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We don’t talk as we ride across the Santiago property. I let Emmett take the lead, and I followed him as we went from pasture to pasture. In some parts, Emmett even gets down from his horse to check a fence here or there or talk to the people working the ranch.
It takes us three hours before we finally get back. My legs feel wobbly underneath me as I hop off the horse, every muscle in my body feeling the workout.
I’ll be feeling the consequences of riding after so long tomorrow, and I’ll be feeling itgood.
Shifting the reins into one hand, I turn around to find Emmett scowling at his phone.
“What’s wrong?”
“Kate hadn’t texted me,” he mutters, his fingers typing over his screen.
“Maybe she’s sleeping,” I point out. “You said she wasn’t feeling well.”
“Maybe.” He looks up, his gaze going toward the lake and a slightly smaller house with a dark rooftop built next to it. His place. A home he built for Kate and himself.
My stomach clenches, something bitter making it roll. It takes me a moment to realize what.
Jealousy.
I’m jealous of my best friend. Of what he has.
“Go and check in on her,” I tell him softly.
Emmett’s head whips toward me. “What? No, I have to cool down Thunder and…”
I take the reins from him. “I’ll take care of Thunder; you go and check in on your girl. I know you’re dying to.”
“She’ll hate it. Tell me I’m being too nosy.”
“Probably,” I agree with a chuckle. “But it’ll give you a peace of mind to know she’s well enough to grumble about it. So go.”
Emmett weighs his options for less than a minute before nodding. “Yeah, I think I’ll do it. You sure you’re good here?”
“I think we’ve just established I still have it in me, old man.”
“Yeah, yeah, you just think that. The jury is still out. You can’t get your cowboy hat back that easily.”
“Screw off, Santiago.”
“Gladly.” Emmett slaps me over the shoulder. “Thanks for doing this, man.”
“Anytime.” He’s already walking away when I yell after him. “You need me to take care of something else while I’m here?”
Suddenly, he turns around. “Actually, there is something that you can do…”
CHAPTER TEN
REBECCA
“Thanks, Becky.” Mrs. Johnson smiles at me as she pats me on the shoulder on her way out of the café. I place the plate and cup on my tray before wiping the table clean. Since I needed to do the tasting later, I decided to stop by the Reading Nookto make sure everything was running smoothly before I left.
Just as I turn around, I see a woman holding the door for Mrs. Johnson before entering the store.
“Mrs. Santiago!” A big smile spreads over my face as I rush to hug the older woman. Her hands wrap around me tightly as I inhale the scent of wildflowers and sugar that’s all her. I take a step back, taking her in. She’s wearing a maxi dress that flows around her. Her ginger hair is styled in perfect locks curling around her face. “What are you doing here? I didn’t expect you today. Did you get a new haircut?”
Mrs. Santiago lets go of me and places her hand on her hip as she raises her brow in a challenge. “I didn’t realize I had to announce myself when I was coming over, young lady.”
“Of course you don’t, but you are a creature of habit.”
