Page 22 of Fragile Heart

I glance around the barn. Is he asking me?

He turns toward me after a minute. His lips curl into a smirk as the silence stretches between us.

“Emily mentioned she was going out with a friend today,” he says.

This time, his voice is all smoky honey. It rushes over me, sending a flash of heat sizzling across my skin. My thighs clench, but I ignore the sensation. Thank God I’m riding with Emily today and not Melissa. I probably wouldn’t have worn the scent blockers if it were just me and Melissa. There’s hardly any danger in two Omegas riding without blocking our perfume.

And that would have left me in an incredibly awkward situation right now. None of my lavender scent breaks through the blockers, though, my reaction to him hidden.

Phoebe sticks her nose out above the gate, pushing into my shoulder when I don’t focus on her fast enough. I run a single hand down her nose before petting her neck.

“She likes you,” he says, tipping his chin toward Phoebe. “She’s pretty picky. I haven’t seen her like someone in a while.”

“Melissa and Emily mentioned that,” I say. “Her last owner died unexpectedly a few years ago.”

I hold back my flinch. Of course he would know that. He may not have introduced himself yet, but it’s clear he’s Beau’s older brother Caleb—and the third person that made up Brandon’s pack.

“He did. It was a rough time.” The man’s lips flick up into a half-smile that has my body responding way too enthusiastically. “She has a habit of kicking Ethan when he’s least expecting it. Refuses to shod her unless someone actively stands with her even if she’s tethered properly.”

I don’t ask why he assumes I know Ethan. I hadn’t met him at the funeral, no more than I’d ‘met’ Ethan. I’d stayedin the corner with Brett, helping out Melissa when she needed something.

His voice rips me out of the thought.

“So?” he asks, looking up from Maple.

It takes all my control to keep breathing.

I’d never quite appreciated what all the hubbub was regarding an Alpha’s charisma. I’d seen it a couple times with Carter, of course. It’s hard to avoid when your boss is a powerful Alpha. But he’s bonded, so it doesn’t quite… hit is the wrong word. Impact is better, I suppose. Bonded Alphas don’t have the same impact. Their physical chemistry alters with the bonding bite, adjusting until all those powerful pheromones and instincts really only come out when their Omega is near them.

And that summer with Ethan? It hadn’t hit me likethis. Never once had I wanted to drop to my knees in front of him or press myself against him until his scent overpowered my own. Not that I’d needed to beg for that. He’d hardly everstoppedtouching me those months we were together.

Had I thought that loneliness was getting better? Maybe I’d just grown accustomed to it instead. Standing here, facing this man, there’s no denying that I’m touch-starved.

Being touch-starved is dangerous.

I breathe through my body’s reaction, willing it to settle before he finds out my secret.

“So what?” I ask, trying for casual. It comes out a shade too breathless, and his eyebrow ticks up. Hopefully my cheeks aren’t as red as they feel right now.

“I haven’t seen you around here before.”

I tense, ready for him to freak out on me the way Beau did last week, but instead of harping on me for being on private property, he hums.

“You must be one of the summer hires Melissa and Emily brought in. I’m Caleb Taylor,” he says. “What’s your name?”

I frown. What rock has he been living under the last couple weeks?

Everyone in town knows who I am, whether I like it or not. Not a single person has confused me for one of the young kids Melissa’s hired to run the ranch during the busy tourist season. And certainly not on the Monroe Ranch, thirty minutes removed from the recreational ranch on the other side of town.

Mostly, I don’t mind that everyone seems to know my story—at least that Brett died while we were still technically married. But sometimes it’s accompanied with sympathetic glances that I could do without. Like person number three at the grocery store yesterday.

“Brielle,” I offer. “I’m not a staff member, though.”

Caleb tilts his head. He starts to say something, but a set of footsteps cuts him off.

“Hey, Bri, you beat me here,” Emily’s voice carries into the barn ahead of her. She’s dressed similarly to me, dark jeans and a long sleeve tee that’s thin enough to not be overly warm once the sun settles into the sky. She smiles at the man. “Hey, Caleb. Didn’t realize you were home.”

Caleb nods. “Got home yesterday morning.”

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