Page 86 of The Lies We Told Ourselves

“That’s because she never stops eating,” I told him, not owning up to the bag of apple chunks in my pocket.

“She’s earned it,” Reece said softly.

A breeze flowed across the ranch from the fields, pulling her long blond hair away from her face as it floated around her. Reece quickly put her hand on top of her hat to stop it from blowing away and smiled as she tipped her face toward the sun.

The bruising that she’d arrived with was gone now, and so was that forced happiness she thought she was fooling me with.

In its place there was a contentment I felt deep inside as well. It came from this place, and it was what I wanted to share with the people who needed it the most.

Cole climbed through the railings on the fence and went to head toward the barn. As he passed me, he clapped me on the shoulder.

“You’re a lucky man, Booker,” he mumbled, a note of sadness in his voice.

I probably wouldn’t have noticed it before, and I turned to watch him make his way to the big barn doors.

Val looked up at me from Reece’s side. “Go on then,” I told her, and she trotted after him.

I was so conflicted over how I’d been before Reece had come into my life. There was a part of me that was almost ashamed of how blind I’d been to the people around me. But I was doing what I needed to get through the day. It was almost like I’d merely been surviving, waiting until Reece could come along and show me what it was like to actually live.

“You look sad,” Reece said as she slipped an arm around my waist.

I looked down at the woman who had filled in all the cracks in my heart and smiled. They came so much easier now that I couldn’t imagine getting through a day trying to hide behind the scowls and muttered curses like I used to.

“I’m not,” I reassured her. “I think I might actually be happy.”

She squeezed me tight. “Me too.”

“Come on. Let’s check in on Bullet.”

We meandered over to the barn, Reece tucked under my arm, enjoying the morning in a way that I’d never even noticed before.The sun warmed my skin, and the gentle breeze brought the smell of grass over the yard.

It would be time to cut the empty pastures soon. Maybe take a trip down to one of the livestock auctions and bring in some new horses for the ranch. We needed some working horses, especially with Bullet out of commission.

Cole was already on the way out by the time we reached the door. Bullet was more of a wait-and-see case for the next few days, anyway. There wasn’t much we could do for him apart from managing any pain and monitoring the leg that he’d injured.

“He’s a fighter, that one,” Cole said, shaking his head. “I think he’s got his eye on your little mare.” He nodded toward Spirit, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Aww, a budding horsey romance,” Reece gushed. “How’s he doing?”

“Surprisingly well. Did he go down at all last night?”

“Nah, I kept an eye on him with the cameras, and he was up and moving about quite a bit, which makes sense now,” I said, looking over at Spirit, who was prancing in the sand and looking happy to be outside.

“Cameras?” Reece looked confused as she spoke, and I realized how it might seem that I’d never told her about it before.

“There’s a camera in the foaling stable which is the one Bullet’s in,” I explained. “Helps to keep an eye on the mares when we know they’re imminently about to drop.”

“That makes sense,” she nodded. “Are you still wanting to have some put in around the ranch now?”

“This is because of the trouble you’ve had?” Cole asked.

He nodded at my arm. The story would be all over town by now, and after the town meeting last night, everyone knew exactly who the problem was. It was probably a good thing. If there was one thing Willowbrook was good at, it was being ineverybody’s business, and there was no way Camden could move through town with no one noticing him now.

“Mm-hmm. Plus, with the new business plans, it will help with the liability insurance.”

Cole smirked, giving a little half-shrug as he did. “I’m so glad you brought that up,” he said, trying to sound casual. “All these people and horses coming on board, sounds like you might need a resident vet.”

I laughed. I had actually been meaning to talk to Cole about this but had never gotten around to it.

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