Page 57 of Forever After All

Linc: You fell asleep. I’m the Jeopardy champion. Better luck next time.

Not once had he brought up the bad date, or the cuddling they’d done on the couch, or her humiliating confession. Any mention of those might shatter her carefully held-together sanity.

One thing that continued to knock her off-kilter was her new and bold attraction to Linc. Knowing he was the strong silent type was one thing, but knowing he was sweet and caring on top of his endless understanding was just too much to ignore.

She sensed him every time he walked into the barn. Her neck and face heated and her palms tingled, begging to reach out to him.

But he’d been nothing but gentlemanly. Platonic described his treatment of her. He’d said hello. He’d asked her about the barn chores. He’d brought her lunch as usual.

Nothing had changed, and that realization was both comforting and disappointing.

“Hey, Thea!” Jess shouted over her shoulder, keeping her gaze on Thunder.

“Yeah?”

“Can you bring Lightning out?”

“Be right there!”

Jess steadied Thunder as he shifted, turning his left side away from her.

“I’m not going to bother your leg. We’re just trying to see if you’re ready to go back to the big leagues.”

Jess kept up the casual conversation with Thunder while they waited for Thea and Lightning. Well, it wasn’t a conversation if it was one-sided, but Thunder was a lot like his rider, Linc. They were both stoic and observant. Thunder had his guard up like the enemy army was going to ambush the ranch at any moment.

Thea led Thunder’s sister out into the late-afternoon sun. It was still unseasonably cold for late April, but new snow hadn’t fallen in almost a week. The break had given everyone the energetic boost they needed to work the long hours leading up to the tourist season.

There was still so much to do, and it was only a few weeks before opening. Jameson and Ava had hired a couple more hands this week, and hopefully more would be coming soon enough to get them trained before the guests arrived.

The horses were ready, and Jess was right there with them. She didn’t care for all the strangers, but she enjoyed sharing her love of horses. The guests always seemed captivated during the lessons, and she’d never get tired of recognizing that happiness.

“Let’s take them on the Thunder Creek Trail.” Jess turned her attention to Thunder as she brushed a hand over his cheek. “No, we didn’t name it after you. Get over yourself.”

“I’ve never been on that one,” Thea said as she pushed up onto Lightning, who was looking around, wondering why Jess wasn’t her rider today.

“It’s the shortest trail, but we need to start him slowly. Linc and Thunder need to be able to go out on the trails three times a week, and Thunder might not make it back to the longer trails until a few weeks after opening.”

“Lead the way,” Thea said as she settled in the saddle.

Jess gave Thunder a nod that she hoped he interpreted as assurance. “You can do this,” she told him again before lifting onto the saddle.

Thunder was a beast. There wasn’t any better way to describe the massive stallion. He’d given them all kinds of fits when he first came to the ranch, and between Jess and Linc, they’d gotten him trained to the trails. Now, he was one of the best leads they had.

The trail was a little more than an hour long, but it was plenty of time for Jess to clear her head. Except riding on Linc’s horse was a constant reminder of him. Thunder had given up complete control to Linc, but he still gave a few fits for Jess.

The ride back was worse than the ride out. Thunder bumped from side to side, getting antsy after the ride.

“I don’t think he’s ready,” Jess said. “We need to get the vet back out to check for infection.” She hadn’t seen any of the signs, and the wound looked great. Best-case scenario, Thunder was just acting out because Linc wasn’t around.

When Thunder tensed even more, Jess dismounted. “Okay, buddy. That should be better. We don’t have much more to go, and you can rest.”

Thunder sidestepped, pushing Jess a few steps back. She gave more slack to the lead. “Easy, boy.”

Thea led Lightning over and leaned around Thunder’s backside. She was still a few feet away when she asked, “You okay?”

Thunder sidestepped again, pushing Jess back.

Trying to keep her footing and give Thunder his space, Jess told Thea, “Move back.”

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