Page 52 of Hunted Hearts
Alone with Juliette, Theo felt her stare on him.
“Theo…”
He raked his fingers through his hair, wishing he had his cowboy hat to pull low over his eyes. “I know it’s a big gift and all. But you got me the earbuds. Engraved with myname.”
“And you got me the dispenser and supplements!” She narrowed her eyes at him. “How did you even know I like horses?”
“During my research I found a few photos of you on horseback.”
She laughed, a melodious lilt that caught on the breeze and seemed to wrap around them. “Of course those photos are out there. I’m not surprised. I think you’d find some baby photos of me if you dug hard enough.”
His lips twitched into a crooked grin. “Can you lead Serenity into the barn? We’ll introduce her to her new home.”
With skilled ease, she caught the lead rope and started toward the big barn. Inside was warm and dry, smelling of straw and horses. The mare’s ears flicked lazily as she took in her surroundings without so much as a snort of protest.
“She’s not skittish at all,” Juliette murmured, glancing over her shoulder at Theo as he held the door wide. “Feels like she’s been here before.”
His heart caught. For a moment, he thought it sounded like Juliette was talking about something other than the horse. Because he felt it from the first minuteshestepped foot on the ranch—Juliette belonged.
To cover the confusion snaking through him, he cleared his throat. “That’s the kind of horse Frank breeds. Steady, well-trained. Nothing rattles them. We’ll make her comfortable here in no time.”
Theo moved to a stall he had prepared earlier in the day. A thick layer of bedding lined the floor, and the hay trough was full. A fresh water bucket gleamed against the wall.
Juliette led the mare into the stall, unhooking the lead and letting her wander a few steps, nose twitching as she inspected her new space. The mare gave a soft huff, then lowered her head to sniff the hay before taking a slow, measured bite.
“She likes it,” Juliette said softly. There was something deeply soothing about the quiet rhythm of the horse’s chewing and the soft rustle of hay. A sense of calm wrapped around them.
“We’ll give her a few hours to settle.” He hung the lead on a hook. “Tomorrow, we’ll walk her around the property, let her get used to the sights and sounds. No saddling until she’s had time to feel at home.”
Juliette nodded, running her hand along the polished wood of the stall door. “I used to take riding lessons when I was a kid. But I never had my own horse. We didn’t even have pets. My parents…had obligations. Parties, events. And I was too busy practicing scales to ever think about things like this.” Her lips curved faintly, a trace of wistfulness in her tone. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been around a horse. I didn’t realize how much I missed it.”
Drawn by some invisible cord stretched between them, Theo drifted closer to her. Just touching the small of her back sent warmth flooding through his chest.
“She’s yours now. We’ll ride when she’s ready.”
Juliette turned her head to look up at him, her eyes illuminated by more than just the watery light filtering through the windows. “Thank you, Theo.” She blinked rapidly, but a tear slipped free anyway.
Before she could swipe it away, Theo brushed the drop from her cheek with the pad of his thumb.
Like it was the most natural thing in the world, she slid her arms around him and buried her face against his shirt. He felther soften against him, and goddamn if his heart didn’t feel it too. Every wall he ever built threatened to crack.
“It’s…a wonderful gift.” Her voice broke just slightly.
He drew her closer, and they stood together in each other’s arms. For a moment, the danger circling them, the chaos waiting outside these walls, faded away.
She tilted her face up to his, and his lips met hers in a kiss that was soft but steady, carrying a weight of unspoken promises.
“When I’m here with you,” she whispered against his mouth, “I forget why I’m here at all. I forget it’s because someone wants me gone.”
He studied her beautiful eyes, diving into the depths until he forgot how to surface. “I hoped you’d feel safe here.”
“I do. With you.”
Heat looped through his veins, his brain…his groin. In three steps they could be inside an empty stall in a soft cushion of straw.
But he needed to return to his brothers. They had plenty left to figure out concerning Juliette’s safety…and who was really behind the charity that trafficked children.
He slid his fingers beneath her hair, cradling her head lightly in his fingertips like she was the most precious spun glass. To him…she was starting to feel like it.
