Page 114 of Holiday Hire

All I want to do is crawl back into bed and hit the reset button. What started off as an amazing day, quickly went from bad to worse. I hurt Phoebe, and she's embarrassed that my brothers know about last night. I wish I could somehow undo the damage I've done, but I don't know how.

The only thing I know how to do is throw myself into my work. So I run the horses hard, especially Calypso.

Mason shouts, "Enough! You're going to risk injuring him."

I assess the situation. He's right. I've already made Calypso run four more rounds than normal.

I sigh and step into the corral. I reach for his harness, snapping the leather lead in place and patting his wet face. I praise, "Good job, buddy."

He nuzzles his face into my chest, out of breath.

I take an apple from my pocket and hold it out to him. He takes it and chomps down on it. I direct him toward the water basin and let him drink for a few minutes before taking him back to the barn.

My phone buzzes as soon as I shut the gate to his stall. I take it out of my pocket and pull up my text messages.

Cheyenne: Met your nanny today.

The hairs on my arms rise. It's a small town, and everyone knows everyone. As far as the boys know, Cheyenne is my former classmate, and that's it.

And she knows how I feel about my kids. She's always respected my boundaries regarding them, so I've never worried when we've happened to run into her in town or at events.

Before I can reply, another text pops up.

Cheyenne: She's cute. A bit artsy for my taste, but she seems perky.

Cheyenne: Her diamond nose stud is a nice touch.

I close my fist, staring at the screen, debating how to respond.

Me: She's been great with the boys.

Cheyenne: Can you get away tonight? I'm down for a bit of playtime.

Me: Sorry, I can't leave the kids. There's too much going on.

Cheyenne: Too much going on with the nanny?

The air in my lungs turns stale. The last thing I need is for Cheyenne to be jealous of Phoebe. She doesn't even know what happened between us. Even if she did, we're strictly friends with benefits, nothing more. She has no dibs on me. And whenever she goes out on dates, I don't interfere. I know our little arrangement can end at any time.

Cheyenne: Didn't think she was your type.

Me: Stop making accusations about things you know nothing about.

Cheyenne: Then come over and punish me for being bad.

A photo of Cheyenne touching her naked pussy comes across the screen.

Normally, it would heat my blood, and I'd figure out a way to go fuck her, even if I only had twenty minutes of free time. Right now, it's annoying me.

Me: I'm busy. Gotta go. Talk later.

Cheyenne: But I need the stallion. And you owe me.

My pulse skyrockets. The only place my stallion wants to be is inside Pheebs.

What's Cheyenne talking about anyway?

Me: Owe you?

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