Page 78 of Head Over Spurs

“I was going to call you today. I’m fine—I’m sure she filled you in on what happened. I’ve just been a little preoccupied.”

A hum of disapproval carried through the line. “Good preoccupied? Or avoiding preoccupied?”

“Not avoiding. I went online this morning and scheduled the first physical therapy appointment already. And I still have that follow up with Doc.”

He was going to keep his promises and do everything right this time. It turned out he had too much to lose to be gambling like he did with risks before.

“Jules preoccupied then?” Piper guessed.

“Yeah, Jules preoccupied.” He was always Jules preoccupied, even when she wasn’t in front of him. Even after that first night in Texas.

Riley had a feeling he would always be, he just hoped she really did feel the same. His fingers still itched to pull his keys out and run to the truck. To show up at her apartment and beg her to return after this trip.

He wanted to assure her that he wouldn’t gamble his well being anymore, and ask that maybe, would she bet on him.

They had already started to discuss it, and she agreed that she belonged here. But if something was going on with her photography career, she needed to take a chance for herself right now.

And it wasn’t like taking care of her, or Piper or Paisley or the horses. He couldn’t take this one on for her. So, he remained still. Trying to be the patient man he once was before she blew into his life, and his heart.

35

JULES

She felt as if her heart was split in two, a wedge of confusion driven through it as she traveled across town. The plan was for her to go home and change before meeting back up at the ranch. Riley had insisted he was fine for their basic duties and wouldn’t hear of her doing all the work for a second day in a row. With a kiss and a promise to be there within the hour, she floated out to her car on cloud nine.

There was no denying that she was in love with him. It had snuck up on her quietly, between the long days working together and the ways he showed up for her. She had fallen in love with him. And she wanted to stay with him.

But the second she started down the road, doubt and worry began to creep in. She snuck a sniff of the oversized hoodie hanging on her body. Riley had given it to her for the cool morning air, his scent all over it. It settled her some, to inhale and feel his presence.

All her running was catching up to her now that she was ready to stop. “I just need a plan. I need to organize everything,” she assured herself aloud.

She needed to talk to Brett first, to tell him that she wantedto stay on and see if he needed another equine caretaker. Then she needed to figure out how she could make things work with the magazine.

Her heart screamed that she should tell them no. She wasn’t leaving in three days. But everything she had worked so hard to build was hanging on the line. And Jules was a Graham after all—she prided herself on the career she had pulled together from nothing.

Maybe they could go with the backup photographer without breaking the contract. After all, they were the one completely upending plans. That would be the route she would go. A part of her knew the moment Michelle called with the change of plans; she would turn it down. She could take a trip any time, but the future she wanted was hanging in the balance now.

As she parked outside her apartment, her breathing hitched. The call to Michelle would have to wait. Because sitting on the stoop at the front door was her father. There was a large box at his feet and an even larger scowl on his face.

She climbed out of the car and crossed around the hood to the sidewalk. “Dad?” she squeaked as he stood to meet her.

“Hey, everything okay?” her father asked, concern creasing between his eyes.

She had still been at his house yesterday when the call came in.Riley’s on his way to the hospital. Something happened. Jules had been out the front door and bolting for her car before the second sentence even reached her ears. She had sent him a message from the hospital, explaining the situation, but she never expected him to show up here because of it.

“I think so, yeah. He’s home and has some follow ups scheduled.” Stepping around him, she unlocked the apartment and stood in the open doorway. “Do you come just to check on?—”

“I am definitely working on finding more of that balance for you, but no not checking in. After you left, that was delivered foryou.” He pointed at the large box sitting on the corner of the stoop. “It’s from the magazine.”

Michelle had told Jules she was sending it to the home address listed—she had assumed that was her apartment, not her dad’s house, then again, when she first signed the contract with them, she hadn’t leased the Denver apartment yet. Graham Equestrian was the address she had jotted down.

“If you did decide to go, I figured you needed whatever this is,” her dad explained.

She bit her lip and started at the box. “I’m not sure what is inside, but it is supposed to sweeten the deal.”

“Do you want to see what that could be?”

“Doesn’t matter. I don’t want to take this trip to Argentina in three days,” she admitted.

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