Page 52 of Back in the Saddle

I smiled. “See, I do listen.”

Ciaron cracked a grin. “Wonders will never cease.”

I shook my head in jest. “Don’t push your luck.”

He laughed. “I’d never dream of it.”

Gosh, I’d missed that laugh. I missed so much about him. Most of all, I missed my best friend.

He studied me. “Does that mean you’re ready to discuss the breeding choices for this season?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

And that was the truth. I thought he’d lost interest in the farm as well as me.

“I wanted to, but you didn’t seem to want to share anything.”

He wasn’t lying. The more lost I felt outside of work, the closer I held everything at work.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

I looked down at my hands in my lap. I had so much to be sorry for. How were we ever going to get back to where we were—happy and strong? Were we past full repair, like if we were to fix things, we’d be fragile and ready to break with just the slightest stress?

“Taylor.”

Could we ever be us again?

How could he love me after the way I treated him? I was as bad as his mother, the way I just expected him to do everything. I forgot to consider his feelings. Then I’d accused him of being unfaithful like his parents. I couldn’t get past these mistakes. My mistakes. How could he?

“Taylor.”

I raised my eyes to Ciaron, but he was no longer in his seat. He was crouched beside me. He moved in front of me and placed his hands on my thighs. “It’s OK to recognise what we did wrong, but we can’t hold on to blame.”

He was always too forgiving. His mam. Me. Was it because he didn’t love himself enough?

“You deserve better, Ciaron.”

Ciaron stood up and pulled me with him. “What, and you don’t?”

“I’m the one that broke us.”

“We broke us, Taylor.Wedid. There were two of us in this marriage. And there were two of us out of it.”

My hands were shaking in his. “You tried to tell me more than once that we had a problem.”

“Yeah, well, maybe I should have tried harder earlier. Maybe I should have told you before it all turned to shit instead of trying to smooth it all over.” He cupped my face and searched my eyes.“I will never make that mistake again. I love you, Taylor. Now. Today. Forever.”

He bent his head forward and kissed me. His warm hands framed my face as his fingers entwined in my hair. I breathed in his scent—man, horse and earthiness. Pure aphrodisiac.

My stomach swirled.

“Wait here,” Ciaron said. He walked to his office door, pressed the lock in and closed it. “We don’t need everyone hearing us making up.”

I giggled. “What does making up involve?”

Ciaron stood in front of me and held my chin. “Maybe this.” His tongue swept across my lower lip. He pressed himself against me and warmth spread between my legs and settled in my core.

“And maybe this.” He kissed me hard and wet while his hands went to the button on my jeans. His fingers were hectic as he struggled with the button and zip. He pulled my jeans down below my arse.

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