Page 36 of Home Hearts Hooves

“Preston, can I go cuddle the cows for a bit? Mr. Beaker said he’d stay to help you. Please?” she asks, folding her hands in prayer in front of her and batting her long lashes up at him. I swear I see the exact moment he melts.

“Sure, whatever you like, but ring your mom first so she knows where you’re going,” he says, handing over a phone.

“I’ll sit there,” I say and she stands, and I quickly hold the bucket down with my free hand, then sit to keep the bunnies safe.

“I’d be wary of sending any animals home with this one,” Agnes only half whispers into Preston’s ear, and he rolls his eyes.

Christ, are we really doing this again?

“Why would that be?” Preston asks.

“You know he ain’t natural what he is.”

“He was born on the Beaker ranch,notsure how much more of a natural rancher you can get,” Preston replies with a wink my way. A monarch takes flight inside my gut.

“You know what I mean,” she says. “I’m glad you came to your senses and picked things back up with Isabel. You two were so perfect for each other,” she coos.

Now my stomach is all fire, and I bet my face is, too.

“There ain’t nothing going on with Isabel and me. Just because we have Poppy, doesn’t mean we’re getting back together,” Preston snaps, and a part of me jumps up in celebration. The physical me doesn’t. Because we’ve got bunnies to protect.

“But you were so sweet,” she continues, and in my mind, I’m screaming, ‘he was fucking extra sweet with his hand wrapped around my cock you fucking bitch,’ but I don’t. The baby goat on my shoulder nuzzles in and lets out a soft whine, sending a shiverthroughme.

“Thanks, little buddy,” I whisper. The distraction is enough to start to settle my raging heart.

“I thought you knew, Mrs. Fields. I’m gay,” he says matter-of-factly, and she shakes her head, stammering something under her breath as she grabs the murder twins’ hands and pulls them toward the fence.

“They haven’t got any bunnies. Come on, let’s go get ice cream,” she says as they protest leaving the puppy section behind.

“How about you boys cuddle a baby highland. We’re set up right next to the ice cream stand,” I call, and the murder twins slip her grasp and run in that direction. She shoots me a final glare and heads after them.

“Sorry about that,” Preston says.

“Why are you sorry? I should be saying sorry to you; she wouldn’t have started if Iwasn’tsitting here.”

“Oh, I’m sure she’s off saying the same sort of thing about me now. Why she thought Isabel and I were getting back together is beyond my reasoning.”

“I guess because you used to be together, and you have a kid together, and…you did love her.”

“I did, but it was young love, first love, not…”

“Forever love.”

“Yeah.”

I let the bunnies out and fish a five-dollar note out of my side pocket and hand it to the kid running the vegetable stall.

“We get people like that back home,” the kid says. “Momma tells me I shouldn’t let it bother me ’cause they’re mostly old folk who say shit like that, but that ain’t no excuse. My gramps is eighty-seven, and he doesn’t care who I bring home to meet him as long as they bring pie.”

I chuckle. “Sounds like your gramps is one of the good ones, and if you’re after good pie, Sally-May’s got you covered.”

“He’s alright. You are, too, Mr. Beaker. Momma always said so. The Beakers look after people.”

“Animals, too,” Preston chimes in. “Beakers are the best kind of people.”

“Doc’s just saying that ’cause I said I’d take this here mini goat off his hands.”

“No, I’m not,” he smiles, and thank god, Poppy chose that moment to return from cuddling cows because if I kept staring at that smile of his for too much longer, I’d have a tough time convincing him I was good just being friends. But a friend is what he needs right now, and so that’s what I’ll be.

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