Page 16 of Fool for You
“Hey, Abi.” I returned her smile.
“How was training today?”
“Good. Really good. Your fiancé made me work both horses today.” I rubbed my hand on my forehead, still feeling the slight sheen of sweat.
She scrunched her nose. “So you’re pretty beat, huh?”
I sighed, slumping my shoulders. “I smell like a barn.”
“I smell like a barn every day. I was actually wondering if you wanted to go out with Kyla and me tonight? It’s her night out, baby free, and you’ve lived here for about…what? Four weeks now? Get out of the house and come out with us.” Her eyebrows raised as she tilted her head, eagerly awaiting my answer.
The last time I went out was—hell—I couldn’t remember.
The night Wyatt hit on me the first time, maybe?
Maybe after…but I’m pretty sure I left early.
Which meant it was about time.
My long soak could wait. This sounded much more appealing.
“Can I shower first?” I asked, pinching my brow and looking down at the state of my person. Horse shit on my boots, water-soaked jeans, dirt on my blouse…I could only imagine what my hair looked like. “Unless you want to hose me down?”
Abi chuckled. “Ha, you have plenty of time to shower. Kyla still needs to get Baby Poppy fed and down, but we’ll pick you up, say…around eight? We’re going to The Steel, so drinks are on us.”
“Perfect.” I gave her a nod. “This sounds great. Thanks for inviting me.” I smiled, sensing the excitement growing in me.
“Of course, we thought of you. You’re stuck with us—welcome to the fold!” Abi gave me a quick hug and a wave before she ran back into the stables, shouting, “See you at eight!” before she was completely out of earshot.
I rushed home, showered, and got ready so by the time Abi honked her horn at eight o’clock on the dot, I’d could be out of my front door. I gave my hair a little curl, chose a set of dangly earrings that matched my turquoise tank top, and threw a white lace shawl over it. I donned my least mud-covered boots with a pair of tight-fitting jeans and even applied a light coat of mascara. And when the horn honked, a slight buzz ran up my spine.
The side of me that was out more often than not was covered in hay, mud, and sweat from working all day, but I’ll be the first to admit I loved being able to causally doll up. When I was in pageants, I hated it. I hated the flashiness that came with it. The teasing of my hair and the constant jewels that weighed me down—but this I liked. I could have my own simple style that made me feel gorgeous, even if I still smelled a little like a barn. Simple. Elegant.
Me.
“Okay.” Kyla, Rhett’s wife, twisted in her seat to look at me as I buckled the seat belt. “You’re adorable.”
I blushed. “Thanks.” I held back my smile and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “Normally I’m a little grungy, so I took the chance to dress up.”
“Hey.” Abi caught my gaze from the rearview mirror. “We have shit under our fingernails, and we live by it.” Raising a hand, she wiggled her fingers.
I glanced at my nails and sure enough, there was a thin line of dirt. I scrunched my nose. “Remind me to scrub my hands when we get to The Steel.”
“You’re flawless,” Kyla complimented again, turning back to face the front. “This is a girls’ night, though, so I hope you’re not expecting to pick up any guys.”
“Oh no…no no.” I waved my hand in the air. “Girls’ night. One hundred percent. How’s Baby Poppy.”
Kyla let out a groan. “I love being a mom,” she started, and I noticed Abi giving her a side eye. “But she’s teething, and her sleep schedule is all messed up, and my boobs”—she reached up and grabbed her chest—“hurt so bad. I won’t even let Rhett touch them.”
“Welcome to motherhood.” Abi chuckled. “Cash and I have started talking about adoption. He wants a baby, but we haven’t been together that long—”
“He’s adopting Stetson, right?” I asked, leaning forward in my seat, noticing the lights from The Steel coming into view.
Abi nodded, turning into the parking lot. “Yeah, after the wedding, we’ll make it official, but we still want to build our family. Cash is dead set on a girl. Poppy has done a number on him.”
Kyla leaned her head back on the seat. “Anytime he wants her, he can have her.”
“You don’t mean that.” Abi popped the truck in park, gave herself one last glance in the visor mirror, and at the same time, we all undid our seat belts.
