Page 62 of Rush
‘Okay,’ Bonnie blinked. ‘Let Cal know if you need any more tools.’
25
Four hours later, they’d successfully fixed the gate and fences, sorted through all the equestrian gear, reconfigured the loft space where the ranch hands slept if they had to stay overnight, and given each horse’s stall a quick lick of paint on the exterior.
There had only been one incident: Marco hitting his hand with a hammer. Savi had stepped in while Weston sat in the doorway making fun of them. He’d snapped multiple photos, and Marco had flipped him off in almost all of them.
‘Dude, you’re covered in paint. I’m shocked any even made it onto the wall.’ Weston inspected Marco’s t-shirt– an old one which he’d borrowed from Wes when he realised he didn’t have anything that could be ruined.
‘Like you could’ve done better.’ Marco rolled his eyes but the Cheshire Cat grin made it clear he was just messing with him. The pair of them had been bickering back and forth all day, and Marco had even gone as far as wheeling him out of the stables and shutting the doors on him when Wes had insulted his driving skills during the first race where Savi had overtaken him.
‘You two joining us for dinner tonight?’ Weston asked.
‘Actually, no,’ Marco answered before Savi could. ‘I’ve got a surprise for your sister.’
Savi frowned. ‘A surprise?’
‘Be right back!’ He darted off towards the house, leaving her stood there dumbfounded while Weston narrowed his eyes at them both.
‘How are you doing?’ Wes asked.
‘I’m fine, and you?’
‘Not what I meant.’
Savi tidied the tools away, refusing to look her brother in the eye. ‘But I meant what I said.’
‘Are you really, truly fine? With everything that has gone on? Because I will get myself on a plane and go and deck that loser in the face if you need me to. Just say the word.’
‘Don’t get me wrong, Wes, I have my moments. When I’m alone and my mind replays something he said or did in the past that I should have paid attention to. All the signs were there, and I feel like the world’s biggest idiot, but I have too much going for me to let one person tear it all down. Sapphire has it far worse than I do, it’s her I feel sorry for. Not myself. I just feel angry for myself,atmyself.’
‘How is it that you’re so much younger than me and yet so much wiser? The way you look at life… I wish that was me. That I had your resilience.’
She walked over to squeeze his shoulder. ‘You do, Wes. You’re a hell of a lot stronger than you might think you are.’
‘Mmm. Well, for the record, ignoring the red flags from Jesse Montalvo isn’t what makes you the world’s biggest idiot. Ignoring the green ones from Marco is.’
‘Oh, I see them,’ she laughed. ‘I’m just not so sure he’s interested in me that way. We’re just friends. Besides, I think he’s still hung up on my best friend.’
‘He lov—’ And then Marco was back and Wes was backing out of the barn, jaw on the floor at the sight of what their guest was holding.
A wicker picnic basket, two wine glasses and a tatty old tartan blanket from the basement. Her surprise. She dropped the screwdriver she was still holding and wrapped her arms around him, standing on her tiptoes and squeezing him as tightly as she could.
‘What’s that for?’ he laughed. ‘For all you know, this is for the horses, not for you.’
Java whinnied behind them and she grinned. ‘He doesn’t like wine, better give his share to me. But seriously, Monaco. Thank you.’
‘I haven’t even got started yet. I’ve just this second walked in with the goods.’
She waited patiently as he climbed into the loft space, reaching down as she lifted the basket up to him. He laid the blanket out, sending the loose hay flying as he waved it in the air, and then set about emptying the basket. ‘Am I allowed to come and help?’
His head peered over the safety railing. ‘No, stay down there with the horses until I give you the green light. And no peeking. I hear a single step on that ladder and I will push you off.’
‘Violent,’ she tutted, but secretly, she was enjoying every second of this. She was all about the little things, so she wasn’t sure why she had spent so long wrapped up in someone who had no interest in gestures, big or small.
Marco started to make his way back down the ladder. ‘Okay, all done.’
‘So why are you coming back down?’
