Page 4 of The Inn

I press a hand to my temples. “Let go, sweetheart, I’ll take it from here.” I put a hand on the small of her back and push her out of the way.

“Right, good plan.” She drops the hammer and moves away. Her cheeks wash with a pink that crawls down her neck. It makes me wonder where the color stops. CC clears her throat. “So does Maisie, ride often then?”

“Not anymore but it works out because Salty’s about as retired as she is. My sister Dakota gets out here most days, and we’ve got a few staffers dedicated to the horses now.”

She perks up. “I’d like to meet your sister. I saw that you have more than one.” CC pulls a slim notebook from her back pocket and flips the pages. It makes me wonder what else she’s got written about us in there. “And Olivia, the older one, does she work on the farm as well?”

“No.” I snap. “I said Dakota rides the damn horses.” I’m not going to talk about Olivia or the way she just took off after everything happened. Not even for someone with tits as big as CC.

She nods, but it doesn’t stop her from asking another question. “Okay, what about your brothers—” She starts, but I cut her off.

“It’s me, Mom, Dakota, and Archie out here on the farm. End of discussion about my siblings. You may meet Dakota, but not Archie if I can help it. Move along CC.” I start the walk toward the barns and hear her footsteps trailing behind.

“Got it.” She arches her eyebrows up.

To her credit, CC has the good sense not to push me on the topic. We walk the rest of the way in silence. I can’t help but feel a little bad for the way I snapped at her, but I push the feeling back. I never asked her to come here in the first place. I’m only doing this because it’s been a hell of a few years and Mom deserves some joy with all she’s been through.

When we reach the horse enclosure, I push open the gate and step inside. CC follows close behind me. She’s all smiles until Salty greets us with surprising enthusiasm. I run a hand down his nose and look over my shoulder, but CC isn’t beside me.

CHAPTER3

JAMESON

“Well come on now,”I call out to CC. “Say hello to Salty. He’s a sweet old boy.”

But when I turn around, Summer peels backward. She’s pressing herself against the metal gate. I notice the way her hand's clasp at the wire fencing. The color drains from her cheeks, and her chest seems to be pumping up and down at an alarming rate. Something is wrong and it puts me on high alert.

I walk toward her. CC looks scared to death, but it doesn’t make any sense. I drop my voice, low and gentle. “I’m right here.”

Her response is a tight, forced smile and a quick nod of her head. “I’m fine.”

It suddenly occurs to me that maybe she’s never even set eyes on a horse before, let alone one as massive as Salty. For all the bravado she boasted about farm life, she’s terrified and it’s a heartbreaking sight. “What’s the matter, sweetheart? He ain’t gonna hurt you.”

This earns me another half-hearted smile. gives a half-hearted smile. “I didn’t think he’d be so big is all. Sometimes new things, when I haven’t had a chance to prepare, they um, they make me a bit anxious. So I’m fine I just need a minute.” Her breath comes in short bursts.

I’ve seen this before, in Mom. After all that happened, she went weeks with bursts of uncontrollable panic. It was gut wrenching to witness and it’s not any easier to see in CC. A surge of protectiveness washes over me.

I move, positioning myself between CC and Salty. “You take all the time you need. But just know that whatever gets to you is going to have to come through me first. You are safe here.”

I put my hands on her shoulders, steadying her and looking into her eyes. Then I force my breathing into a slow pattern. I repeat the breath over and over until hers matches mine. When the color returns to her cheeks, I act on instinct. I move my hand over CC’s without saying a word.

Electricity ignites, sparking where our hands meet and shooting a bolt of heat through my body. I inhale the smell of pure sunshine radiating from her and it only makes me want to protect her more.

The intensity between us diverts as her eyes land over my shoulder. I turn to see Salty approaching us. I keep one of her hands in mine and turn to face the horse, shielding CC with my body. With my hand still over hers, I guide our touch down the bridge of Salty's nose, gently urging his head down.

My voice is nearly a whisper. “I think he likes you. This dude’s got good taste. He should, he’s been around for a while now. Salty’s almost twenty-six. He’s slowed down quite a bit. I trust him with you.”

CC smiles back up at me. It’s weak, but it’s real and it lights the shadows under her eyes.My girl is back.Slowly she steps out from behind me and runs her hand across Salty. “Thank you, I can’t believe how soft his mane feels. I mean, I read about it in my research, but this is incredible.”

“What book did you read?”

“Um…” A flush of red sweeps across her face. “To be honest it was mostly TikTok and a ton of Country Living magazines but it gave me the big idea.”

I throw back my head and a laugh escapes from somewhere deep inside me. “You are something else, you know that.”

She shakes her head and a giggle comes from her pretty mouth. I hate that I love the sound. I hate it even more that I can’t help but wonder what those lips would look like wrapped around my dick.

I’ve got to get my shit together, I can’t trust myself with her.

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