Page 31 of The Last Second Chance
He grinned and for a second, the fun-loving boy she’d loved so much was evident in the face of the man before her.
“Even better.”
“I don’t think you can top Waffles.”
“Guess you’ll have to find out.”
She arched a brow. “Race you back?”
8
Joey didn’t waitfor an answer. She kicked Romeo into a run and grinned when she heard the thunder of hooves behind her. Cyrano was fast. But Romeo was a sprinter. The wind stung her face as pine trees and fence posts whizzed by in a blur. With any luck, Colby and the rest of the stable help would think she was windburnt, not flushed from a scorching kiss.
She leaned low over the horse’s neck and let him have his head.
They beat Jax by two full lengths, pulling up to a dignified walk on the slope behind the stable. Joey was still laughing when they came around the corner and she spotted the trailer in the drive.
A wisp of a man buried under a thick outer layer of Carhartts swaggered over to her. His red hair poked out in tufts under the thick wool cap, his cheeks pink from the air.
“You Joey Greer?” he asked, consulting a clipboard. She was a little disappointed that his accent was more Kentucky than Irish, taking away from his leprechaun-like appearance.
She dismounted and looped the reins over Romeo’s head. “I might be. Depends on what you’ve got in the trailer.
They man’s eyes sparkled. “Trust me. You’re gonna want to be Joey Greer.”
A shrill whinny erupted from the trailer followed by an impatient stamp.
Jax whistled and Carter and Colby ambled out of the barn.
Joey shot Jax a look. “Just what the hell did you do?”
He slid down off Cyrano’s back and took Joey’s reins. “Colby, you mind taking care of these two?”
Colby took the reins with a grin. “No problem. We made some room inside,” he said with a wink.
“Why are we making room and why the hell didn’t someone consult me?” Joey snapped. These wereherstables, this washerprogram. Horseflesh did not magically appear on the farm. She carefully researched, weighed options, and then negotiated the purchase with an iron spine and a meticulous plan.
No one was paying her any mind and she was about to start yelling when the driver released the butterfly latches on the trailer ramp.
“Now, hold on here,” she said following him. Without thinking, she helped him lower the ramp while she continued to argue. “There’s been some kind of misunderstanding. I didn’t buy a horse.”
“Horses,” Jax corrected behind her.
He and Carter were enjoying her irritation. Standing shoulder to shoulder there was no mistaking the family resemblance, right down to their matching shit-eating grins. “You’re both in a lot of trouble so you might as well wipe those asshole smiles off your faces,” she said, setting her jaw.
The southern drawling leprechaun ignored the bickering and hustled into the back of the trailer.
“Mind your mouth!” The command came affectionately from Phoebe as she huffed and puffed her way across the drive. “Whew! I was worried I was going to miss this,” she chirped, skimming a kiss on each son’s cheek before doing the same to Joey.
“You’re in on this mess, too?” Joey felt ganged up on.
Phoebe shoved a red mittened hand through Joey’s arm. “Sweetie, I know you’re not big on surprises, but trust me.”
“This here is Calypso’s Secret,” the driver announced as a stunning mare picked her way daintily down the ramp.
“Calypso’s Secret as in second place in last year’s Breeder’s Cup?”
“That’s the one,” the man bobbed his redhead as he walked. “She’s retired now and looking forward to the good life.”
