Page 11 of Make Me Whole
I glanced at Max who was happily grazing away. "This is craziness. Complete and utter madness." It had to be. This was the kind of shit my sister used to read in those fairy tale books of hers. Real people didn't feel these things within seconds of meeting another person.
A sound of annoyance blew over my lips as I pinched the bridge of my nose. There was no use in trying to figure this out. My energy would be better spent concentrating on the day's tasks and not a certain dark-haired, green-eyed woman.
"Are you planning on staying out here all day?"
I continued to twist the two wires over each other until I was certain the mend would hold. After cutting off the excess, I straightened and turned to Sawyer. "Nah. That was the last of it."
He fell into step next to me as I made my way to Max. "Good to see your mood has improved significantly since this morning."
Judging by how low the sun hung in the sky, I'd been out here mending the fence for the better part of the day. A task that normally didn't take more than a couple of hours purposefully prolonged, because no matter how hard I tried, my mind wouldn't stop wondering to Hailey.
I pulled off my gloves and shoved them into the saddlebag. "Just needed to clear my head." Turning, I headed back to the fence to gather up the tools.
"And? Did you?"
"No."
"Wanna talk 'bout it?"
"No."
Sawyer's chuckle filled the air, at least he had the good sense to let it be. He didn't say anything while we packed everything up, however I could feel his questioning gaze on me the entire time.
"The guests all checked in?" I asked, as we started to head back to the house.
"Yeah, the last family arrived about an hour ago. They asked about riding lessons for their boys too."
"Tomorrow?"
My friend only hummed in answer. A heavy silence fell between us. The weight of it grating on my bones. Sawyer had something on his mind, and I was about to demand he fill me in when he finally spoke, "So… Hailey is freaking hot," he paused for a beat, and then quickly added, "She's quite nice too."
"If you say so."
And just like that, the woman I'd been trying to push out of my thoughts jumped right back to the forefront. Sawyer kept talking, but I didn't hear a damn thing. The stupid sensation in my hand was back. Those green eyes peering up at me again.
How did she manage to crawl so deeply beneath my skin within the space of a minute?
"Dude?!" I was probably wearing a blank look when I angled my head in my friend's direction. "Are you even listening?"
"Nope. Sorry."
He muttered something under his breath as we reached the pen. Once again, silence surrounded us while we dismounted and started leading the horses back to their stalls.
"Come on." Once Sawyer closed Billy's gate, I walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. "We'll go have a couple of beers after dinner. My treat."
He gave me one of those grins that warned me I wouldn't like the word vomit about to leave his mouth. "We should invite the girls along. You know Talia plays a mean game of pool and, to be honest, I'm not opposed to getting to know Hailey a bit better."
Shaking my head, I started toward the door. "I'm sure the bar will be packed with enough women; we don't need to drag them along."
When he spoke again, there was an unusual edge to his tone. Almost teasing. "Yeah, butHaileywon't be there."
That's the damn point. I side-eyed him as we walked toward the house. "Maybe, the two of you should go alone then." For whatever reason, the muttered words tasted bitter on my tongue.
"That idea ain't half bad."
Even though I knew this idiot still carried a gigantic torch for his ex-wife, irritation rolled over my skin causing me to grit my teeth. Luckily, we reached the house before I could say something I'd regret.
I opened the door and the smell of Mavis' pot roast permeated the air. Thinking only of my empty stomach, I rushed toward the dining room. However, as I rounded the corner, I walked straight into the person I'd been trying to avoid all day. Before I had time to think, my hands shot forward to latch onto her upper arms in a steadying grip.
