it quickly, swallowed, and said, “Thank you. It’s been a few years, but yeah. Thanks.”

Gerty missed Chris Hammond greatly as well. “He was my favorite person here,” she whispered.

“Oh, don’t be sayin’ that, Miss Gerty,” he said, and he sounded like the men in Texas Gerty had known. He’d never drawled like that before, and she had the distinct impression that he was teasing her. He took a step back to her and reached out with his left hand, the one that wasn’t in a sling. He brushed his fingers along hers and finally caught the very tip of her pinky before bringing his hand back to his side. “All this time, I thought I was your favorite person here.”

Gerty swallowed, her throat suddenly as narrow as a drinking straw. “You weren’t here that much, Mikey.”

“I go by Mike now.”

“Okay.”

“You’re still Gerty?”

“Yes, sir,” she drawled out.

He chuckled and shook his head. “You know I don’t like it when you call me sir.”

She couldn’t help smiling with him, and with that action, he brightened like she’d made his day. “You’ll only be here for the summer?”

He shrugged his good shoulder. “There’s a specialist here my parents wanted me to see. They’re hoping I can get some more mobility in my shoulder.” He sobered, and Gerty switched her gaze to the sling.

“I’m sorry about the accident.”

“They happen,” he said as if he really was okay with his physical condition.

“You can’t ride, I suppose,” she said.

“Not yet,” he said. “The best I can do is walk alongside the horse.”

She looked over the pasture again, drinking in this farm. This place she loved with her whole soul. This place where her father and step-mother lived and were raising Gerty’s two half-siblings. She’d always felt at-home here, and that hadn’t changed despite her absence.

She wasn’t sure if she’d regret spending the afternoon with Mikey—oops, Mike—or not. Her daddy wouldn’t be happy about it, but Gerty had come to terms with not being able to please everyone. Sort of.

Her heart ached at the blueness of the sky, at the way she and James used to lie in the fields and laugh, kiss, and watch the world roll by. Then they’d get up, dust off, and go take care of the horses.

Gerty loved horses with her whole soul. They loved her back. Behind her, Tennessee—who she’d originally come out here to see—nickered and called to her. She twisted and looked at him, giving him a look that said, Give me a minute, you rascal.

She looked at Mike again. “What’s your schedule like today?”

He swept his good hand in front of him. “This.”

“I have to take Tenney out,” she said. “Maybe you’d like to walk alongside him.”

Mike grinned, those straight white teeth dazzling her. Everything about this man dazzled Gerty, and it always had. “Depends on how far you’re goin’,” he said. “I think my momma gets nervous when I’m more than fifty feet from her.”

Gerty’s heart ached for him too. She wasn’t great at expressing her emotions, but once Daddy had married Cosette, she’d gotten a lot better at talking about them. She loved her step-mom with her whole heart and soul, as her biological mom had been gone so long, Gerty could hardly remember her. She called Cosette “mom,” and she loved her younger brother and sister. Her absence had been hard on all of them, and Gerty regretted that it had taken her so long to see James for who he truly was.

“You decide,” she said to Mike. “I think I’m gonna ride him out to the retreat cabins and back. It’s a good couple of miles.”

“I can call Hunt if I need a ride back,” he said. “I haven’t been doing much physical activity since I’ve been home.”

Gerty wanted to ask him everything. Thirteen-plus years was a long time, and they hadn’t kept up. She suddenly had a mouthful of words to tell him, but she managed to turn toward the stable first. “I’ll get his tack.”

“I’ll text my momma so she doesn’t worry.”

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