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“We’ll see you tonight, then.” Gavin pressed a soft kiss to her mouth and stood up. “Don’t work too hard.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Gavin rolled his eyes playfully and grabbed his things. “I love you.”
“I love you more,” she said and blew him a kiss.
With everything in hand, Gavin loaded both animals into his truck and headed straight to work. Much like Ginny, the minute he walked into the shelter, everything else in his life faded away. Well, almost everything. Ginny’s tears and her meltdown over the weekend kept popping into his head at random moments. Like when he was standing in his very tidy office or when Copper wove her way through his feet; and it was hard to shake those thoughts off once they settled in his mind.
However, the minute Bronte knew he was at the shelter, she commandeered all of his attention. After the last batch of horses had come in, they’d put two plans into motion. Plan A was to hire more help, specifically for the Stables so the horses got the right kind of care. Plan B was to find out if there were any ranches or farms in the area that could take the horses. Despite Bronte’s wishes, Plan B came to fruition. A ranch out in Maryland had the resources and the ability to care for the horses.
The arrangement was for Bronte and Spencer to drive up and meet with the folks at the ranch, make sure everything was on the up and up. Only then were they going to transport the horses. Gavin knew that it was killing Bronte to do this, but afterdaysof talking and lots of convincing on Spencer’s part, she got on board with the plan.
“When are you two heading down?”
Bronte patted the forehead of the horse she was feeding. “Two days. I spoke to the son of the ranch owner the other day and he said that he’s excited.”
“Are you excited?”
“I guess. I’m gonna miss them, but we did what we could for them, right?”
He watched her curiously, smiling at how mature she was being about all of it. “And knowing your luck, more horses will wander this way.”
Bronte flashed him a bright smile and Gavin laughed as he left her to it. He valued Bronte as a friend and an employee, and he didn’t want either part of her to be miserable once the horses were gone. The rest of his work day was filled with scheduling and going through all recent adoption paperwork. He checked in with Ginny at lunch, just to make sure she was eating something, and she sent him a picture of her eating tacos.
When he finally got home, a little later than he intended, the lights were off downstairs. But he could hear loud music coming from upstairs. Cedar and Copper charged up the stairs to find Ginny while Gavin turned on a few lights. He followed them up a few minutes later, the music getting louder as he walked to the bedroom. Even without having heard the music that much in his life, Gavin knew it was some Bollywood movie song or the other. What he didn’t expect when he stood in the doorway of the bedroom was brightly colored strips of cloth spread out all over the place.
“Babe?” Copper was rolling around in the silk material, while Cedar stood beside him almost like she was also in shock.
“Hey, hold on. Oh shit. Wait, I’m coming!”
Gavin had no idea where she was and his eyes darted around the room before Ginny popped up near her closet, a wide smile on her face. She was wearing a purple tank top with a deep neck and a pink cloth draped around her.
“Whatcha doing, Nia?”
“Getting into the zone. What do you think?” she asked, slowly twirling, flaunting off her outfit. Gavin had to admit that she looked incredible. The pink saree—he knew what it was called only because he asked Ginny why she had so many in her closet—was wrapped tightly around her frame, accentuating all of her best assets.
“You look fantastic. Getting in the zone for what?”
“Oh! I’m planning a big fat Indian wedding next year and the bride isa lot,” Ginny said, rolling her eyes dramatically. “I couldn’t seem to focus on what they wanted or needed, so I figured I’d drape myself in a saree and see if that made a difference.”
“That’s amazing. Did it help?”
She nodded, grinning like a maniac as she tugged on the other sarees, tossing everything into the closet. “I figured out their Mehendi and Sangeet, which was like the thing that stressed me out the most. I also wanted to just put on a saree and see if I could still do it. It’s not until middle of next year, but this bride wants everything to be done like right this minute, so she’s been sending me tons of emails. So you know…”
“I understood half of those words, but I’m glad you were able to get shit done.” Gavin detangled Copper from one of the sarees before helping Ginny put them away—making sure they folded every single one and hung them up too.
“I’m going to pop those frozen pizzas in, you good with that?”
“Yup. Do I need to change?”
Gavin looked her over, smiling at how stunning she was in those clothes. “Nope. You look perfect.”
She beamed and then threw her arms around his neck. “Youare perfect. Thank you for putting up with me, even when I’m a hot mess.”
“But you’remyhot mess, so of course I’ll be here for you.”
Ginny kissed him and Gavin held her by the hips as he kissed her back, smiling against her mouth. Ginny’s hands wandered down his back and she squeezed his ass, making him jump slightly.
