Page 12 of Fool for You
“I need you to—oh…” She stopped once she reached us. “Quinn!” Abi smiled, and not seeming to care that Quinn was holding on to a seventeen-hundred-pound horse, pulled her in for a hug. Quinn hugged her back, the confusion I was getting from her vanishing the moment she embraced Abi. “Cash didn’t tell me you were coming by. You’re not on his schedule tonight.”
“No.” Quinn pulled away, keeping her hands on Abi’s forearms. “I just needed to see my boys.”
“They’re happy,” I told her. “Hook and I have gotten quite close.” I shoved my hands in my pockets and widened my stance, looking from her to the gelding next to her.
Truth was, he was a needy bastard. He required more attention than any horse I had met. I spent time with him before any other horse, and once I was done with his stall and went to another, he whined and huffed until I was back over with him. When he was in the pasture, he would follow me along the fence, changing his speed just to get me to play along. I would from time to time, and I always rewarded him with a peppermint. He didn’t act that way with anyone else—just me. And damn, I quite enjoyed it.
“Excuse me?” Quinn’s emerald eyes snapped towards me.
“He really likes Wyatt,” Abi answered, a chuckle in her voice.
“He doesn’t like anyone but me.” Quinn turned to her horse, rubbing his nose. “He was hard to break.”
“Well…” I took a step towards Hook, reaching my hand out. He nudged it, finding the peppermint I hid there. “We’re buds. Did you need something, Abi?”
“Oh, no. Nope. Just wanted to see if you had gotten all the horses in from the pasture. It’s supposed to freeze tonight.”
“All twenty-seven in and accounted for. I’ll get blankets ready.”
“I’m thinking about taking Charming out for a ride. Is that ok?” Quinn asked, giving her horse another pat.
Frowning, I studied the girl in front of me. She was doing everything in her power to avoid my gaze, but I couldn’t stop looking at her.
I cleared my throat. “Now? The sun is setting soon.”
“Well then,” Quinn scoffed, “I'd better get Charming saddled up.”
With that, she gave Abi a grin, put Hook in his stall, and went to her other horse. I worked on the horses, getting them ready for the night, all the while she saddled up her white gelding. The stables were silent. Once she and Charming were out on the field, I went back to the black gelding.
“We’re good, huh, bud?” I asked him, rubbing his nose. “I’ll get your blanket.”
I brushed him, loving the way his skin twitched under the bristles. He huffed once the blanket was over his body and gave my cheek a nudge as I tied up the front. I scratched behind his ear, digging in my pocket for another peppermint. Hook’s nostrils flared, his tongue finding the candy instantly.
“Think you can do me a solid?” I asked him, knowing very well I wasn’t going to get a response.
Quinn was here, and she’d be here for at least the year. There was the strong urge to turn on the charm, flash my wicked grin, tease her, and taunt her into giving me another chance, but again, after what happened the last time I tried any sort of move on her, that would be the worst thing I could do. There was something about her—there always had been—and I couldn’t place the way she made my entire body react. It was different than anything. There was more to it. Lord knows I wanted to feel every inch of her, but I also wanted to hear her laugh. I wantedto see the smile I knew she had, even if I didn’t deserve it. She still had zero interest. She wouldn’t give me the time of day. And I didn’t blame her.
Hook huffed, as if he was waiting for me to continue.
“Put in a good word for me? You know I’m a good guy, right? Think you could talk to your mom about me?” I asked him again, tempted to give him another peppermint to get on his good side even more than I already was. When I got no answer, I chuckled, stepping out of his stall and sliding the lock. “Sleep well, bud.”
And just as I was walking out, I caught sight of the gorgeous girl riding her horse in the pasture, and my stomach flipped.
I was getting used to waking up with the sun. Did I like it? Not really, but I did it. At first, it was hard, and I hated everything that came with it. Especially the hours. I was constantly late, but my body started to get used to it. I woke up, dressed, made my way over to the main house for coffee and breakfast, and then I’d head to the stables with Cash while Abi got her son, Stetson, ready for school. The more time I spent working in the stables, the more I found myself enjoying it.
The routine was simple, but with almost thirty horses, it took most of our morning. Cash took the right; I took the left, which meant I had Hook to entertain. I’d hit his stall first, and when I finished, he would whine after me until I made it back to him. He had always made another mess, and my instinct was that he did it solely for the attention. But I cleaned his stall again. Filling the water he knocked over, putting the hay back into the feeder,and giving him more food, all while he bit at the hem of my coat, pulling me out of the way to get to his meal.
“Damn you.” I pushed his nose away. “Good thing I’m done with your stall.”
He huffed.
“How much does Abi charge to board a horse?” I called, knowing Cash would be able to hear me from the other side.
“Uhhh…” His voice carried. “Wish I could tell you. I want to say between five and six hundred a month.”
I looked at Hook. “I think we should charge more for this one.” I locked his stall, grabbing the bucket before moving to the next stall.
The shrill of my phone filled the space, getting a few reactions from horses around, and it only grew louder as I dug it from my pocket. Sam’s—a fellow announcer whom I hadn’t talked to in months—name flashed across my screen. I smiled.
