Page 11 of Fool for You
Not my mother, not Wyatt Hartwell, not another injury—nothing.
That evening, after I had a few months of rodeos scheduled along with hotel room accommodations, I sped to the ranch. I hadn’t seen my horses since I moved in, and my heart was feeling the heavy weight of horse mom guilt. The gravel crunched under my tires the second the paved roads ended and Hartwell Hills came into view. The Nova Luna Stable and Training Arena, freshly painted, looked like a completely different building from when I came here almost a year ago. Then it was brown and worn, the classic stables look that went on any ranch—but now the white paint with black trim, and thesign hanging above the entrance made it pop. It was, without a doubt, the most perfect building on Hartwell Hills.
I parked my truck in front and dashed inside, taking a moment to look at Cash’s drawings that hung on the sides of the doors. It didn’t matter how many times I saw them; they always put a smile on my face. More had been added in the year since he moved in, and they were just getting better and better.
I heard a whine and a huff, and Charming’s bobbing head was the first thing I saw once I turned the corner.
“Ah, hey, baby boy.” I reached my palm out, his nose nuzzling against it, no doubt looking for a treat. “Do you wanna ride tonight? We can go for a quick one.”
He nodded his head, only proving my theory that horses understood the English language. I scratched behind his ears, cranking my neck to take a look at Hook. When I saw nothing but an empty stable, I turned back to Charming.
“Where’s your brother?” I asked him.
“I have him.”
I half expected Cash or Lachlan, but when I saw who the voice belonged to, I had to keep the irritation down. I was not in the mood to be hit on. I kept my expression vapid—a smile only lightly twitching when I saw Hook.
Wyatt Hartwell held onto my horse’s lead, bringing him in from the pasture. Hook walked close to him, his stride quickening once he caught sight of me. Wyatt gave me his signature smile; his blue eyes sparkled the closer he got. He was wearing gloves on his hands, a gray, long-sleeve Henley, a backwards baseball cap, and jeans that were covered in…
I scrunched my nose.
“Is that mud?”
Four
Wyatt
Istopped.
What did she ask?
It had been months since I had last seen Quinn Compton, and I still found myself staring. Her brown hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, long enough to fall over her shoulder. She was dressed simply with no makeup, just a coat and jeans—but damn—I could still see every curve of her body. I was still taken by her; I could feel myself wanting to come alive with her. I still stood by what I thought when I first saw her. Quinn Compton wasthe most beautiful woman I had ever seen, even when she was looking at me like my very presence in the stable confused the hell out of her.
Pinching my brow, I looked down at myself. Mud caked the tips of my boots, and fresh mud splashed my jeans.
Okay. Seeing what transpired the last time we spoke, her confusion was valid.
I looked back up at Quinn.
“Yes?” I answered, raising a brow to her.
“I’ve never seen mud on you before.” She took a step, reaching her hand out for Hook’s reins. “What are you doing here, anyway?”
“Good to see you too, Quinn.” I handed her the lead. “I work here.” I gave Hook a pat on his neck, offering her a smile before moving on to my next task.
When Hawkins had come up with no committees to add my name to, I finally gave in and told Abi to put me on her payroll. The last two weeks, I had been spending my days with the many horses we boarded. I mucked the stalls, I bathed them, I would take them for rides—basically anything Abi wanted me to do, I did. Every now and then, Lachlan appeared asking for an extra set of hands, but more often than not, I went to bed smelling like a horse, no matter how many showers I took.
“You…” she paused. “Work here? With the horses?”
I chuckled. “Yeah, is that hard to believe?”
“Kinda,” Quinn said flatly, folding her arms and cocking her hips. Hook nudged her with his nose, but her emerald eyes just bore into me.
My lips curled into a grin.
“Hey, Wyatt.”
My attention went from Quinn to my sister, who was jogging in from the training arena. With a quick glance at my watch, I noticed that my shift was almost over, but knowing Abi, shewould have one more thing for me to do. I’d say yes, not only because she was my sister, but because I found myself wanting to.
