Page 48 of Head Over Spurs

Then another came in before Riley could lower his phone. From the team lead once again.

Grey

Grab Jules on your way.

He raised his eyebrows at her, silently asking her if she wanted to run. And she did. She wanted to run away with Riley.

“Mom, I’m sorry. But we have to go. Something has come up,” she offered, unable to hide the smile spreading across her face. “We can continue this another time,” she added. “But I think you should say all of this to Dad.”

Rising from his seat, Riley reached out for her hand and laced their fingers together. She allowed him to pull her up, tucking her into his side.

He turned to her mother and said, “It was a pleasure to meetyou, thank you for tonight. And if you’d like to continue our conversation another time, I’d be more than happy.” He flashed a disarming smile, one of those megawatt ones. Then with a squeeze of her hand, they made a run for it.

21

RILEY

Ominous clouds sat heavy in the dusk sky as they arrived at Hayes Ranch. Riley climbed out of his truck, turning to the black car parking beside him. Back in her favorite combination of denim and a punchy tee, Jules jumped out of the Mustang.

“I think you should have worn that to dinner instead,” he said with a grin, motioning to hernever drink with your shootin’ handshirt. “Now you look more likemyJules.”

He would be lying if he said that slip of the tongue that called him hers earlier tonight wasn’t the best damn feeling in the world. And as she narrowed her eyes at his comment now, he couldn’t help but notice the way she bit her lip to hide a smile. She liked hearing it too.

“Good you’re here. Come with me,” Cooper said, appearing nearly out of thin air.

“What’s going on?” Jules asked as they followed him towards the stables. It was only now that Riley noticed how lit up the building was, the solitary structure glowing with life in the whole compound.

“Grey was out checking fences earlier and found him.”

“Found who?”

Cooper responded with a wave of his hand down the center aisle of the stables. “That poor fella.”

He turned his attention in the direction his friend was pointing. Through an open stall door, he spied a small foal lying between Maddie and Grey. The animal was so small, clearly not naturally weaned yet.

“Wild?” Riley asked as the three of them approached the stall.

“We’re thinking so,” Brett answered from the corner.

At Riley’s side, Jules flinched, her eyes wide. She must not have noticed him in the shadows either—considering his dark hair and beard, and the fact that he was an ex-Navy SEAL that thrived in the shadows.

“Looked like he got separated from his herd—and mother—and got caught in our fencing,” Grey explained, holding up the fluids bag Maddie had shoved into his hand. She was deep in concentration, paying no mind to the crowd gathering around her and the young horse.

“How long can they survive apart from their mom in the wild?” Jules whispered, turning to Riley with a desperate look on her face.

“Let’s just say it’s a good thing Grey decided to spend his night the way he did,” he replied, brushing his knuckles down her arm.

The way she was watching the foal was filled with overwhelming worry. Her eyes shining from emotion. It was eating at him that he couldn’t reach out and comfort her, not how he truly wanted.

“I know handling a foal isn’t the easiest. I called you two here to see what you thought about keeping him.” Brett pushed off the back wall he had been leaning against and turned to them. “I figure there are two choices here. We get him healthy enoughto go up to the sanctuary, or our caretakers here claim ownership. It would make the most sense, he’d bond to you two.”

Riley looked to Jules, trying to get a read from her expression on if she’d want to do this with him. If she did, it could mean so much more than simply wanting to care for the horse. What Brett was offering, it was another reason to have her stay. And for a moment, he allowed himself to imagine the possibility that she would. She would stay here, and still have her travel, but she would always come back home to him.

He arched an eyebrow at her, holding his breath as he waited for a response. Or a signal. Anything that hinted at her wanting this. He’d already decided he’d keep this horse. Decided before Brett even asked. But it meant everything to see if she would say yes.

“I wouldn’t want to put too much on you, Riley. You know I can’t be here…”

“Do you want to do this with me?” he asked, dropping his voice to try to give them a semblance of privacy from the other four people in this stall.

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