Page 48 of In Full Bloom

“Abi?”

“Her mum. Abigail.” Dallas draws a shaky breath. “I thought we were going to lose Sadie.”

With the hand not on the reins, I reach up and run my fingers through his hair, gently holding his head against my shoulder. “She’s okay now though, right?”

“Yeah, but that accident still screwed everything up. It’s the reason we lost Abi.” Another shaky breath is exhaled against my bare shoulder.

“What happened?” I whisper.

“She blamed herself and after she healed enough to be able to look after Sadie again … she just couldn’t. She had panic attacks every time she was left alone with her. Sadie was only two. In the end Abi couldn’t be around us anymore. She wanted toget herself sorted out, and I haven’t seen her since. I send her emails, giving her updates on Sadie. But she obviously isn’t ready to come back to her yet.”

I thread the fingers of my free hand through his hair again, caressing his scalp. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not Abi’s fault. And our relationship was struggling already. In the end, we were together because of Sadie. But it’s still a kicker.”

“And you’ve not gotten over the horse fear?”

He shakes his head. “I could ride before. I wasn’t good at it like you. I didn’t love it like you do. But I could get on a horse if I had to.”

“You’re on one now,” I whisper, resting my hand back over his.

“Don’t remind me,” he groans.

“You’re doing great,” I say, a smile tinging my words. He snorts and my smile turns into a laugh. “When you’re feeling better we’ll go on a proper ride.”

“This one’s actually pretty amazing,” he says, brushing his cheek against my shoulder in a movement that almost feels like a soft kiss. I shiver. “You’re cold.”

“I’m fine. I meant I’ll take you on a ride you can enjoy without worrying about bleeding out. Trust me, it’ll be more fun.”

I can feel his cheek curve against my back and I think he’s smiling.

“I might hold you to that,” he murmurs. “Can I ask another favour too?”

“Course you can, cowboy. But I can’t promise I’ll agree.”

He snorts. “Typical. I hope you’ll agree to this one though.” He takes a deep breath. “Will you teach Sadie?”

“Teach Sadie …” I repeat, hoping I’m understanding his meaning, because there’s nothing I’d like more than what I think he’s asking me.

“Yeah, will you teach her to ride?”

22

DALLAS

My arm is throbbing.I can feel it everywhere. Somehow I can hear it.

I wrap it tighter around Katie’s middle and press my uninjured hand to the shirt she’s sacrificed.

I rest my cheek against her bare shoulder and close my eyes again. It’s somehow easier to forget I’m on a horse if they’re squeezed shut, even though the rolling gait of the animal is a dead giveaway.

In a total dick move, I’m using Katie as a distraction, and she’s proving to be an excellent one, from both the throbbing in my arm and the fact I’m on a horse.

If I think about my arm too much, I start feeling woozy.

If I think about the horse thing, the panic starts clawing at me.

But Katie smells like hay and flowers and something sweet, like caramel maybe. Her skin is smooth and warm where I’mresting my head against it. I shouldn’t be. I should be keeping distance between us.

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