Page 44 of Undone

Josh shook his head. “They know he tends to be a risk taker, so it wasn’t a surprise to them that it happened. They were cool about it. Now I have to deal with the insurance paperwork, which is always a headache. All of our guests over the age of eighteen and any guardians must review and agree to our terms of service, but that won’t protect us from liability one hundred percent. Especially when the accident is a six-year-old wanting to do stunts on horseback.”

“Want my help?” I asked. “My attention to detail is hard to beat.”

“Maybe, but I don’t want to think about it tonight. I need to make up for that missed picnic. C’mon.” He stood up and offered his hand.

“Now?”

“Now.”

I threaded my hand into his and followed him out the back door.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked.

“Over there.” Josh pointed into the distance, and I spotted a blanket and a few lanterns set up under the weeping willow tree at the far edge of the property. “A night picnic, to make up for missing our adventure today. Food’s nothing fancy but it’ll do.”

“Aw, Josh!” I turned to him with my eyes glowing. “You did all that after working a long day?”

“Honestly, it’s no big deal. Just an old quilt, a few lanterns from the barn, a large pizza from Magiano’s, and beers. But I wanted to spend some quality time with you.”

I leaned against him and squeezed his arm. “It’sperfect. Thank you.”

We plopped down under the willow’s drooping branches and dug into the pizza.

“I checked the analytics on the new site and everything is looking fantastic,” I said as I nibbled on my slice. “Your ranking is really high now even though we just launched.”

“Yeah, I can tell.” He laughed as he leaned back on his elbow. “The phone’s been ringing off the hook. Classes are filling up and the trail riding stuff?” Josh let out a low whistle. “Unbelievable how popular it is. People are loving Eli.”

“Ooh, right, speaking of Eli,” I said excitedly. “I need to get a photo and bio of him. And I thought it might be fun to do thirty-second video intros of all of the employees. Like little biopics. It’s a great way to make everyone feel familiar before guests even arrive and also do some subtle selling at the same time, you know? For yours, I wasthinking we could open with you on Indigo, riding slow motion toward the camera, then it pans to?—”

“Zo,” Josh said with a soft laugh, “can wenotwork right now? Let’s just enjoy the night, okay?”

I blushed. “Sorry, hard habit to break; especially when I’m excited about a project.”

“Happy to be the one to help you do it,” Josh said, holding up his beer bottle and tipping it toward me. “To more moonlight picnics.”

“And whatever fun they inspire,” I said with a wink as I clinked my bottle to his.

“I like the way that sounds,” Josh growled. “Did you know we’re completely hidden under this tree? No one can see us here.”

“Is that a fact?” I asked, shrugging my tank top strap down my shoulder and batting my lashes at him.

He nodded and started moving slowly across the blanket like a panther stalking prey. I giggled as he reached out and snagged my ankle.

“C’mere,” he said in a low voice, giving me a tug. “I want to taste you again.”

I eased back onto the quilt as he climbed on top of me, until his phone’s ring pierced the silence and made us both jump.

“Crap, that’s not good,” he muttered as he looked at the screen. He sat up and answered. “Dustin, what’s wrong?”

I watched him process whatever his hand was telling him, concern creasing his face.

“Okay, I’ll be right there.”

He hopped up and shoved his phone in his back pocket. “Zo, I’m so sorry, but I have to run again. Goliath has a bad laceration on his leg. Might have to call Doc Letts to see if she can come out to check on him.”

“Oh no, okay.” I tried to keep the disappointment out of my voice. It wasn’t like the horse could help it. “I’ll clean up here, don’t worry about it.”

“Thanks.”

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