Page 18 of Fragile Heart

“I have Phoebe out,” Brielle murmurs, the same collected tone.

Something a bit too close to admiration warms my chest at her easy standoff with Beau. He might be a Beta, but she’s still an Omega. They crave comfort and safety. Conflict is something most of them outright avoid. It’s part of the reason I took over the family ranch from Emily when Brandon died. Melissa needed an Alpha running Misty Mountain with her to keeppeople from bulldozing right over her. And I have no patience for tourists even on a good day.

Phoebe looks at me and blows out a huff of air, her ears pinning back.

Camden runs up to Brielle, though, and waves before I can pull him toward Nyx’s stall.

“Bri!” he shrieks. “Are you riding today, too? We’re taking Nyx into the arena so I can practice. I have to have Daddy pull my saddle, though. I’m still too little.”

Beau starts to say something, but I cut him off.

“Beau, meet Brielle. She’s Melissa’s friend.” I walk past Brielle, not looking at her. I work on getting Nyx’s stall open and him pulled into the main walkway. “Emily’s given her permission to use any of her or Melissa’s horses. And I let her include Phoebe with that.”

I intentionally keep my gaze away from her. She’s just another woman, just another person using our barn for housing horses.

Beau’s face lightens. “Oh, you’re the friend of Melissa’s that’s been working Phoebe the last week.” He closes the distance between them and holds out his hand. Brielle takes it after a moment of hesitation. “I’m Beau. Sorry for the rough start. We’ve just had a couple problems with people walking in here without permission. A few of the horses in here are pretty skittish.”

I swallow the possessive growl that tries to rip up my throat. I force my gaze away, trying to stamp out the violent aggression being near this woman is bringing out. There’s no reason for it. I can’t even fucking scent her from over here.

No, it’s just me caught up in memories of the past.

My movements are jerky where I focus on Nyx.

“Nice to meet you,” Brielle says.

I glance over my shoulder. She’s smiling, but it doesn’t touch her eyes. There’s that same half-beaten feel to the way she holds herself as there was the last time I saw her.

It gets harder to hold down the growl.

“I’m going for a ride today,” Brielle says, her voice changing into a softer croon, focusing on my son. “But you work with Nyx, all right?”

Camden sighs before nodding. He crosses the walkway until he’s standing with me, his hand pressed flat to the back of my thigh.

“Let’s grab his saddle and then we’ll get you up, kid,” I tell him.

He smiles, and then turns to wave as Brielle guides Phoebe out of the barn. She offers him a small smile and then swings into the saddle, the movement so graceful it could be something she’s done a thousand times.

She hasn’t. Not unless that finance asshole decided to buy out a ranch on the East Coast. Thoughts of her husband make that rage grow hotter. I force another deep breath. And then I walk into the tack room, stilling my mind so I can actually focus on my son.

Chapter Nine

CALEB

My body aches as I pull into the empty parking spot behind Mom’s coffee shop, right next to her newer Lexus SUV. I turn off the engine and drop my head against the steering wheel, trying to find the motivation to go inside. Twelve days on a fire isn’t all that bad. It’s certainly better than what I averaged before we had Cam. Some summers I would be gone for multiple months at a time.

But that doesn’t change the fact that the hours are long and the work demanding. My phone vibrates with a message, and I pull it from the middle console.

Camden’s with your mom for today. Trimming Melissa’s herd. Should be back for dinner.

Right. I forgot it was Thursday.

I send Ethan a quick reply.

Sounds good.

Knowing my son is inside helps get me moving.

The shop is bustling, practically all the tables full. Most of the people I don’t recognize, tourists on their way to the national parks just north of us. One of the women working behind the counter glances up as the bells above the door ring with my entrance. She smiles, her cheeks flushing, and then waves.

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