Page 51 of A False Start
It feels like fucking torture.
But when she announces she’s done helping and has something else to do—when she leaves?
That feels even worse.
17
Nadia
“Come with us!It will be like celebrating you getting into vet school.”
Mira looks so excited at the prospect. And truthfully, I’ve been pretty over-the-moon since I got that email welcoming me to the program—celebrating sounds pretty good. Which means I’m about to be a total hag because I’m turning her down. The entire weekend up at Griffin’s cabin in the woods? While she and my brother sneak off to do God knows what and leave me with the one man I don’t want to be around? I’d rather sit here alone and write in my journal.
Liar.
I tamp that inner voice down. It’s much healthier for me to pretend I don’t like him.
“No, thank you. I’m going to stay with Cowboy. Make sure he’s okay and everything.”
I stare down at the gravel driveway as we make our way back to the farm. We just had lunch with Hank and Trixie, where they all gushed about me being accepted into the veterinary medicine program at Emerald Lake, and then we sent them off with Silas. Something Mira played cool about but was clearly struggling with.
Mira’s dark eyes plead with me. “Please? I promise he’ll be fine. His surgery went perfectly. It’s been a week; he’s fine. The staff are more than qualified to take care of him.”
She has the sad puppy face down pat.
“I’d rather not. Just in case. I want to keep doing what I’ve been doing. I would never forgive myself if something went wrong.”
“Nadia. I’m leaving mybabybehind. For one night. It’s the first time, and I’m terrified. I’m pretty sure you can leave a horse at a full-service stable.”
She’s not wrong. But I’m not about to admit that.
“It’s not even that far away! If you need to come back, you can be here in, what? An hour?”
One side of my mouth quirks up. “You telling me that? Or yourself?”
Mira huffs out a laugh and runs a hand through her hair. “Snarky little bitch.”
I laugh too, right as we round the curve of the lake at the base of the valley, right beside the barn.
“Sorry, sis,” I say, still looking at the lake.
A dreamy sigh is her reply. I glance back at her and instantly recognize the look on her face. It’s the same one she made the first time Stefan had her over to our house for dinner. The one she made while staring at his ass while he cooked for her.
It was gross then, and it’s still gross now.
But when I follow her gaze, I’m pretty sure I make the same face.
The temperature has shot up since earlier this morning when they started unloading the hay, and I guess that’s why my brother and his friend have lost their shirts.
In exchange, I’ve lost my ability to talk.
Wranglers.
Sweat-slicked abs.
Leather gloves.
And that glorious, bearded face.
