Page 110 of Hold Me Until Morning

“You don’t have to worry about me going anywhere near that monster. No thank you. And there you are, in there with one of those things. Gross.” Brooke curled her nose playfully.

Covering the mare’s ears, Hailey scowled at her best friend. “Shh. You’re going to hurt her feelings.”

“The only feelings that thing possesses is a thirst for murder.”

“So dramatic.”

“Hello. I am going to be a drama major. Do you expect anything less of me?”

“It’s definitely fitting.” Hailey’s smile was wide.

“So, are you done in here, or what? You’ve been out here for hours, and this girl is bored.”

A sigh pilfered between Hailey’s lips. “Sure, I can be done. What did you have in mind?”

“A little fun.” Brooke shimmied her shoulders.

“I’m not sure I’m up for the kind of fun you have in mind,” Hailey drawled. Brooke was always dragging her into trouble, far more outgoing than Hailey ever would be. Hailey’s experiences were nil compared to when she was standing next to her friend.

“Sure you are.”

She gave the horse another pat before she put her tools away and headed back for the gate, slipping out and making sure the latch was secure. “Fine. Take me away from my first loves.”

Brooke weaved her fingers through Hailey’s and started to guide her down the long aisle of stalls within the enormous stable. “But you love me most.”

A soft giggle got free, and she knocked her shoulder into Brooke’s. “You know I do.”

They pushed out through the main door and into the sunlight that covered the ranch.

Wagner Ranch was tucked deep in the woods beneath soaring pines, and there were four different groupings of stables, one for the stallions, two for the mares, and another for the horses that were for sale but hadn’t been purchased or delivered yet.

The ground was a dark soil, damp and covered in leaves, and the two of them tromped up the trail that led to Hailey’s house in the distance. It was a rambling, rustic cabin that most considered a mansion, even though Hailey found it warm and cozy.

Home.

“So what do you actually want to do?” Hailey asked.

“There’s a party tonight out in the cove.”

A scatter of nerves rattled through Hailey.

She’d been trying to stretch her wings.

Attempt new experiences.

But she felt more comfortable covered in dirt or on horseback rather than being surrounded by a bunch of strangers.

Brooke sensed her hesitation, and she shifted to link their elbows together, angling in conspiratorially. “It’s time for my bestie to let loose. Dress up and test out the waters.”

Hailey groaned. “And what kind of waters might those be?”

“Hot ones. Steaming hot.” Brooke wagged her brows.

Hailey laughed, trudging up the trail, though she felt herself slowing.

Tripping on something that changed in the air.

A charge.

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