Page 90 of The Way Back Home
“We make a good team.”
“That we do. And it’s about to get better.” She grinned. “We hired a new equine specialist. They arrived a little while ago.”
Noah blinked. A new equine specialist? That was the first he’d heard of it. “Seems kind of sudden.”
“When it’s right, it’s right,” Tori said, her eyes dancing. “A perfect fit.”
“Great.” He summoned a smile.
Happy Trails had been searching for months for the right person. They needed someone who could read a horse at a glance, who knew instinctively which mount to pair with which rider. The position would have been perfect for Teagan.
But Teagan was an ocean away. The thought dimmed his good day.
“Why don’t you come over and say hello,” Tori urged. “We’ll be in the big ring.”
He packed up slowly, not eager to meet the newcomer. Whoever they were, they couldn’t possibly hold a candle to his horse whisperer.
Out by the paddocks, Brian, Tori, and Danny leaned against the split rail fence, their attention fixed on the far end of the field. Noah reluctantly followed their gazes.
A rider moved in perfect rhythm with the horse, bareback, no reins. The horse’s mane streamed black in the breeze, indistinguishable from the rider’s long, dark hair.
Noah’s chest tightened. He knew that hair. That seat. That ease and quiet confidence.
Teagan.
No. It wasn’t possible. Was he dreaming?
“Told you,” Tori murmured, her grin widening.
Noah moved closer to the fence, afraid to blink. The rider urged the horse toward them, slowing at the rail. As she slid down with effortless grace and stood before him, his world tilted.
“Hi,” Teagan said softly.
For a long moment, all he could do was stare. She was so beautiful, even more than he remembered. She’d filled out a little, her skin healthy and glowing, her hair a shiny waterfall of black silk he wanted to tangle his hands in.
Then, rougher than he intended, “Hi.” He shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from reaching for her. “You’re back.”
Her smile was gentle, sure. “I’m back.”
“You’re the new equine specialist.”
“I am.”
“Why?” The word ripped out of him.
She bit her lip, eyes dipping before she looked up through dark lashes. “Because this is where you are.” A nervous shift of her weight, then quieter, almost uncertain, “Is that okay?”
Noah hopped the fence, dropped every bit of restraint he had left, and pulled her into his arms.
“Okay?” He laughed. “It’s fucking fantastic.”
Noah locked his arms around her, convincing himself that she was real. He half expected her to vanish, to dissolve into smoke, the way she had in too many of his dreams. But the warmth against him was solid.
“I wasn’t sure—” she started, her voice muffled against his chest.
“Don’t,” he cut in, drawing back just enough to see her face. “You’re here. That’s all I need.”
Her lashes fluttered, and a breath shuddered out as her body melted into his. “Me too.”
