Page 44 of Play For Me

But she’s chatting now about her brothers and what it was like growing up as the only girl, and she seems so natural and comfortable that it’s easy to forget about the fact that her family is regularly plastered all over the news.

“Oh, wow,” she murmurs when I turn into the long driveway that will lead to the ranch. “You grew up here?”

“Since I was fifteen.” I point up the hill. “Jay and Emery lived up that way.”

If she’s curious about where I lived before fifteen, she doesn’t mention it, and I’m grateful. I’d prefer she never heard that particular story.

“Wow,” she says again once she sees the cars lining the drive as we get closer to the house. “Does it take this many people to run the ranch?”

“Nah,” I tell her, pulling behind the house where Red always parks when the place is full like this. “Today is a camp day.”

“Camp?”

I turn off the engine and look over at her. “Yup. We run camps all day Saturday.”

“What kind of camps?”

“Therapy, mostly. There’s a lot of research that shows interacting with horses can help people with developmental disorders, mental health issues, all kinds of things. We also run teaching camps for kids and adults who want to learn how to ride.” I shoot her an apologetic look. “I think the first group is mostly kindergarteners. They can be a little, uh…rambunctious.”

Jay leans over the front seat and pats her shoulder, a smirk on his face. “Hope you came ready to work, girl.”

Apparently,Cecelia Ransome has no aversion to hard work, because she gets in there with Red and the other volunteers like she’s been doing this for years. Not that she seems to knowwhatshe’s doing—she mentioned that she’s never been on a horse in her life. But everything Red or one of the instructors asks her to do, she jumps right into without complaint.

I watch as she helps a little girl feed Solitaire a carrot, and they both squeal when his tongue shoots out to lick their fingers.

“Oh, buddy,” Jay says, coming up to stand beside me. “You are so far gone.”

“Fuck off.”

“No, seriously. You should see your face right now. Total heart eyes.”

I glare at him. “I’ve never had heart eyes a day in my life.”

“You haveyourversion of heart eyes,” he shoots back. “Where you stand there like a giant, grumpy, silent statue but there’s this tiny little softening right—” I slap his hands away as he reaches to poke near my mouth.

I hear Red’s deep, familiar voice behind us. “Boys, do I need to split you up like I did when you were kids and wouldn’t stop chasing each other with riding crops?”

I grunt. “I mean, if you’re volunteering to get this guy away from me, I’m all for it.”

“Hey!” Jay pretends to be offended. Then he lowers his voice. “Red, I was just telling your grandson here how obvious it is that he’s head-over-heels for this girl.”

“Jay,” I growl, but he ignores me.

Red makes a pleased little sound and I wonder why on earth I thought it was a good idea to come here. Everyone on this ranch is annoying as hell.

“She’s a client,” I grit out.

“Doesn’t stop you from looking at her with heart eyes,” Jay quips.

I glare at him. “Don’t you have work to be doing?”

“I’m not the one standing here staring at the hot soccer player.” My fists clench of their own accord. Of course, Jay notices and starts to cackle. “Look at how mad you are that I called her hot!”

“Alright, Jason,” my grandpa says easily. “Why don’t you go help out in the tack room.” The asshole is still laughing as he walks away, leaving me alone with my grandfather.

“Don’t start,” I say before he can open his mouth.

He holds up his hands. “I’m not saying anything.” There’s a beat of silence. “I do like that girl, though.”