Page 24 of Rescued in Maple Bay

Jesse smiled at his daughter. “Just for a few minutes while I talk with Trace and Lilah, okay?”

Elation filled Charlie’s face. “Okay!” She snatched the other model horse from the ground and ran toward the arena exit. Jesse caught up with her to help open the gate. Trace and Blaze followed. Once the gate was open, Charlie skipped toward the house, where Lilah and the kids were unloading from the car. She squealed, holding the model horses above her head.

Jesse laughed and shook his head. “Five years ago, you couldn’t have convinced me that one day I’d know how to braid hair, pick out tutus, and paint nails.”

Trace chuckled, remembering how much of a party boy Jesse had been in his twenties. Charlie hadn’t been in his plans, but she’d been the best thing that could have happened to him. And Trace was constantly amazed by Jesse’s parenting, especially because he was a single dad. Trace hoped to have the same instincts when he finally got the blessing of being a father.

“And you love every minute of it,” Trace said.

“I do,” Jesse replied as they walked toward the barn.

Lilah waved to them, a huge smile on her face. She wore jean cutoffs, an oversized T-shirt, and flip-flops, looking cute as a button. “I’ve got a few groceries to put away and then I’ll meet you guys in the barn,” she yelled.

“Hurry because we’ve got some good news for you,” Trace called back, looking forward to seeing her reaction when Jesse told her about the potential adopter. Heck, he was looking forward to seeing her even without that.

She gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up.

When he looked away from Lilah, Trace caught Jesse’s eye. The cowboy raised an eyebrow quizzically.

“So, you and Lilah have been spending a lot of time together,” Jesse said, making his statement sound like a question. “What’s going on there?”

Trace led Blaze into the barn and stopped in front of the tack room, thinking about his response as he snapped crossties to the horse’s halter. Jesse was a good friend, but Trace wasn’t sure he was ready to tell anyone but Lilah how he felt. And he planned to do that tonight.

“Same old, same old,” Trace replied and unclipped the lunge line. He handed it to Jesse. “Can you hang that up?”

Jesse gave him a knowing look but took the rope. “Okay.” He held his hands up in surrender and stepped into the tack room to hang the lunge line. “Not trying to pry. It’s just that the looks you two share could melt the butter on a cold biscuit.”

Trace shook his head and tried to figure out how much he could say. He couldn’t keep this secret much longer, and he didn’twantit to be a secret, but he really needed to talk to Lilah first. Pulling the saddle and pad from Blaze’s back, Trace joined Jesse in the tack room. “Come on, now. You know why I’m helping Lilah out.” He slid the saddle onto a rack and tossed the pad on top.

“That’s the only reason?” Jesse gave him an analyzing stare. He and Trace’s mom were the only two people who knew that Henry asked Trace to watch over Lilah and the kids. “You’re telling me that you’re not interested in Lilah?”

Trace swung his head back and forth. “I told Henry I’d take care of Lilah and the kids and that’s what I’m doing. I’m keeping my promise. Nothing else is going on.” The words were hard to say, but he’d tell his friend the truthafterhe talked with Lilah. After he knew she wanted the same things he did. If they weren’t on the same page, Trace would go back to being her friend. Because losing Lilah wasn’t an option.

But then he stepped out of the tack room and realized Jesse wasn’t the only one listening to his lies.

Lilah stood in the aisle, still as stone, Sofie on her hip. Her expression told Trace everything he needed to know. He’d just wounded her in a way he wasn’t sure he could patch.

Chapter Thirteen

Lilah’sstomachbottomedout.Holding tightly to her little girl, she stood in the barn aisle, staring at Trace, trying to process what she’d just heard.

“Lilah,” Trace said hoarsely. He stepped toward her. “Let me explain . . . can we talk?” His hands were open in front of him, like he’d dropped something.

He had.Her heart.

She blinked, not sure what to say. A few minutes ago, she’d been so excited to see Trace that she’d abandoned her groceries on the kitchen counter, deciding they could wait. She’d scooped up Sofie and walked straight to the barn, impatient to hear about Trace’s day—breaking ground on the new home sites, his time with Blaze, and whatever good news he had mentioned. Instead, she’d walked into the barn and overheard a conversation that had stopped her in her tracks.

Henry had asked Trace to take care of her and the kids?Thatwas why Trace was spending time with her?

“I . . .” But she couldn’t find words.

“Can we go somewhere and talk?” Trace repeated, brow furrowed. “Just me and you?”

Lilah placed her hand on Sofie’s back, pressing her close. “I need to put Sofie down.”

“Lilah,” he said her name again, almost a whisper. “I wanted to talk to you tonight and—”

She shook her head. “I need a minute. To myself . . . please.”

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