Page 87 of Unbreakable Love

Smoldering, indeed. The man nailed that look.

“She as all the brown spots.”

I spotted the horse she talked about, and indeed, the horse was a light tan color with milk chocolate covered spots on her. “She looks more like a chocolate chip cookie.”

Josie laughed so hard she snorted. “We already had a Cookie!”

Gavin nodded. “Mom has a couple barrel racing horses she uses to train kids wanting to learn. Their names are Brownie and Cookie.”

“Your mom teaches barrel racing?” I didn’t exactly know what that was, but I could imagine it enough.

“Used to be really good at it, but only does it for fun. If kids nearby have an interest, she gets them started, sees if it’s really something they’re committed to before helping them find trainers. Helps keep their expenses down in the beginning.”

From all I’d heard about Jenny Kelley, the woman might be in the running to be declared a saint upon her passing.

“She sounds so wonderful,” I told him.

“She is. You’ll see.”

“We’re here!” Josie squealed from the back seat and right as she said it, a large, two-story home came into view. Trucks, cars, and two four-wheelers were parked to the side of it, filling in most of the space between the horse barn and home.

Gavin pulled his truck in behind a large, black Ford covered in dirt and dust.

“We’re here,” I repeated Josie’s words.

“Home sweet home,” Gavin said and threw his truck into park. “Ready to see your surprise?”

Was I ever. Nerves be damned, I was ready to see what he’d whipped up for me.

TWENTY-FOUR

PENNY

Josie jumped out of the truck as soon as Gavin opened her door. Ready and waiting to escape, she leaped down and shouted, “I’ll go tell them we’re here!”

Gavin looked at me from Josie’s open door. “Somehow I think they already know.”

I undid my own buckle and reached for the door, but Gavin was there, opening it for me before I had the time to do it.

“Thank you.” He held out his hand. “You don’t have to open my door.”

“My mom would hit me upside the head if I didn’t.”

I snickered at that and with my hand in his, climbed out of the truck. My hands brushed along my thighs. I sighed, glancing at the house.

“One quick thing before we go in there,” Gavin said and stepped toward me. He had me back against the truck, hidden behind my open door. His hand was cupping my jaw before I registered the movement. “I wasn’t able to tell you that you look beautiful today.”

His thumb brushed my cheek, eliciting a shiver down my quickly heating body. “Thank you. What are you?—”

He silenced my question with a kiss. His warm lips pressed to mine, and all the nerves rekindling in my veins vanished with his touch. He kept it light, soft, but it was no less powerful or effective. When he pulled back, I was melting against the metal of his truck, blinking up at him.

“Your daughter.”

“It was worth the risk, and trust me, she’s not paying attention to us right now.”

It was cryptic, making my brows tug in, but he took my hand in his and ushered me up the steps to his porch. There were wooden barrels, empty now, but I had no doubt were filled with flowers in the spring and summer. Rocking chairs lined the porch with small tables in between them, and a black-and-white checkered rug, most likely recently shaken due to the cleanliness, framed the front door perfectly.

“You ready?” Gavin gave my hand a firm squeeze.

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