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“She’s the show horse trainer, right? I read about her on the website.”
And saw her model-worthy photos.
Ayden rubs a hand through his hair before replacing his hat. He never used to wear ball caps, but I like how it looks on him.
“Yep, that’s her. She’s a hard-ass when it comes to business but very nice and bubbly when she isn’t stressed. We work in the stables together.”
“She looked young in her picture.”
“She is. Twenty-one. Her brothers got her loaded on her birthday a few months ago. The only time I’ve seen her drink. I think she got sick enough to last her a lifetime.” He chuckles.
I smile, remembering how I spent my twenty-first birthday.
At home, rocking my toddler to sleep and then folding laundry.
Noah might be young, but by the sounds of it, they spend a lot of time together. I try not to think of the women he’s been with in the past decade, but it’s hard not to be jealous. He left me behind and the future we planned. I’ve accepted that, even if it hasn’t been easy.
Ayden places our glasses in the sink. “I’m gonna change into some nicer jeans and a different shirt. Be right back.”
Five minutes later, he returns, and I visibly wipe the drool off my chin. It’s not fair for him to look this good. Working on a ranch has done his bodygood. His dark jeans and white T-shirt combo shouldn’t be so hot, but now he’s paired it with a beanie. I have to pick up my jaw off the floor. That I do remember him wearing in high school, and it’s no wonder I was so attracted to him. He fills out his shirt more now, but everything else about him is the same. Brown hair, brown eyes, and irresistible dimples.
“Ready? We’ll stop at the stables first.”
I clear my throat, which turned dry when he walked in here, and quickly nod. “Yep.”
The view is to die for. Mountains and miles of fields line the horizon.
“This part of the ranch is on the southwest side where we board horses and all the trainin’ happens. I oversee the boardin’ and do ranch hand duties.”
“What’s that entail?”
“Eh, bitch work mostly. Cleaning stalls, loadin’ hay, callin’ clients, and keeping track of each horse’s needs. Whatever needs to get done, I’ll do. Unloading pallets of feed, fillin’ water buckets, groomin’. Noah stays busy with the trainin’, so I try to do all the basic necessities so she can focus on that.”
“So she trains all of them?”
“Just the show horses. The others are boarders who we take care of but don’t compete. She takes them out to do lunges and get exercise, but that’s it. She and her brother, Tripp, do the trainin’, but Noah takes on more than he does because she’s crazy like that. They’re only here for a specific length of time to get them ready for competitions. The others stay here year-round because their owners live in town, but they still want to ride, so they need a place to keep them. Most have been here for years, so when the vet and farrier come, it’s my job to make sure they stay updated on their vaccines and keep track of which ones need their hooves cleaned or shoed. The Hollises have their own personal horses too, but they stay in a barn closer to the main house. The parents and siblings take turns managin’ them.”
“Sounds like y’all have a smooth system.”
He laughs. “Yeah, most days.”
After we park and get out, I follow him to the barn. It’s much larger than I expected. There have to be a couple of dozen stalls inside.
“Wow, there’s so many. You remember all their names?”
“Yep. Like housing little toddlers and memorizin’ all their likes and dislikes.”
I swallow hard at the metaphor.
“Noah?” Ayden calls out. “You around?”
My heart hammers when she pops her head out from one of the stalls. “In here.”
She’s even more gorgeous in person.
When we reach her, I notice she’s brushing a horse and rubbing soft circles along its forehead.
“I want ya to meet someone. This is Laney.”
