Page 36 of Starry Skies, Stolen Kisses, and My Best Friend's Brother

I let out a big sigh.Seth is the first one I thought of telling.

Not Rick.

I point at the bride.“She’s not looking so hot, is she?”And here I thought she’d been holding her alcohol so well.

The bride flops over on her stomach, letting go of the reins while her horse leans down for a drink.She slowly slides forward, down the horse’s neck, and into the water she goes.

Pandemonium erupts as the rest of them start screaming and shouting.Abi and I dismount and rush to her side.She sits up, spluttering.“Your horse bucked me off!”

“No, sweetie, you passed out and fell off,” Abi says.

She shakes her head.“No.That’s not right.He kicked me off.”Then she eyes me.“You’re about my size.We need to change clothes.I hate wet clothes.”

“I’m not giving you my clothes.Let’s get you up on your horse, and we’ll get back to camp so you can change.”

“I’m not getting on that thing again.”Her eyes widen as she backs away.

There’s no way I’m staying out here with those women.“I’ll ride back and grab Levi and the Gator.I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

The bride sort of whimpers but nods.

It takes me about fifteen minutes to get back and another ten for me and Levi to get the Gator down there.

“Are you wearing lipstick?”I ask.His lips are a funny pink color.It’s a stark contrast to his dark beard.

He glances over me.“What, no.”Then he rubs at his lips.“Is it gone?”

“Yeah.Are you gonna tell me where it came from?”I’m not sure I want to know.Levi isn’t really the one I see hooking up with guests, so the lipstick is odd.Maybe he has a girl.

He shakes his head.

When we arrive, the women all fawn over Levi, and he shoots daggers at Abi when she tells him that we need to get the horses back, so he’s on his own.The bride is already practically in his lap.

Once we get the horses to the stables, I feed mine a few treats and then leave for the bunkhouse for a shower.Then I need to find Seth and tell him what happened.

“Thinking about me?”

I jerk my head up and realize I have a big smile on my face.Rick swoops me up into a hug and gives me a long kiss.I try to enjoy it, I really do, but I have no overwhelming desire for him.

He pulls away and brings his lips to my ears.“Why don’t we go find a quiet spot in the woods and have some fun.”

“I wish I could, but I have to work.I had to do horses with Abi all morning, and now I need to get a couple of hours in at the office.”

He creases his eyebrows.“Why were you riding horses?I thought your job was giving you real marketing experience.”

“It is.It’s just that the group that went out today was a horrid bachelorette party.”I loop my arm through his and launch into the tale of the girls.

“Where do I get wifi service here?”He interrupts and holds up his phone.“I’m waiting for a few important messages, and your dad doesn’t have it for some reason.”

“Guess you’ll just have to wait.”I grin at him and wink.Dad is just like Todd in that way.“There isn’t much wifi out here.”I resume my tale, but he interrupts again.

“I don’t care about the stupid bachelorette party.This is real work, not some play stuff.I need to have a connection.”

I blink.This is completely out of character for him.But come to think of it, he was always glued to his phone.It was something everyone did, so I never thought much about it.

I should take him with me to the office, but he’s being an asshole and doesn’t deserve it.Besides, I don’t want him and Seth in the same room because then I might see exactly what I’m missing if I stay with Rick.

“You’ll have to go into town and find a diner with wifi.I’ll see you at dinner?”

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