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“What is it?” I ask nervously, following him.
I’m afraid to be alone in the stall with him when his dad’s only a few feet away. If he tries to kiss me, I know I won’t stop him. And then we’ll be in a bigger mess than we already are.
My beat-up cowboy boots scuff on the old wood floor of the barn as I follow him, a mix of reluctant and excited. I’m not wearing anything special. Just what I would normally wear to the barn. Jean shorts and a loose tank top. Jameson only ever sees me like this, or in one of my usual comfy dresses. He doesn’t seem to mind. But maybe I should try dressing up a little more sometime? Try to be a little sexier for him?
All thoughts of anything other than the tiny little horse hiding in the corner of the stall leave my head the second I see it.
“Oh. My. God. What is this magical creature? I love it already!”
“I knew you would,” Jameson mutters. Then continues louder, “I found her on the side of the road. By the Donahue’s place.”
I don’t wait for him to finish explaining. I walk over and kneel next to the tiny little horse. Peeking under her legs, I see that she’s a girl. The prettiest girl in the entire world, other than Violet. I press kisses against her soft muzzle. There’s nothing like a horse’s nose. It feels just like velvet.
“Aren’t you just the prettiest little thing I’ve ever seen in my whole life?” Glancing back at Jameson over my shoulder, I don’t stop petting the adorable little creature for a single second. “What’s her name?”
“Apple Pie.”
“Apple Pie?” My voice is too sharp. And then I choke, which turns into coughing. Get it together, Lily. Or someone’s going to know something’s up.
“Her name’s Apple Pie?” Jarret demands, his voice getting closer. “What kind of dumb name is that?”
“It’s a damn good name. Apple pie is one of my very favorite things in the whole world,” Jameson says with a grin.
My mouth is hanging open in shock. I almost tell him to fuck off, but then think better of it. So, I just pet my newest best friend instead and ignore him.
“I took her to the vet and got her all checked out.”
“How big of a dick was Doc Smithers?” Jensen asks, peeking his head over the stall. “Hey, Lil.”
“Actually, there’s a new vet there now,” Jameson says slowly.
There’s a bit of playfulness in his voice, so I know that something’s up. He’s about to make a joke or try to piss one of his brothers off. I wonder if I would have noticed that a few months ago. No, I wouldn’t have. I never really noticed much about Jameson. He was always just there. Just Jameson.
Now, he’s Jameson. And I notice every single thing about him.
“Actually, I think you might know the new vet,” he says, still with that playfulness in his voice.
“Why? Who is it?” I ask, needing to know what’s going on.
“Haley Taylor.”
There it is. Jensen’s jaw drops before he snatches his mouth shut and clenches it tight. “Haley’s back in town?”
Haley grew up with all of us. She and Jensen were together all throughout high school, but they broke up when she went off to college. It was messy. My two cents say the grumpy idiot is still pining for her. Jensen is sensitive and sweet, not that he’d ever admit it.
“Looks like. She’s buying Doc Smithers out and taking over the vet clinic.”
“Haley’s back? I had no idea. I’ll have to give her a call.”
“You should. Sounds like she’s just settling in and could probably use a friend.” Jameson clears his throat. “She’s… uhhh, staying at her brother’s place in town until she finds a house to buy. Sounded like she’s going to be the only name on that mortgage application.”
“Not sure why you’re telling us all of Haley’s business. Doesn’t matter to anyone here,” Jensen mutters, looking at the ground.
“Oh, I’m happy to hear it!” I say with a laugh. “What other gossip did you get, kid? Tell me everything!”
“That was about it. Sounds like she’s been hiding out since she’s back. Seemed like she was maybe afraid of how people might talk.”
“Well, that’s stupid. People are going to talk no matter what you do. So, people should just do what they want and be happy. Life’s too short to try to please everyone.”
