Page 45 of Stolen Dreams

“Hey,” I reply to him and then look down at Lucy, who looks exhausted.“How was last night?”

“I think they slept for maybe an hour and a half.They were watching movies all night, no matter how many times I told them to turn the television off.”

I grab the bag from Lucy.“No worries,” I say, looking at her.“Thanks for having her.Next time Saige can come over here.”

The two girls squeal, and I close my eyes, listening to Brock laugh.“You did it to yourself.”

“I’m learning,” I tell him as he says goodbye to Lucy, and he and Saige head to his truck.

“Okay, let’s go.”I dump the bag at the door, and she looks over at me.“I’m taking you riding.”

Her eyes go wide, and gone is the sleep that was just in them.“Who am I going to ride?”she asks as we walk out and head toward the barn my horse is in.

“Do you have a horse you want to ride?”I ask as we walk into the barn, and I head to the stall where my horse is.

“A calm one,” she says.“One that won’t be mad.”

“Well then, I have the perfect one for you,” I assure her, walking to the stall next to my horse, and there she is.Ready to be ridden since I sent Bobby a message before.

“Is that Rosy?”Lucy asks, and I nod.Her mouth opens in shock.“And I get to ride her?”

“She’s yours,” I inform her, and her eyes go even bigger.“From now on, she’s only yours.”

“Oh my goodness,” she murmurs, walking to the stall.“Rosy, you are mine.”She holds out her hand, just like Lilah showed her.

“Let’s get you on her,” I say and walk out of the barn with her reins in my hand and Lucy on the other side of me.“Okay, I’m going to put you on her, and once you are on, you have to grip the horn,” I say.She nods at me as I pick her up by her waist and place her on the saddle.Her giggle makes me smile like I don’t think I’ve ever smiled before.“Okay, we are going to walk with her so you can get a feel of her.”I hand her the reins.“If at any time you want her to stop, you pull back.”

“I know,” she replies as if she’s been on a horse before.“I watched Lilah do it,” she says; of course, she would watch Lilah ride.

“We aren’t riding like Lilah right now,” I remind her.“She’s been riding horses since she was five years old.You need a little more practice before becoming as good as her.”

“Got it,” she says.“Okay, Rosy, we are going to go for a little walk.”She does exactly like Lilah would do, and I can’t help but smile as she continues telling her what’s going to happen.

I walk beside the horse.“So, speaking about Lilah,” I say, trying to come up with the words, “she’s going to be staying with us for a bit.”

“Oh, yeah,” she replies, looking down at Rosy.“Okay.”

That’s it?That’s all she’s going to say?“We don’t know for how long.”

“Okay,” she says again, unfazed.

“You have anything to ask me?”I look at her, waiting.

“Yeah,” she answers, and I’m waiting for her to ask me if I like Lilah.If Lilah is going to be sleeping in my bed.But instead, I see her fighting not to smile.“When can I go fast”—I groan—“like Lilah?”

ChapterTwenty-Five

LILAH

My head is down, and I’m reading what I just wrote when I hear the sound of my name being shouted.“Lilah!”Lucy says it as she comes in from the back where the barn is instead of coming from the front door like she always does.I look over toward where her voice was last heard and see her walking in with the biggest smile on her face.“Lilah.”She runs over to my desk.“Lilah, guess what?”she chirps, her voice so animated I can’t help but laugh at her.

“What?”I ask and look over her shoulder at her father, who is walking into the room but stops at the doorjamb and leans against it.His feet are crossed at his ankles, while one of his hands holds a brown bag.His hair is pushed back by his fingers, and my mouth waters at the same time that my fingers itch to touch his hair.Something I did all night long because he was either on top of me or his head was between my legs.The memories are now making another part of me perk up.

“I rode a horse today,” she announces with all the excitement.“It was Rosy.”

I smile at her.“How was it?”

“Amazing.”She opens her arms to the sides.“But”—she looks over at Emmett—“he wouldn’t let me go fast.”

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