Page 115 of Country Contract

1. H&H consent to spending time together when it is convenient for each party.

2. H&H will respect the right for each party to say they want space.

3. H&H agree to a Thanksgiving end date.

4. H&H will return to their own sleeping quarters.

5. Monetary exchange from HW to HH of $1,000.$250 for “physical” encounters. $500 to go “all the way”.”

6. H&H agree to remain physically exclusive during the contracted time period. Should HH or HW find interest in a new party, said person will alert the other to end the contract early.

I want to throw the whole thing away.I’m such a cold,ugly bitch.I hear Cleo’s paws tap against the wood floor as she trots up to me and climbs into my lap.

“Will you do me the honors and eat this?” I offer the piece of paper and pout at her. She doesn’t take it, and I let out a disappointed sigh.

I don’t have much longer in this house, and it’s sad because although it isn’t my style, I love it. My phone vibrates, and I check to see if it’s Helen again.

Harrison: Meet me at the stable.

Me: Now?

Harrison: Can you?

Me: Yeah. I’ll be there in 10.

Cleo has moved from my lap, and I wrap the blanket I was using around her. I leap up the stairs to change into riding gear.

I have a feeling this meeting is to take Majesty for a ride in the arena for a little bit. She’s adjusted perfectly to her new home. I feel partly responsible due to my asking the Kings what they do with their horses routinely and bribing her with treats.

Every day Harrison lets me know when he’s done with most of his daytime tasks and can meet me to take her for a ride. Jake and another hand on the farm, Sam, help me adjust Majesty’s daily routines from her previous ones to ours. Maybe she would have adjusted just fine without it, but I like to think it’s because of our efforts.

I slip on black riding pants, an olive thermal, a black riding vest, and a black jacket. It’s cold out, so I grab the riding gloves I ordered once I realized I would need them.

Before I leave, I stop by the rack that holds my coats andthe hat that Harrison gifted me. I braid my hair before putting the hat on. My English riding boots are the last thing I put on, and I look myself over in the mirror.

I look out of place, and although the hat is gorgeous and looks great on me, my outfit doesn’t match it. Even though I’m dressed in all English, I keep the Western hat on my head.

At the main barn, I see Harrison’s and Hunter’s trucks parked. I walk through the stable and notice that all the horses are out of their stalls. It must have been a herding day. Once I break through the threshold, there are four horses all saddled up and ready to go.

Legacy looks like she always does, large and proud. Cassidy holds her reins while she talks with Hunter. He’s running a hand up and down her arm while holding Snickers’ reins in the other. He looks at her as if she’s hung the moon herself, or even like she is the moon.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone look at someone like that before.

Helen. Helen looks at Lydia like that.She looks at her like she’s everything. As much as I love this family, I can’t be the reason Helen and Lydia are exiled again. I don’t understand, with a love like theirs, why they care what my dad thinks. Outside of Helen working to take over the West empire, I would say fuck you and live my life the way I damn well pleased. I will do what I can to be able to see Helen keep looking at Lydia like that without hiding it.

When I finally catch sight of Harrison, he’s staring at me. I feel like a knife is pierced directly in the middle of my chest. Close to the heart but not close enough to kill me. It burns and aches.

Harrison is looking at me like Helen and Hunter. I don’twant the feeling in my chest to be painful, but I guess I don’t have a choice.

In his hands are two sets of reins and side by side are Majesty and Star. They look stunning together—Star with her charming beauty and Majesty with her elegance. They are a pair of opposite warmbloods. Much like Harrison and me.

“We’re taking her out?” I ask as I approach him.

Cassidy hands the reins over to Hunter and gives me a hug before I can even reach them. She smiles broadly and raises her brows in excitement before walking back over to her post. Hunter helps her mount Legacy, which takes me a little by surprise since that’s his horse.

Harrison pulls me into a friendly embrace with his free arm and then separates the reins.

“Yeah, we have a good group today. So, it would be good to show her the property. You want to take her? She likes you best.” He holds her reins out to me, and I gladly take them.

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