Page 62 of Run to Me
“Wait, you guys have a baby horse?” I say, jumping up in excitement.
My aunt laughs. “I’m pretty sure that will be on you, Jace, since he didn’t even know such a thing existed until you said so.”
“Oh, what do we have here? A full house.” Uncle Judd walks in, looking between us all. “When did you get here, Nate?”
“Only like an hour ago.”
“You going to help your brother clean those fish?” He points to the counter where Jace sets down a knife.
“I wouldn’t know where to start, but I’m happy to be here for support.”
Uncle Judd laughs, patting me on the back. “I’m glad you could make it out for a visit. It’s been so long since we’ve seen you. Next time you should bring your dad with ya.”
“I’ll try. Dad loves the city, though.”
“Oh, I know. I’m guessing you do too.”
“It’s alright, but I have a feeling I’m going to love the country more,” I reply, smiling back at Jace.
Thirty
Jace
He’s here. He’s actually here. I was going to argue again, about why he shouldn’t be, but then my hand touched his and I knew I was done before I started. Worry will forever sit at the back of my head, about whether he’ll hate me when he finds my guest no one knows about in the shed out back, but I’m too far gone to step away again.
His smile is big and bright as he runs his hand down the mare’s back. “She’s beautiful. Is she yours?”
“Yeah.” I hand him the brush and he brushes her hair, and his lips stretch even wider when she nudges his hand with her nose when he stops. “I think she likes you.”
“The feeling is definitely mutual.”
“It helps to establish some trust before taking her for a ride.”
His face lights up. “I’ll get to take her for a ride?”
“Yeah. I was thinking first thing in the morning.”
He continues brushing her while I feed her an apple slice.
“I won’t say no to that. Will I get to see more of the animals too?”
“Sure. You might retract that question when you meet the rams though,” I say between chuckling.
“I can see why you like it out here so much.” He drops his hand.
“I like it even more now.” I grab his wrist, rubbing my thumb over the small scar on his skin. “I must have missed that before.”
“Yeah, I cut it open on a piece of glass in the sink while I was washing dishes.”
“You’re still a danger to yourself, I see,” I say humorously.
“Yeah. So that means I should be worried more about myself than you,” he says smugly, kissing my lips. “You going to show me the place you go when you want to be alone?”
I inhale deeply when I nudge my nose into his cheek. “Sure, but if I do that now, we might miss dinner.”
His eyes heat. “I had a big lunch at the airport anyway.”
I laugh, sealing my lips over his and I drag him out of the stables. Sunlight hits our faces, and when I see no one else is out here, I continue holding his hand as I steer him toward the old barn. We push our way through the double doors and he jumps ahead of me, exploring the large space. He smiles up at the godawful curtains I took from our parents’ house that are blocking off a section.
