Page 64 of Make Your Shot
And suddenly, I can’t imagine not looking at her the way I do now.
As we walk up to the barn, an older white truck pulls up alongside the barn and parks close to mine. Mia pauses, her horse stopping beside her as she lifts her hand to wave at whomever is sitting behind the wheel. I slow to a stop next to her and Tella as a man slips out of the driver’s door.
“Hey, Noah!”
He looks to be in his mid to late twenties. Dirty blonde hair curls around the edges of his backwardbaseball hat and a smile lifts his lips as he raises his hand to wave back to her. “Hey, Mia.”
He shuts the door of his truck and walks around to the back as he pulls something out of the bed. I watch him for a moment, assessing the situation as he drags a bail of hay from the tail gate. His hands grip the twine, the lean muscles in his arms flexing as he carries it to the front of the barn and tosses it on the ground.
Something tightens around the base of my throat, my stomach sinking as I watch him walk over to Mia. His black T-shirt and light jeans are dusty, undoubtedly from a day of work but he doesn’t hesitate to pull Mia into a hug.
“How are you doin’?”
“I’m good,” she says, smiling brightly as they release and take a step away from one another. “I wasn’t sure if I’d run into you or not today.” My jaw tightens, my teeth clamping together. The pressure is significant and it feels as though my molars could crumble beneath it.
This must be Willow’s brother—the one who now runs the farm.
“Noah, this is Caleb and Tella,” Mia says, motioning to me. Her eyes quickly scan my face, eyebrows tugging together. “This is Willow’s brother, Noah.”
Noah looks down at my daughter, offering her a warm smile. “Hello, Tella.”
“Hi, Mr. Noah!”
Noah lifts his gaze to me, immediately closing the distance between us and extends his hand for me to take. I release my clenched jaw, the jealousy still boilingin the pit of my stomach as I take his hand. “Nice to meet you,” he says, giving me a firm shake and a swift nod.
“You as well,” I tell him, my voice low in warning. I don’t like the way he and Mia embraced and I sure as hell don’t like the jealousy that’s wrecking havoc inside of my mind. I know he’s her best friend’s brother, but did they ever have a thing?
Mia’s past doesn’t matter to me, but at the same time, she’s drop dead gorgeous and to my knowledge, this man isn’t blind. It’s hard not to be blinded by her light.
He lets go of my hand, his green eyes assessing me with a raised eyebrow before he slowly bobs his head. “I’ll let you guys get back to it. It was nice meeting you,” he says to me and looks at Mia. “If you need anything, I’ll be down by the dock.”
“Thanks, Noah,” Mia smiles at him, placing her hand against Tella’s back. “Come on,” she says softly as she guides her toward the barn.
“Bye, Mr. Noah!” Tella says, waving at him. The muscle in my jaw ticks once more and my knuckles are undoubtedly white as I tighten my grip around the bag of apples. Noah looks between Mia and me once more before he heads in the direction of the other barn.
I catch Mia’s gaze as she looks over her shoulder at me. “What was that?” she half whispers as she lets Tella lead Hank into the barn. We follow behind as she leads him to the wash stall.
“I don’t like him.”
Her face scrunches. “You don’t even know him.”
“I don’t need to.”
She grabs a brush for Tella, handing it to her as she quickly ties the horse and gives him a pat on his neck. The horse drops his head, eyes closing as if he’s falling asleep. I walk to the side of the stall, just around the corner as I set the bag of apples down.
Mia appears in front of me and corners me against the wall, stepping into my space. I look past her. Tella has her back to us, paying us no mind as she sings to Hank.
Mia slides her arms up around the back of my neck, lifting onto her tip toes. “Are you jealous, Caleb Ford?”
A grumble vibrates in my chest as I slip my hands around her waist, pulling her flush against my body in a rush. “Maybe.”
“Well, I promise, you have nothing to worry about with him,” she says under her breath, her lips softly grazing mine. “Or anyone for that matter.”
I capture her mouth with mine, my lips moving torturously slow against hers as I draw the air from her lungs. Mia half sags against me, her lips parting, tongue slipping out to tangle with mine. My tongue dances with hers, before I’m pulling away with both of us breathless.
Lips parted, breathing shallow, she peers up at me through her long dark lashes. “What was that for?”
“Assurance,” I murmur as her gaze burns through mine.
