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The tours were on track to start in about a month. Zeke wanted to make sure all his tour guides had a good understanding of the property. Not one single person would go missing because if they did, it would reflect poorly on him and their family.
A smile tugged at her lips. While he had made a good point, it wasn’t like tourists were going to wander off like lost calves. They had several well-trained horses too. Anyone who got lost on the trails would end up getting back as long as they let their horse lead the way.
Brielle let her fingers run along her horse’s neck, pushing along the coarse hair. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, allowing the familiar smells and sounds to envelop her. Her eyes flew open. It didn’t matter how hard she tried. Being alone was hard. With half of her sisters married, the house felt even more empty.
Her thoughts shifted to Wade and his large family. There was always someone underfoot—no chance to feel lonely. Tad was on the other end of the spectrum. He was a single child, and she couldn’t imagine what it must have been like growing up without someone to confide in other than his parents.
It made her want to spend more time with him, if only to help him feel like he had every right to be here.
Wade would be furious if he found out that was what she was feeling. He’d laid every single one of his opinions out on the table.
She heaved a sigh, unable to put into words how she felt about what happened between them last night. On the one hand, his stopping by was a violation of the rules. Then, on the other hand, she was beginning to see a much bigger picture when it came to understanding him.
Above all else, Wade was protective. This wasn’t just a game to him. He wasn’t in it to win. He legitimately wanted to demonstrate his feelings. That was one big point in his favor.
Tires crunching on the gravel and engines whirring tugged her away from her thoughts. The guys’ arrival wasn’t quite the distraction she needed right now. The Jeep and the truck came to a stop side by side. They were as different as the men who drove them.
The Jeep seemed to emulate the outgoing nature that Tad possessed. From the moment he’d arrived in Copper Creek, it had been clear that he knew what he wanted and how to get it. That kind of confidence was definitely a bonus.
Wade, on the other hand, was the quiet one. He could quietly observe someone, come to his conclusions, and you would never know what he was thinking unless he said something—ironic, considering his past. From what Brielle had learned from Annabel, Wade used to be quite the opposite.
He’d been hardheaded, volatile, and quick to make rash judgments when there was no need. Wade stepped from his truck, and their eyes met. Even watching him saunter toward her, she couldn’t fathom the idea he was capable of doing enough harm to land him in county lockup.
Brielle’s eyes darted toward Tad. He was probably lucky that Wade wasn’t the man he used to be. Her insides ignited with a strange electric energy upon watching them approach. Tad had proven he cleaned up well when they went on their date, but seeing him in a pair of jeans and a nice button-up shirt had her legs turning to rubber.
There wasn’t a doubt in her mind why she had allowed herself to get swept up in the romance while in Vegas all those years ago. He flashed her a grin, then reached for her hand. “Good morning, love. You look beautiful today.” He brushed a kiss along the ridges of her knuckles, sending that current right back through her body.
Brielle shot a look toward Wade, not missing the way he’d gone stiff from Tad’s outward show of affection. His jaw clenched and his eyes glazed over with something that could only be described as jealousy.
“I trust you slept well?”
She brought her focus back to Tad, gently extricating her hand from his grasp. “Yeah, I guess.” That was a blatant lie if she’d ever told one. Makeup could do wonders for a girl who wasn’t sleeping well, and she had the pallet to prove it. Her thoughts had been consumed with not one but two men. Brielle cleared her throat and shoved her hands into her back pockets. “Well, there’s not much I have to train you on except to show you the trails and how to find your way back if you get too far off.”
Tad let his attention shift away from her in the direction of the pastures. “I’m sure there are some feisty critters making a home out in that bush. Anything we should be aware of?”
Wade rolled his eyes. “If you can’t handle the occasional coyote, then maybe you should go back to Vegas.”
“Wade—”
“It’s all right, love.” Tad winked at her. “Wade here is just nervous because we’re hitting it off.”
“That’s the furthest thing from my mind,” Wade said.
“Right,” she rocked back on her heels, then took a step away from them for good measure. It was probably a terrible idea to pit these two against each other; that was becoming clearer by the minute. It would have just been better if she told Wade to sit tight and let Tad do his thing.
But that presented a problem all its own.
She didn’t want to tell Wade to leave. He had created a sort of comfort. She couldn’t explain why she’d opened up to him like she had last night, and at the moment, she wasn’t sure she wanted to find out.
All she knew was that she didn’t want to chase him off.
Once again, Brielle had to get out of her own head. She needed to stop fretting about the situation she was in because there was no changing it. She gestured toward the three horses that were saddled and ready. “Today is just going to be a tour. We have a lot of ground to cover, and it’s important for you two to get familiar with what trails are appropriate for what riders.”
Tad chuckled. “Aren’t they all the same?”
Before she could answer him, Wade jumped in, his tone derisive and judgmental. “Of course they’re not all the same. Terrain differs from one parcel of land to the next. There are hills and valleys. There are areas that are thickly wooded or have no ground coverage. And every single bit of landscape can’t be traversed by inexperienced riders—or even the best horses.”
Tad didn’t seem the least bit fazed. His smile only grew as he lifted both hands. “Okay, cowboy. I was just asking a question.”
