Page 76 of Head Over Spurs

There was a set of red lips on his bathroom mirror and a missing hoodie from his closet. And it was the best morning he’d ever had.

As he pulled into his usual spot at the ranch, it was impossible to wipe the smile off his face. There would be no hiding his feelings at work today. He could hold Jules, kiss her in between tasks, and not worry about looking over their shoulders.

He climbed out of the truck and started up the path to the farmhouse. Brett had sent him a message to come by the office before hitting the stables this morning. Another reason his chest felt like it was going burst from all the hope he was carrying with him.

“Riley! How are you?” Laurel’s blonde head popped up over the back of the sofa as he stepped inside the home.

“I should be asking you that,” he replied. Coming around into the living room, he settled into an armchair across from her. It was like her pregnancy bump had tripled overnight.

She lay back on the mound of pillows that Brett more than likely built for her and rubbed her hand over the curve. “I’m fine. Ready to move again though. I’m only allowed in the bed or on the couch. It’ssoboring.”

A laugh escaped him. “Are the doctors being that strict or is Brett?”

Sunshine poured from the smile she flashed. “Brett, mostly.” She was over the moon in love. And as Riley smiled back, it carried the fact that he finally understood the feeling.

“What’s that about me?” the rancher asked casually as he strolled into the room.

“I was talking about how protective you’re being,” Laurel replied, patting the couch beside her.

He settled into the spot, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and dropping the other to cradle her bump. “I just wish I could protect you from this threat, killer,” he muttered.

“Preeclampsia is not a threat. It’s a medical condition. And speaking of medical conditions…” she turned back to Riley, “What is going on with you?”

“Nothing serious,” he said, removing his Stetson from his head and balancing it on his knee. He ran his fingers through his hair, remembering Jules’s frustration at the way that he minimized his injury. “I have a herniated disc. I’ll do some regular physical therapy on top of my regular check-ins with the doc.”

“Are you in any pain?”

“Not anymore, the injection yesterday seemed to do the trick.” That—and the way Jules forced him to rest, snuggling in like his own personal weighted blanket all night.

The back door opened as Cooper stepped into the home. “Any breakfast in here?” he asked, moving into the kitchen. It was a rhetorical question, there was always food for every meal in there.

Ducking his head into the refrigerator, Cooper called out, “Where is Jules?”

He shifted in his seat, worry creeping into his chest. “I actually don’t know, she should be here by now,” Riley admitted.

“Maybe she’s packing for Argentina,” Laurel mused.

“Seems a bit early.”

“No, Maddie told me?—”

Riley’s eyes widened as he pieced together what Maddie could have possibly said to Laurel about this trip. She was leaving. Now.

“Oh no. I figured you knew…”

“When?”

Laurel shifted uncomfortably; this time he suspected it had nothing to do with the pregnancy. “Three days from now?”

The high he was riding this morning crashed down around him. She was leaving. Again. And without a word, it seemed.

His voice felt caught in his throat. His fingers twitched with nervous energy. No one else spoke. Cooper watched wide eyed from the kitchen. A piece of cold bacon half raised to his mouth.

“If you want to go talk to her, be my guest. We can meet another time,” Brett offered.

“No.” Riley shook his head.

Of course he wanted to. He wanted to show up at her door and plead with her to stay. Or, at least to promise she’ll return. That’s all he really wanted. He would never want to stand in the way of her dreams. But he wanted to know that he was the home she returned to each time. “No, she has her own things to work out, and I have mine.”

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