Page 134 of Choosing Forever
“Only when I’ve got a buzzkill sniffing around,” Darren says.
Brody snorts a laugh. “If you’d prefer, we could skip the refresher lesson, and you could try helpin’ Delaney jump on a horse without me.”
The deep brown cowboy hat on his head keeps his eyes shielded when the sun flashes in our direction. I squint and lift a hand to try and block it from burning my retinas. It’s painfully ineffective.
Darren draws my attention when he slips his hand free and shifts behind me. I open my mouth to ask what’s wrong when suddenly, there’s a hat on my head. His hat. My pulse skips, contentment drowning out every other feeling inside of me.
The brim of the baseball hat droops down my forehead for all of a second before Darren’s tightening the strap at the back. When he removes his fingers and stands in front of me, the hat fits perfectly.
“Better?” he asks, hovering.
I start to ruffle his hair now that it’s not covered, and he lets me without complaint. The light in his open eyes exposes how similar he feels to the way I do.
“Perfect,” I answer softly.
“It’s not the same as a Stetson, but I’m sure the rule still applies,” Brody states, humour colouring his tone.
I take a step to the left and stare at him. “Do you still use that rule in your big age, Brody?”
“My big age,” he echoes, laughing. “We’re the same age.”
“Exactly.”
“I think she’s calling you immature, Pop Star.”
“Pop Star?” I ask.
Brody groans, and Darren answers, “He’s our resident pop star, Elle. Big and important, this guy. You should hear the drama that comes out of his mouth before a show.”
“I’d think Diva would be more appropriate, no?” I tease.
Brody starts toward the road, not giving us a glance back. “You know what? We’re goin’ to the stables now, and if you keep teasin’ me, I’ll be trappin’ you in there for the day.”
“Are you sure you don’t wanna change into your fancy boots before we go? Are those ones comfy enough for you?” Darren taunts.
I choke back a laugh and elbow him. “You’re going to get us left in the middle of an empty field.”
“We both know I’d be the only one left. The girls would come get you the second Brody left.”
“It’s time you learnt the art of bribery, then.”
He drops an arm over my shoulders and tugs me as close as he can without me losing my footing. Ten minutes later, Brody’s bossing him around with the adjusting of Sky’s saddle while I lean against a pen door and watch.
The horse I’m riding today, Honey, is Poppy’s. She was the only reason I ended up agreeing to ride solo instead of with Darren on Sky. It’s nothing against Sky. Darren’s the one I don’t trust on horseback. Not with my life, at least.
I’m pretty sure he’ll be pouting about that for days.
“I bet Johnny would have been a bit more patient,” Darren says, huffing when Brody slides open the door and guides Sky and Honey outside.
“He would have, but my grandpa gave him the day off, so he’s been out riding with Rory. Haven’t seen them since breakfast.”
Darren nods. “I thought the stable looked a little empty.”
“Joker and Frost have been out at his place for a few months now. The construction on his stable finished a bit later than they expected.”
“Where’s Johnny’s place?” I ask.
Following the instructions Brody laid out for us in the stable, Darren pulls himself onto Sky’s back and says, “You know the cabin up by the road?”
