Page 125 of Captivated

Nate: Okay, fair. But I miss your horses.

Zeeb: Zeeb’s horses appreciate the loyalty. Well, Paul’s horses really. They love him. They tolerate me.

Nate: Paul’s horses have better manners than most people I know.

Zeeb: High praise. I’ll let Sorrel know. He’s sulking. Thinks you abandoned him.

Nate: Give him an apple from me. And those horses love you too.

Zeeb: Stop. You got me blushing.

Nate: I remember how you look when you do that.

Zeeb: I just remember how you look. Oops. Gotta go. Later.

Nate: Don’t slip in any horse shit.

Zeeb: LMAO. You might have spoke too soon. Teague was in the paddock and slipped in a steamy pile. He was covered in it. We all had a good laugh, at least after we made sure he wasn’t hurt. It’ll be a while before he lives it down. I found myself wishing you were here to join in the fun.

Nate: yeah, me too.

July 29

Zeeb: Sorrel accepted the apples. He’s still moody.

Nate: Sounds familiar. I painted him today. From memory. He looked at me like he knew something I didn’t.

Zeeb: That’s his usual look. He’s wise like that.

Nate: I think it was the same look you gave me the night of the campfire.

Zeeb: Must’ve been the firelight.

Nate: Yeah. Must’ve been. How is the gang?

Zeeb: LOL the gang? Sounds like you’re talking about kids. No—wait a sec. Yeah, you nailed it. They’re good. Walt is crushing on the mailman big time.

Nate: Tell him to stop crushing and make a move. Life is too short.

Zeeb: Gotta be careful. Too many fuckers in town who don’t even try to hide their hate. People suck. And not in a good way.

Nate: You had to go there, didn’t you?

Zeeb: [grin emoji] You know it.

July 30

Zeeb: You working on a painting atm? Any WIP pictures I can see? Oh, WIP means ‘work in progress’. I’ve been doing a little research online for writing and found that. [grin emoji] That surprised ya, didn’t it?

Nate: Not surprised. Pleased. And yes, I might have a few pictures, but do you have any writing to share with me?

Zeeb: Well… maybe… it’s not that great.

Nate: Show me anyway.

Zeeb: It’s too long for a text.

Nate: Then e-mail it. I can wait patiently.

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