Page 14 of Tough Love

“Hello there!” a woman calls, and I recognize her from the start of the week. Mrs. Rawlins.

“Hi,” I call back with a wave. She beckons me over, and I walk through the quaint white gate flanked by hedges and into the yard. Flowers are planted under each of the ancient trees that are dotted around the yard.

“Addy, come inside. I’m Louisa. Hudson will be along in a moment; he’s with one of the older mares.”

“Oh, thanks. Your homestead is gorgeous.”

She waves me off, but a smile splits her happy face. Her light brown hair is tied up. Her face is like her youngest son’s. A diamond face with prominent cheekbones and green eyes.

“Would you like a cup of coffee or tea while you wait? Just made a fresh batch of cookies for the boys.”

The boys. Adorable.

“Sure, that would be lovely.” I follow her inside. Reed sits at the table, mug in one hand, papers in the other. He looks up when he realizes someone is following his mother. “Hey, Addy.”

“Hi,” I offer, and Louisa ushers me to a seat at the table and slides the plate of cookies toward me.

“She’s feeding you. She likes you,” Reed says and winks, but goes back to his papers.

I stifle an awkward laugh and take a cookie, shoving it into my mouth. The kitchen is huge. My mom would die for a setup like this, and I can imagine her in this space, whizzing around, magnificent aromas drifting through the place. Louisa returns with a pot of coffee. “Sorry, I only have drip coffee at the moment.”

“That’s wonderful, thank you.”

I take the mug from her, and she fills it. “You take cream and sugar, lovely?”

“Ah, just cream. Sweet enough, thanks.”

Reed smiles behind his papers, schooling it back to a thin line the second he sees me look at him. Okay... He seems around my age, but I can never be sure. The papers appear to be tax papers of some sort. I sip the coffee. It’s hot and bitter. I love it.

“Ma, have you seen—” Hudson stops in the doorway.

“Oh hey, sorry, I was early.” I wave and offer him a tiny smile. Reed puts the papers down, his eyes trained on his big brother. Hudson clears his throat and steps inside.

“We should get started.”

Hello to you, too.I resist the urge to roll my eyes at him.

“Hudson Andrew Rawlins, manners,” Louisa snaps.

“Sorry, can we please get a start, Dr. Howard?”

Reed raises an eyebrow as I stand, leaving the coffee on the table. “Thanks for the coffee, Louisa.”

“You’re most welcome, hon.” She smiles at me and turns back to her work.

I follow Hudson out the door. He is halfway to the barn before I catch up to him. “What are we doing today?”

“Chores.”

“Chores? So, not riding.”

He stops and turns back. He does that a lot. “Nope, you’re not ready.”

What the hell? He doesn’t know a thing about me, let alone my riding abilities. “Can you call me Addy?”

“No.” He turns and walks toward the closest barn. Reluctantly, I follow.Like father, like son.

“If I am not going near a horse today, what’s the point?”

---