Page 47 of Saving Jared

On the next turn, her eyes met his—her smile freezing, while her features fell the longer her gaze held his stare. He didn’t like it. But what had he expected?

"I know you think he’s sexy," Kinsley called out before, dramatically adding a long, "Eeuww. But you need to focus."

With one fleeting, searching look—one ending with resignation—her gaze dismissed him and refocused on Kinsley giving her instructions. Her dismissal shouldn’t bother him. She’d cheated and he wanted nothing more to do with her.

Right. That’s why I want to pull her off that horse and kiss her lying mouth until it doesn’t matter.

His low, deprecating laugh sounded harsh to his ears as he started toward the corral. He had to be a glutton for punishment. She’d become an addiction his body craved. Why else would he still want her? But like any addiction, he had to cut her out of his life.

Easier said than done.

Their lives had been intertwined forever and the fallout would be hard to bounce back from. He watched how she effortlessly rode the mare around the corral again—her natural grace and beauty on full display—while she kept her head averted from where he stood. He gave himself an internal shake and pulled his gaze away from her.

It might not be a bad idea to have a talk with her. Perhaps discuss the best way to explain why they’d parted. The families would want some kind of explanation and it would be best if their stories meshed. Maybe tell them it had been her decision.

Whatever they told them, he had no doubt the Taggert brothers would blame him. He’d already resigned himself to losing Darin’s friendship and that of his brothers. But that was okay. Better having them believe he was the bad guy and shun him than having them disillusioned about their sister.

He was disillusioned enough for all of them.

Kinsley was another matter. His sister would take Willa’s side. No question about it. But right now, she was still clueless if the smile she threw him as he drew closer told him anything.

He had to give Willa credit for not adding to Kinsley’s stress. It had to have been hard for her. The two shared everything.

Stop feeling sorry for her.

"That’s right, Willa," Kinsley called out from where she sat on the flattened top of the corral fence. "Use your knees only to get her to turn. Nice!"

Jared climbed halfway up the rails of the fence next Kinsley and rested his forearms on the top of it. He had to admire how his sister had trained the mare. She was also a good teacher if the way Willa managed the horse was anything to go by. After another turn in the middle of the corral, she guided the mare to where he and Kinsley waited and urged her to stop.

"Good girl, Jessie." Willa leaned over the mare’s body toward her head and patted along her neck but kept her gaze on his sister "She’s a wonderful horse. And so sweet-tempered."

Kinsley reached out and petted down the mare’s face and over the bridge of her nose. "She really is." Her smiling gaze cut to his. "What do you think?"

"You’re doing a good job with her." He stared up where his sister sat above him. "She staying?"

"If the grant comes through, yes."

"Well, I think we’re about to find out," Willa said, peering over his head as the sound of tires over gravel grew louder. "I think that’s them."

He twisted in place to see a dark blue, dual cab truck pull to a stop, then stepped down from the railing rung as the passenger door opened. Laurel left the truck, dressed in khakis and a light blue t-shirt. He couldn’t help but return her smile and wave. The woman was genuinely nice, and he liked her.

His good humor didn’t last once Hart exited the driver’s side seconds later, wearing jeans, a black t-shirt, and a slight scowl when his gaze landed on Jared. Too bad. The other man’s grip visibly tightened on the long, rolled up papers in his hand as he slammed the door.

"Here goes nothing," Kinsley said as she threw her legs over the railing and climbed down to the ground. "Wish me luck."

"You don’t need it," Willa told her as she slid off the horse’s back. "You’ve got this."

"We’ll see," Kinsley muttered as she walked toward the two, calling out, "Hello. Welcome to Mending Morgans-Mending Lives."

"She really does have this," Willa said once she’d gone through the gate and came up next to him. "Laurel told me last night. It’s been hard keeping it from her."

Jared nodded but kept is eyes focused on Kinsley and the Fremonts. Kinsley seemed to be giving all her attention to Laurel, which didn’t look like it sat too well with Hart. "She told me too, so I know what you mean." The natural thing for him to do would have been to drape his arm around her shoulders and hold her against his side, but that wasn’t happening. He had to remember that.

He watched as Kinsley led Laurel and Hart to a nearby picnic table where he spread out what he assumed were the plans Kinsley had provided him, while Kinsley pointed toward where the program’s offices would be.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

At Willa’s quietly spoken question, Jared pulled his attention from where his sister led the Fremonts to the bunkhouse to the woman who he couldn’t seem to shake from his heart. But it had to be done. "I was hoping to have a chance to speak with you too. And Kinsley seems to be handling things okay."

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