Page 29 of Wicked Devotions

“Oh, I know. Emerson told me all about it when he picked her up for me.” He laughs to himself. “Luckily his sister was with him, and she helped.”

“Saylor?”

“No, one of his other sisters, Poppy.”

It occurs to me that I don’t know much about these guys. From now on, I’m going to make a point to get to know them and open up. Their kindness continues to seep into the cracks of my shell.

Amanda brings out everything I need to take her for a little ride. Declan said Cillian would be happy to purchase any gear I need for her as all mine was sold.

As soon as I’m up in the saddle, everything feelsbrighter, better. Amanda leads us out to an unoccupied practice arena and then leaves. Declan leans against the fence and watches as I work her from a walk to a trot. Once she’s cantering, I ease off a bit and keep her at that pace. We’re both a little rusty after being apart for four months.

“You look good up there,” Declan says as I come to a stop in front of him. He watches me dismount from the nearly seventeen-hand mare.

“Thanks.” I run my hand along her neck. “She makes it easy.”

We walk back to her stall, and as I look around, I realize how expensive this place must be. It feels wrong to let him pay, even if Cillian is the one paying. I can’t just live off them like a leech. Maybe I could get a job here.

I find a bag of treats on a bench and reach inside, handing one to Declan. “Have you ever given a horse a treat?”

“Can’t say that I have.” He holds the biscuit up and examines it.

“I’ll show you. She’s food motivated, so she’ll warm up faster to you if you give her cookies.”

“Bribery. I like it.”

I lead Annie into her stall and demonstrate how to feed her the treat after I remove her bridle andhalter. While she chomps away on the one I gave her, I slip the saddle and pad off her. I motion for Declan to come in and place the treat on his palm.

Annie looks at him, then the treat. She snorts and then hesitantly takes it from his hand. As soon as the treat is in her mouth, she steps back toward me.

“Why is she like this?” he asks.

“I’m not really sure. I got her when she was a yearling from a reputable breeder. There’s no obvious reason for it. She’s just never felt comfortable around men.” I wrap my arms around her neck and press a kiss to her cheek. “I’ll be back soon.”

When we get to Declan’s car, I reach out and grab his arm to stop him. I was only going to say thank you again, but instead I launch myself at him, hugging him tightly as gratitude overwhelms me. He hugs me back, resting his head on mine. I find myself not wanting to let go.

“You have no idea how much I needed this. I can’t even—” my voice breaks, and he pulls me closer. “I can’t say thank you enough.”

Chapter

Twelve

DECLAN

My practice jersey sticks to my skin as I dribble the ball down the pitch, looking forward to see if I can make a clear shot. When I see I’m out of options, I pass to Emerson and watch as he sends the ball flying into the back of the net. Coach blows his whistle, ending the scrimmage, and calls us over to a huddle.

After listening to a ten-minute tirade about what we’re doing wrong, he sends us back to the locker rooms. I don’t have enough time to shower before I make it over to the library where Harper’s been at astudy group, so I settle for splashing water on my face to cool off and a couple extra swipes of deodorant.

“Has Cy told you anything about last weekend yet?” I ask Emerson.

“No.” He strips off his jersey and shorts, dumping them in the large laundry bin beside our lockers. “He did mention that Banks was sleeping on the couch when he came home but didn’t share anything else.”

“Harper’s been weird since Sunday when I found her scrubbing the house like Cinderella.”

“Do you think they broke up?”

“No. She’d probably be crying, right?”

“Maybe she does, and we just don’t notice. She’s always hiding in her room.”

---