Page 83 of When the Storm Breaks
“Not a single one.” He side-eyed me. “What do you want to do for the next four days?”
“How about we fuck like rock stars?”
He threw back his head and laughed and when he was done laughing, we fucked like rock stars. Somehow, we managed to break the bed and that had us laughing again, the two of us naked and slick with sweat, our bodies tangled together on the floor.
It was good and it was true and it was honest, all these feelings I had for Brody. My one true love who I’d found by accident but would be leaving behind in Texas. And now more than ever I had to believe all the things I’d sacrificed would be worth it in the end.
People came and went, but music... it would always be there for me. That was what I had to keep reminding myself.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Shiloh
The next afternoon,the sun was trying to come out from behind the clouds, the air was warm, and you’d never know it had stormed the night before. I was sitting on Brody’s back porch, my body sore and my head throbbing, eyes shielded by sunglasses. From here, I had a view of the barn and the round pen where Brody was working with a yearling. But he was far enough away that he wouldn’t be able to hear me. I scrolled through the contacts on my phone and pressed call. He answered on the second ring.
“Hey Gideon. It’s Shiloh. I was hoping you could help me with something.”
“I’ll do my best, but you should know… Brody’s always been a redneck. Not much I can do to change that.”
I laughed. His Texan accent was barely detectable, and I suspected he’d worked hard to lose it. “I happen to like rednecks. Especially the charming ones.”
“Are we talking about the same guy? Brody McCallister?”
I smiled. “The one and only.”
“What can I do for you?”
“I heard you helped him get a grant.” Brody hadn’t told me. Lila had.
“I did.”
I watched Brody doing his thing. Maybe he didn’t like the term, but from where I was sitting, horse whisperer was the only way to describe the way he handled horses. “Wouldn’t it be great if he could get an even bigger donation?”
He was silent for a moment. “If he ever finds out, he won’t be happy. And that’s putting it mildly.”
“I know. That’s why it will have to be our little secret.”
“Tell me what you have in mind.”
We talked for twenty minutes and when we cut the call, my headache was all but gone and I had a smile on my face.
Sometimes dreams come true, Brody. I couldn’t give him everything I wanted to without raising suspicion, but I could help. Just a little.
“Hey Shy. How’s it going?”
Ridge plopped down on the wicker chair next to me and planted his work boots on the banister.
“Hey Ridge. I’m so sorry about last night. And I never got the chance to thank you.”
He laughed. “You thanked me about a million times last night. We’re good. It’s cool.”
“How was work?”
“It sucked. Like always. Me and my uncle don’t see eye to eye. On anything.”
“That’s hard.”
“He’s a hard-ass. I’m not a fan. I get why my mom never wanted to ask him for help. He would have made her feel like shit.”
