Page 42 of Home Hearts Hooves

“I’m good, I swear.”

Connor pulls open the mini barn door. “Well, I’m happy to leave you two to it. See you in a bit.”

Connor closes the door behind him, and it’s like the room just got ten degrees warmer. Preston is still leaning against the rail, his muscles bulging against the thin fabric of his dark green shirt. It’s one of those polo-type ones, with his vet’s logo printed on the pocket, and it makes his eyes shine a deep emerald. He’s got one foot up on the rail, and his cargo pants cling around his ass so perfectly. I try not to stare, but I can’t seem to tear my eyes away. He sways back and forth, his pants tightening and relaxing. My throat goes dry, and my cock twitches. If I don’t force my gaze away, it will be my pants tightening, so I quickly move to stand beside him.

“So, how is…Cuddles?” Preston asks, and a smirk creeps onto his lips.

“Guddles is Cood,” I say, and immediately my face is on fire, and I turn my face the other way so that he won’t see and grip the wooden rail of the stall to try to get some semblance of control over my own body.

“I mean, he’s good. The shirt trick is working most of the time,” I say, keeping my eyes on the straw and hay floor.

“That’s good. What are you doing at night, though?”

“He’s been…umm. Sleeping with me,” I say, and he moves a step closer. Not so close that he’s touching, but close enough that even without looking, my body registers he’s there. How does he do that?

“Really?” he asks.

“Yeah, I tried a basket beside the bed with one of my shirts, but he’d just keep on crying. I reckon a newborn baby would be less clingy than this fella.”

While the room still feels like it’s warmer than a summer day in Georgia with him standing so close beside me, I’m grateful that the words are coming a little easier now.

“How is Poppy?” I ask, taking a risk and turn my head to look his way.

He’s even closer than I thought, and when his eyes lock on mine and his smile spreads across his face, it’s like the entire world stops.

“She’s amazing,” he replies with pure joy on his face. “It’s her birthday in a short while and all she wants is a cow, but you know the Mores’. They’ll never keep livestock on the farm. She’d be more likely to get abducted by aliens.” He chuckles. “I just wish I knew what to get her.”

“Can’t you ask Isabel?”

“I could, but I wanted to think of something on my own. We’ve been spending so much time together with her coming over to the clinic after school and helping out on weekends, that I should be able to come up with something but all I keep thinking of is ways to try to convince her grandparents to let her have a cow. It’s silly, I know.”

“It’s not. You want to do something special for her. I get it.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. And look, I’m sure you’ll come up with an amazing gift. She’ll love it just because it’s her first birthday with her dad.”

“Shit. You’re right. This is even bigger than I thought,” he says, the frown deepening, and a pit sinks in my stomach. I wanted to help him. Encourage him, not make him feel worse and more stressed about Poppy’s birthday. Fuck.

I rest the palm of my hand on his shoulder, and his desperate eyes meet mine.

“It doesn’t matter what you give her, it will mean the world to her because it’s from you,” I say, praying the words are coming out how I want them to. In truth, they could be a bunch of gibberish for all I know. But his soft smile reassures me that I didn’t just spout some nonsensical dribble.

“Thanks. Maybe I could get her something cow-themed instead?”

“That would be good.”

“Do you guys do gift certificates?”

“For the cuddle cove?”

“Yeah, I could get her a year’s supply of sessions.”

“With how little you charge us for your services, she can have a lifetime pass on the house.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to. Besides, how else can I guarantee we’ll always have someone here to give the mini moos some love?”

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