Page 45 of Claimed By the Cowboys

My lips curl into a smile. “Corona was a great horse.”

“Do you remember when you used to ride him over to my place?”

The smile widens. “Yeah. You would always get so worried, but it was literally like a mile. And Corona walked the entire way.”

“You never wore a helmet, and you didn’t even wear shoes half the time.”

“Well, of course.” I smile at him. “I would come straight out from the house and use the fence to get on his back.”

“Riding a horse without a single shred of tack over a mile is risky for a twelve-year-old, Piper.”

I roll my eyes. “Whatever. Corona walked so slowly, you could have jumped off him and back on, and he wouldn’t have even noticed.”

“Still. You have to be careful when it comes to stuff like that. Kids can’t just be riding horses unsupervised.”

I look down at Brent. “You know, you’re very different these days.”

Brent frowns. He straightens up a little, wincing as he does. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you never really cared when we were kids that I came over like that.”

A shadow crosses his face. “I was a stupid kid, Piper.”

Something in his words tugs at my heart. “You weren’t.”

He huffs out a long breath. “Yeah. I really was.”

“You were stupid when you… did what? Chose to buy this farm?”

“Yeah, for one.”

I settle back, staring at Brent. “Buying this farm wasn’t a bad plan. Your parents’ place was in a shitty location. This is much better, when it comes to doing what you want to do.”

It’s been Brent’s dream for as long as I can remember to run cattle and operate a cattle farm.

Brent’s gaze darkens. “I’m not talking about that.”

“So what are you talking about?” I demand.

His jaw works, and I can see him wince again as he fidgets. “Never mind.”

“Come on, Brent. Just tell me.”

“Piper, it’s not… relevant.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Oh, I think it is, because you’re over here lecturing me on horse safety when you’re the one who just got kicked, and I am not.”

“Piper…”

“Tell me,” I demand.

Brent leans up, trying to pull himself to his feet. I stand in front of him, folding my arms.

“Oh, no. You do not get to just run away. For one, I think you need my help to get up off the ground. But you don’t get to just skip out on me when you’re obviously hurting from something.”

“I got kicked by a horse, Piper…”

“I’m not talking about that,” I snap.

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