Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 123171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
Everly laughs and turns away from Thor to look at me. “Oh, I remember. I learned how to ride on Star, and she was a chestnut mare and a Welsh pony.”
“It made you a better rider.”
Everly leans against the side of the stall and muted sunlight hits her face. Sometimes I can’t believe not just that she’s mine, but that she turned out the way she did. We weren’t without support, but to have me be the primary caregiver is scary looking back on it now. It was hard, and I had to give up a lot, but I couldn’t be prouder of my daughter if I tried.
“Horse rescuer looks good on you,” I tell her after watching her slowly gain Thor’s permission to enter his stall.
“It’s only been a day, but I like it here, Mom.”
“I do too. How would you feel about finishing the school year at Silver Ridge High?” I brace myself for the dubious stare I’m sure I’ll get but, instead, Everly smiles broadly. “Do you think I’ll have some classes with Maria?”
“It’s a small school, so I’m sure you will.”
She nods excitedly. “Then yes!”
“I’ll contact the school on Monday then.” I wave, motioning for her to follow me out of the barn. I kiss her goodbye before getting in the truck and heading into town. I have to put the address into my GPS. We’ve been to Silver Ridge before, but I usually don’t venture into town like this.
The feed store is a good twenty minutes from Aunt Kim’s and is surprisingly large, offering everything from horse treats and feed to five-hundred-dollar cowboy boots. Being in here takes me back yet again, as I used to come with Aunt Kim to pick up supplies. The layout is still the same twenty years later, and I go right to the back to get horse treats.
The ones that I want are on the top shelf and I can’t reach them. I hate having to ask for help reaching for things off the top shelf, so I decide to step on the bottom shelf and climb up. I do this all the time when I’m grocery shopping. It’s the curse of being on the short side, I know. Normally, this isn’t an issue. The bottom shelf has heavy bags of horse feed on them anyway, so they should be sturdy.
But they’re not, and I don’t realize it until it shakes under my weight, and the next thing I know, I’m falling backwards, pulling the bag of horse treats with me.
Chapter Ten
JACOB
I turn down the aisle, arms full of an array of animal treats. We’re low at the clinic and our bulk order won’t be in for a few more days, thanks to a shipping delay. I just need a bag of horse treats and then I can rush out of here, going to my next farm call before hopefully calling it a day. It’s Saturday and the clinic is open until one in the afternoon. Normally, I don’t schedule any farm calls on the weekend, but I’m making up for one I had to reschedule during the week due to an emergency.
It’s a constant game of catch-up and I know I really need to just bite the bullet and hire another vet to help with my workload. If the day ever came that I did have my own family, it would be nice to spend more than a few hours a week with them and not have to constantly check my phone for missed calls or texts from clients.
I round the corner and start down the aisle when I see a woman I don’t recognize looking up at a shelf. She reaches up but can’t grab whatever she wants. I’m about to tell her I can help but she puts one foot on the bottom shelf to climb up. Everything happens fast after that and, as I’m admiring how good her ass looks in her tight denim shorts, the shelf beneath her feet wobbles. Knowing she’s going to fall, I rush forward, dropping the treats I was holding and catching her before she hits the floor.
My hands fasten around her slender waist, and the material of her loose-fitting tank top rides up a bit as she tries to get her balance. Her foot catches on a bag of feed and she twists, turning toward me, throwing out her arms and grabbing my shoulders for balance.
She pitches forward and I steady her, holding on a little tighter. Her eyes, which are the deepest shade of sapphire I’ve ever seen, pull me in like a deep, welcoming ocean. I have no idea what will happen once I sink beneath the surface, yet I want to feel the cool water wash over me.
Blinking, I mentally shake myself and take a step back, making sure she’s got both feet on the floor.