Page 22 of The Lies We Told Ourselves

CHAPTER NINE

REECE

Booker never came to find me after the disaster of his brother turning up and my having a breakdown on his front porch.

I could still feel his arms banded around me, the safety I’d felt as he held me. I’d never had that with anyone else. Never had the certainty that nothing could reach me when this man would willingly stand in the way.

But then he’d avoided me for the rest of the day. I hadn’t caught a single glimpse of him, and given that the new mare in the barn needed so much attention right now, he had to be working hard to achieve that.

My feelings for Booker weren’t the only surprising thing to come out of yesterday, though. I hadn’t realized how much my ex still affected me. That the mere thought of him being here could elicit that amount of fear in me.

I thought I was in a better place in my head. That the distance I’d put between us had given me the perspective I needed to assess the things I’d been through and accept that it was a season in my life I was leaving behind.

But it wasn’t as far behind me as I’d tried to tell myself.

And I needed to make that happen.

Because something had happened yesterday when Booker held me in his arms. When he’d whispered in my ear that he had me. It was the single most hard-hitting truth that anyone had ever told me.

And something had shifted inside me.

But what did that mean for me and Booker? Was there even a Booker and me to begin with?

So I made a decision.

I washed my breakfast dishes quickly and then pushed my feet into my sneakers. Booker might be avoiding me, but there was one thing he couldn’t avoid that was happening today. The vet was scheduled to check in on the new mare today.

Apparently, I wasn’t above ambushing a guy and forcing him to talk about his feelings. And if there was ever a guy who needed to be forced to address his feelings, it was Booker Farrington.

I was out the door before I could even consider if this was a good idea. I didn’t even let myself think about whether I was ready to confront my own feelings. All I could think about was getting to him.

My feet skidded on the gravel as I turned the corner into the barn and then slowed my steps as the two men in front of me looked up in surprise.

“Morning,” I chirped, trying to pretend that nothing unusual was happening.

“Morning,” the guy I didn’t know responded. Presumably, he was the vet Booker usually worked with.

The man in question was leaning against a closed stable door, his arms crossed, and the brim of his hat pulled low enough that I couldn’t see the scowl I already knew was on his face. It was actually kind of endearing now. When Booker was scowling, all was right in the world. It would only be when he lostthat expression and didn’t look like he cared anymore that I’d be worried.

The vet looked over his shoulder at Booker when he didn’t say anything and then shrugged. “I’m Cole Harrison,” he said, smiling at me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Reece Graham.” I reached out and shook the hand that he extended to me.

Cole moved over to the stable and quietly slipped inside. “Hey there, beautiful,” he murmured, reaching out a hand to the mare, who watched him carefully.

“She’s been really quiet since she got here,” I told him. “I don’t know if that’s a good sign. I’m kinda new when it comes to horses. But Booker is teaching me.”

Cole stroked the mare’s nose, and she blinked slowly, her tail flicking to the side. “You’re a sweet girl, aren’t you?” he crooned. “But you’ve been through a lot.”

He ran his hands over her back, careful not to touch any of the sores. Booker had treated them with antiseptic the day she arrived, but they still looked bad.

“Has she put any weight on since she arrived?” Cole asked, looking up.

He wasn’t looking at me, and when I glanced over my shoulder, I saw Booker had moved to stand behind me.

“Only about ten pounds,” Booker told him. “She’s still on the alfalfa every four hours. We’re four days in, but I’d hoped she’d gain quicker than she is.”

“She’s chewing okay? Drinking enough?”

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