Page 12 of Tough Love

“We got that part. Why not?” The old man folds his arms, settling in for an argument that I know she can’t win.

Fuck.

I feel like I should be defending her, waving a white flag or something. I know exactly how my father is going to take this. Badly. And it won’t end well for her.

“You need to get back in the saddle. Hudson can help you back onto a horse. You have seven weeks.”

“Pa.” I step forward, brows drawn, hands by my sides.

“I wasn’t askin’, Hudson. You can start Saturday. I assume they give you weekends off, Addy?”

“Yes.” Her voice is light, shallow. A shell of the vibrant woman that was loving up on Charlie a moment ago.

Goddamn, Pa.

“Hudson?”

“Yes, sir.”

“That’s sorted, then. Reed, I need a hand with that fence line, son.”

Reed winces and offers a sympathetic smile before waving and following the old man.

“You can say no, you know,” I offer, but the words don’t fit right. And for the first time since she got here, she squares her shoulders to me, eyes searching my face.

“Like you did?” A heartbeat later, she walks back to her car and puts the bag in the trunk.

Charlie trots after her, and I resist the urge to call him back. Poor girl. She should transfer back to New York. But for some reason, that twists like barbed wire in my veins. I should be mad on her behalf for Harry’s particular brand of tough love, but I can’t get past the fact that my old man gave me a way to see her again.

Well, fuck.

Chapter Four

ADDY

“Yeah, sorry, Adeline. You will have to go with, I’m afraid.”

I stare at the face of my boss. The one with the apparent reputation. Ugh.

“But I don’t ride anymore. I probably won’t even be able to keep up.”

He leans back in his office chair and flips a pen through his fingers. His blond hair and green eyes are easy enough to look at, but that menacing smile that doesn’t meet his eyes may as well be swinging a giant red flag around. And he is my boss.

Hudson’s words replay in my head every time my boss gets close. Even just to help with procedures. But I can’t shake the icks when he’s near. This is going to be a long six months. That’s the length of my contract, with the opportunity to stay on if I want to—or more like, if they want me to stay. Or not, if they don’t.

He gives me the same kind of vibes Adam used to. So, I will be keeping this as professional as it gets. No friendship like I had with my fellow interns and Joe. I nod and walk from his office. Luckily, I have patients to check on. One unlucky working dog, a couple of cats with injuries from various scrapes they gotthemselves into. No other horse visits this week, as far as I know. And I find myself looking forward to Saturday. For the horses. It’s been too long since I was around my favorite beauties.

I finish my shift and head to the grocery store for a few things. After buying a few treats and some white wine, I head home to the townhouse. I pack away the food, keeping everything organized and stored away in their categories: dairy, fruits, vegetables, meat, grains. Wine for the freezer. A habit I picked up from my mom so many years ago. Her way in the kitchen is influenced by her long and very successful career as a chef. Dad and I always ate well. I miss her cooking. I miss her. I miss Dad. I pluck my phone from my back pocket.

Hey, busy?

I send the text to Mom.

The phone vibrates in my hand a heartbeat later. Incoming call. Mom. I slide to answer.

“Hey, Mama.”

“Hey, Adds. All settled in okay?”

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