Page 33 of Head Over Spurs

Yeah, she wasn’t missing anything. She shifted her focus to pouring a cup of freshly brewed coffee instead.

Leaning back against the counter, she lifted the mug to her lips and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, inhaling her once favorite aroma. Once favorite. As in past. Because lately, she found herself delighted by the perfect combination of sweet citrus, forest, and fresh grass. The aroma of a bright, warm day. A bright, warm man.

She allowed the sight of Riley’s disarming gaze to flash through her mind. The way his smiles always stretched a little wider when they were directed at her. The way his laugh rumbled from somewhere deep within, laced with grit.

“Did you get that?” her father’s voice sliced through the memory.

“All but the last part. Sorry, you cut out.”

“I was saying that this is the best the center has ever done financially. It’s too bad you didn’t have any time here before jet-setting off to Argentina. You could see how this expansion is going.”

“I’m sure it’s great, I’ll make sure to spend some time checking it out after.”

Her words were true enough, she wouldn’t have free time again until she was back from South America.Whereshe had taken off to early, that was the complicated part. But her father didn’t have to know that. And she suspected he didn’t truly miss having her there anyway.

“Your interest is at least a hair more believable than your mom’s always was,” he grumbled, an air of skepticism to his words.

She sighed. Most conversations seemed to go this way lately with her father and her mother. Give it a few minutes and they’d already find their way to the topic of the other. “I am really glad to hear it’s going well, Dad. You work hard, and it’s nice that it’s all paying off.”

She wanted to ask if he missed Mom. If he was lonely in the big farmhouse that once overflowed with laughter and love. Instead, she slurped her coffee, letting the sweet, nutty flavor wash the questions back down. Because the truth was, it didn’t matter what he said—neither answer would make her feel better.

“Are you okay today?” Riley stuck his head into the stall she wasin the process of mucking out. The first stall she had stepped into. And she was still shifting through it.

With a quick glance across the aisle, she could see that he’d completed three stalls already. Typically, they worked at a fairly even pace.

“Yep, all good here,” she replied, aiming for breezy but sounding closer to manic.

He narrowed his eyes, assessing her. “All good, huh?”

“Never better.”

She didn’t owe him an explanation. There might be tension between them, a few little touches and stolen glances, but that didn’t mean anything.

He opened his mouth and promptly closed it again. With a nod, he turned and moved to the next unattended stall.

Shaking off the urge to chase after him, she returned to the task at hand, trying to move faster again. She couldn’t quite pinpoint what about her father’s call had her so rattled. There was a time when the idea of being away from her family for months on end would have made her feel sad and lonely. It’s funny how fast things can change when the cornerstone of the family is gone. How fast people can change.

Stepping out for fresh shavings, she knocked against a solid frame of a human. A huff escaped her as Riley caught her around the waist, steadying her.

His hands were warm, searing deliciously through the thin, ribbed tank top she’d selected for the heat today. “Juliette,” he started, his thumbs dragging in steady figure eights against her sides. “I know something is bothering you today. Will you tell me?”

“There’s nothing to tell,” she replied, allowing her body to relax ever so slightly into his embrace. A slow tilt lifted his lips as she leaned into him. As if he was more in tune with her than she cared to admit.

“Alright, if you say so. On an unrelated note, how about we take a little break? It’s not like you’re much help to me today anyway,” he teased, looking over her shoulder at the single stall she’d gotten to.

Biting her lip to tamp down her response—because honestly, he was right—she simply nodded in agreement.

With one hand still securely wrapped across her waist, he turned and led her out of the barn. Towards the herd in the nearby pasture.

“Where are we taking this break?” she asked, her feet following him way too obediently for her liking.

“I think it’s time to move the herd to another pasture, one of my favorite spots in the basin,” he replied with a crooked smile and shining eyes. “But the fencing needs some work since the last time they were out there. You can join me while I get the pasture ready.” Riley almost looked gleeful to take her to this spot, and her heart skipped a beat at the genuineness.

Loading everything he needed into the bed of his truck, he motioned for her to jump in. The drive wasn’t far. They crossed over to the other side of the main drive, dipping down to the bank of the river and following it until it weaved towards the back of the compound.

When he parked the truck, informing her that this was the place, she understood immediately why he was so fond of it.

Here the current slowed, creating a wide, shallow slice of heaven. The still water sparkled, crystal clear in the bright summer sunlight. Lush green grass folded over the bank, the blade tips skimming the surface as it rippled. Above it all, a tree created a shady space she wanted to lie under, mature branches stretching out and providing a broad area for her to idle comfortably.

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