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“How’s it going?” my father asked, approaching the enclosure and leaning against the fence.
Taking my cowboy hat off, I wiped the sweat from my brow and then replaced it. “She’s stubborn and wants to go where she wants to go.”
Dad laughed. “I believe that’s why the owner brought her to us.”
I tried to smile but couldn’t seem to muster enough energy. “How did the breeding go with the new mare?”
He nodded. “Good. She was a bit pissed at first, but they managed to take care of business on their own.”
“I’m telling you, that front pasture needs to be renamed the love pasture. You need to breed, then shove them out there.”
Dad let out a good belly laugh, then opened the gate and walked into the corral. “Want me to give it a try?”
“I’m sorry, Dad. My mind isn’t really here right now, and she knows it.”
He nodded and glanced over at Lucas. “Is it the scary-looking soldier near the barn who’s causing you to lose your focus?”
I chuckled. “Lucas is a nice guy, and I know he’s only doing his job. Everyone seems to think with all the added security and everything that maybe the nutcase gave up…but I know he hasn’t. I feel it in my gut, Dad.”
“What do the police think?”
I sighed. “Detective Billings doesn’t think so either. I feel guilty that I’m not with Morgan, but at the same time, I can’t follow her around everywhere she goes. The last thing I want to do is smother her.”
“How’s Morgan holding up?”
That time, when I smiled, I meant it. “She’s the toughest woman I’ve ever met, Dad. She’s stubborn, so she wants to keep living life as normal. She was up at six this morning to head to the gym. She asked me to stay home. I think she needed some time alone, and I don’t blame her. I can tell she’s worried about me since the last note he sent was directed at me. But I can take care of myself, and I’ve told her that.”
“That’s what you love about her, Ryan. Her strength and that stubbornness.”
I slowly shook my head and looked down at the horse. Sliding off, I gave the mare a good scratch behind her ears and then let her wander around the pen while I walked over to the fence.
“In all the years that I’ve wondered what life would be like with Morgan if we ever started dating, I never dreamed I’d move in with her before we even went on a first date. Or that we’d have someone following us around, watching our every move. I love her so much, Dad…and I think I have for some time. A part of me wants to whisk her away and be free of all of this.”
He put his hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Then do it. Take her somewhere.”
“I can’t. She’s got the boutique, and I don’t want to take her away so soon after they opened.”
“Four days, Ryan. Go somewhere for a long weekend.”
“A long weekend…” I mused, the idea instantly taking root.
“How about you let me and your mother plan something? You won’t even know where you’re going until you get to the airport.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “It’s tempting. I’d have to ask Georgiana if I could maybe steal Morgan for a couple of days. They’re closed on Sundays.”
Dad smiled. “This weekend then.”
I let out a humorless laugh. “Dad, that’s in two days.”
He frowned. “Because no one has ever planned a last-minute trip? I’ve got this. And you clearly need this as much as Morgan does.”
I inhaled deeply…and for the first time in a couple of months, I finally felt like I could breathe without a vise squeezing around my chest.
“I’ll leave a little early and talk to Georgiana about it. Thanks, Dad.”
My father grinned. “You know we’ve always adored Morgan, but seeing how happy you both are together, even with all this mess, it makes me and your mother just as happy. You deserve nothing more than unconditional love, Ryan, and I know Morgan gives that to you.”
I chuckled. “It feels like this should be a conversation for after we’ve dated for a year. Our relationship has been on supersonic speed since day one.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “It feels like you’ve been dating forever, if you ask any of us.”
My phone rang in my back pocket. I pulled it out and glanced at the screen. “It’s Georgiana,” I said as I swiped my finger across the surface to answer the call.
“Hey, Georgiana,” I said as my father motioned to me, letting me know he’d take care of the mare.
“Ryan!” Her voice was filled with panic.
My heart dropped at the sound—and I instantly took off running toward my truck. It was then I noticed Lucas also racing toward the driveway, his own phone to his ear and a look of utter panic on his face. He beat me to the truck, opened the passenger-side door, and jumped in.
