AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My mouth opened to say something, but nothing would come out.
“We have,” Lily stated as she took my hand and dragged me into the house after Timberlynn stepped back inside, leading us toward the kitchen.
“You’re just in time. I pulled the meatloaf out of the oven right before I saw you drive up.”
“Please tell me you made mashed potatoes. I’m starving!” Lily said as her mother glanced back—but not at Lily, atme.
“Starving, huh?”
I was pretty sure my face was beet red. And I never uttered a word.
“You know what they say, when you have anamazing—”
“Timberlynn, did you happen to see Tesoro today at all?” I quickly asked because, Jesus, I had to change the subject.
Lily gave me a wicked smile before she walked on ahead and into the kitchen.
“I did. She walked up to me and let me give her a quick scratch. I tried to pet down her neck, but she stomped her foot and thrashed her head around, letting me know that was off-limits.”
“She’s come a long way, and I think being with Juniper has helped.”
“And her watching Juniper’s training has helped as well.”
All eyes swung around at the sound of Tanner. He walked into the kitchen with Nathan right behind him. The younger Shaw shot me a knowing smirk, then looked at his sister, who suddenly seemed very interested in the meatloaf cooling on the counter.
Oh sure. She was all brave at my house, and now she’d probably crawl into that meatloaf if she could.
“I believe it has,” I stated as Timberlynn handed me the plates, and I headed over to set the table. It was the normal routine, nothing different from any other night I’d come over for dinner. The little sexual innuendos suddenly gone between mother and daughter.
“What do you think about putting Romeo out with Juniper and Tesoro?” Tanner asked as he grabbed the basket of rolls and butter and made his way to the table.
If talking about horses kept the focus off me and Lily, I’d play along. Besides, it was another normal thing we did when I was over for dinner. We talked shop most of the time. Or about Nathan’s baseball.
“We could try. I think Juniper might get a little jealous if we throw in another male, but she’s doing well with him. So I think she’d do better with another male, rather than another mare.”
“Unless it was an older mare,” Lily said as she came to stand next to me. “I think having an older mare, one who isn’t threatening in any way, might do her good. I mean, every girl wants a bestie.”
We all laughed, and I felt the nervous jitters I’d had since we got Timberlynn’s text slowly fade away. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Timberlynn announced dinner. “Everyone sit down, time to eat.”
Timberlynn had already set the meatloaf on the table, sliced and ready to serve, along with mashed potatoes and brown gravy. Steamed green beans sat on the other side of the table with the freshly made rolls.
I held out Lily’s chair while Tanner held out Timberlynn’s. He glanced at me and smiled before he took his seat. It wasn’t anything new. If Nathan didn’t grab his sister’s chair, I usually did.
The dishes were passed around while Tanner asked Nathan about baseball practice. When their conversation ended, Tanner looked directly at me.
“So, you spent the day with my daughter doing what, exactly?”
The piece of meatloaf I’d just swallowed was attempting to come back up and kill me, so I started to cough. But maybe death by meatloaf was a better alternative. Now that I think about it, it might have been a better way to die than at the hands of Tanner Shaw.
Lily stared at me with a bemused expression on her face as I took a drink of water and offered a diplomatic answer. “We spent the day getting to know one another better.”
Nathan mumbled something under his breath, but everyone ignored him.
“Really?” Tanner asked. “And what did youlearnabout Lily?”
“Dad,” Lily warned. “Don’t do this.”
