Page 58 of Brim Over Boot
I find my trail ride group waiting near the petting farm and lead them back to the horses, giving the usual spiel about our ranch and how long my family has lived here—which is precisely since the time the town was founded. I talk a bit about my grandparents and how the ranch ran differently a couple generations back, both the beef side of things and the dairy operation.
The parents seem more interested in our history, whereas the kids are just excited to see the horses.
I can’t blame them.
After making sure everyone is on a suitable riding companion, stirrups are sitting in comfortable positions, and folks know how to hold the reins, I lead them off. Being an advanced rider isn’t a necessity for this. The horses follow one another, and with me at the helm, our visitors can sit back and simply enjoy the ride.
We head across open land until we reach the trees, settling into a slow pace along the well-trodden paths in the woods. And it’s…nice. Really nice. To ride with Clementine, pointing out some landmarks along the way and describing a few of the tree species and other plant and animal life we encounter. It forces me to slow down for a minute. To clear my head and let my pulse meld with the steady cadence of hoofbeats.
Nothing is ever going to come of this…thingwith Noah. We’re both clearly just releasing some tension. And maybe the way we’ve found to do it is better than the alternative, like a black eye for either of us. Preferably him.
Like Remi said, finding out I like Noah’s infuriating smirk when it’s accompanied with his hand on my dick doesn’t change who I am underneath it all. It just means I’m discovering something I didn’t know about myself before.
Maybe I’m not a masochist. Not really.
I’m justcurious. And Noah happens to be curious, too. Something we finally have in common, apart from our jobs.
I’ll just have to find somebody else I can shift this curiosity onto. Because no way in hell will I give Noah King the satisfaction of pulling my reins.
Chapter 18
Noah
IwatchColtonfora moment without his knowing. He’s talking to Louise Harper at the front counter of her sandwich shop, a smile on his face. The same smile he wears anytime he’s talking to anyone and everyone who’s not me.
A flicker of something hot and tight curls in my chest, but I force the sensation away.
I’m long past letting Colton Darling hurt me in any fashion.
Pushing the door open, I step inside the shop. Colton’s gaze flicks in my direction, his smile slipping immediately. The expression that takes over his face isn’t the scowl I’m so used to seeing but something more…hesitant. Fearful, almost.
Does he think I’d share our little…secretaround town? I’d never out him like that. But, of course, Colton doesn’t know the first thing about me.
“Louise,” I greet, giving the owner of the shop a smile as I step up to the counter beside Colton. She’s bagging up his sandwich.
“Well, hey there, Noah. How’ve you been?”
“Just fine, thanks. August and Benson doing all right?”
“My boys are healthy as horses,” Louise answers. She raises her voice to add, “Of course, it’d be nice if my oldest called every once in a while.”
I’m fairly certain Benson can’t hear his mother from across state lines, but I offer a sympathetic nod regardless.
“Auggie working today?” Colton asks.
The door to the back swings open, and August himself steps through, his hair, like Louise’s, unmistakably ginger. “I am,” he says, shooting Colton a quick smile before aiming a glare his mother’s way. “And we talked about shouting our family business inside the shop, remember?”
Louisepshtsher son. “Colton and Noah are practically family.”
I raise a brow. I know Louise and her sons have always been close with the Darlings, and Remington and August are good friends. But me? I certainly don’t fit into the equation. Not the way Colton does.
“Uh-huh,” August says mildly, transferring some baguettes onto the sandwich-assembly counter. “Well, if it were your choice, you’d have everyone in town officially adopted, and then we’d be out of business.”
Louise cocks her head. “August, honey, what makes you think I wouldn’t charge family?”
August looks as if he’s trying not to roll his eyes, an indulgent smile on his face as he disappears through the swinging door at the back of the shop.
Louise passes Colton his sandwich. “That boy,” she says, sounding both fond and exasperated. “Such a pessimistic type. Now, you enjoy your lunch, Colton. Noah, what can I get for ya?”
