Page 50 of Stolen Dreams

Me: Hey, sorry, I’m going to have to bail on book club night.I have to get my thesis done and work has been insane.

I leave out the part about me living with Emmett because I can’t get into it right now, and I know she’ll have a million questions.To be honest, I don’t want to give her or anyone the answers.Also, I don’t even have them to give her anyway.I’m in uncharted territory, as usual, with Emmett.

She texts me back right away.

Sierra: Sounds good, let me know if you need any help.

I put the phone down on my desk and turn to look at the computer screen when the front door opens and Lucy comes running in.“Lilah,” she chirps, “I’m going to go ride Rosy now.”Her eyes are big.“Do you want to come with me?”

I look at the corner of my computer screen and see I’m technically supposed to be at my desk for another ten minutes.“I don’t know.”I look over and see Emmett saunter in, looking all sexy and shit.Even in dusty fucking jeans and a dirty-ass T-shirt, he’s still all that.It doesn’t help that now I know he’s got everything in that package to make him a fifteen out of ten.“My boss doesn’t like when I’m not at my desk.”

“Charlie!”Emmett yells from in front of my desk toward the hallway that has Charlie’s office and also an office for Emmett he never uses.He actually took the desk into the barn and now the only thing in there is a chair.

I hear boots coming toward us and glance at Lucy as we both share a look.“You rang?”Charlie says, walking into the room and then looks at Lucy.“Hey, Lucy.”He smiles at her.“How was school?”

“Good,” she answers softly, not sure what is going on.

“What are you hooting and hollering about?”Charlie looks back at Emmett.

“Lilah is going to go riding with Lucy,” he tells him, and Charlie’s eyebrows pinch together.“She said her boss doesn’t like it when she’s not at her desk.”Charlie’s head whips to me.“So can she go?”

“Okay, first of all, you are the one who yells at her all the time.”He points at Emmett.

“You yell at Lilah?”Lucy joins the conversation; her voice is low as her eyes stare at her father.

“I don’t yell at her.”He puts his hands on his hips, and I lean back in my chair, knowing this just turned around and bit him in the ass.“She never does what she’s told.”

“Real mature, Emmett.”I shake my head and get up.“Let’s go.You ride Rosy, and I can ride Juliet at the same time.”I hold out my hand for her, and she slips her hand in mine.

“See you two later,” I say to both of them as we walk into the barn.

“Hey, Sammy,” I call out when I see him walking toward us, “we are going to go and ride Rosy and Juliet.”

“Sounds good.”He smiles at us.“I’ll head over there and saddle them for you.”

“You don’t have to do that,” I tell him.“I’ll do it with Lucy.”

“You sure?”He picks up his hat and scratches his head.“I don’t mind.”

I look down at Lucy.“We’ve got it, don’t we?”

“We’ve got it,” she agrees with me and smiles at Sammy.

“Have a good night, you two,” he says, walking back toward the other stalls.

“Let’s go,” I say, walking to one of the golf carts they use to go between the two barns.“I’ll come back and get my truck after.”

“Okay,” she replies, getting in beside me as I make my way over to the barn.We work side by side as I show her how to saddle a horse.She listens to every single word I say, so much so that on the second one, she’s giving me instructions, which makes me laugh.

I walk out first with Juliet and then go and get Rosy, putting Lucy on the horse before I get on my own.The sound of truck doors being slammed has us looking back outside.Emmett gets out of his truck while Sammy gets out of mine and then jogs toward the golf cart.They both hold up their hands to say goodbye while Emmett makes his way toward the barn.“I’m coming!”he shouts to us before going into the barn.

“He just wants to make sure I don’t go fast,” Lucy mumbles, making me laugh.

“There is a time and place when you’ll go fast,” I reassure her, “but you have to learn a bit more before you do it.”

“When did you learn how to go fast?”I listen to her question, and the memory of so long ago comes crashing back.It was me winning the horse race that brought me to this moment.

“I started riding horses when I was younger than you,” I say, “but only went fast when I was thirteen.”

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