Page 76 of Falling for Her

“Wiped clean,” the officer replies. “Not even her prints anywhere.”

“Send us the video, and we’ll see if maybe we can figure out what happened with it,” Captain says. “Call me if you need anything.”

“Yeah.” I walk them out, shutting the door. The lock is busted from what they said was most likely a screwdriver.

Inside the house, Asa is sitting on the couch, and Finley is in the kitchen pacing back and forth. “And?”

“And for tonight, you stay here. Asa, you’re sleeping with me, and Finley will have your bed.”

“Okay, Daddy.” He gets up and goes to the stairs. “Are you coming soon?”

“I’m coming up,” Finley answers, and he nods, walking up the steps. She takes a step toward the stairs, and my hand reaches out to hold her back.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” I assure her softly.

She smiles at me sadly. “I know you won’t. Good night, Lincoln.”

Both of us stay still. Her fingers slide into mine, squeezing briefly before she pulls away from me. I watch her walk up the steps, and all I can do is hang my head.

“You ready?” Finley asks me. It’s Sunday morning, and we’ve arrived at Mustang Creek Ranch.

I just glare at her, even though she can’t see my eyes because of my sunglasses.

She snorts and looks over her shoulder. “How about you?” she asks Asa. He’s been ready since he woke me up at sunrise.

Finley unbuckles her seat belt and gets out. She’s wearing jeans that mold to her fucking body like she painted them on, with a black T-shirt that fits her just right.

“There’s your horse.” Asa points to a black horse walking in the middle of the fenced arena, a saddle already on.

“There he is,” she confirms and holds her hands up over her eyes to block the sun. “Isn’t he gorgeous?”

“Come on, Dad.” Asa grabs my hand and pulls me toward the barn. I’m happy that the break-in last night hasn’t affected him that much. He had a couple of questions for me last night when we went to bed. He seemed worried that whoever broke into Finley’s space would come back and do it again. I reassured him that he was safe and that I would not let anything happen to him. I also told him that the station was going to send some cars during the night to make sure we were okay. I am not going to admit this out loud, especially not to Finley, but riding today is the perfect distraction from last night. Hopefully, it keeps his mind preoccupied

When I look behind me, I see she isn’t following us but instead is walking to the middle of the arena. Her mouth forms into a smile as she gets closer to the horse, and I’m mesmerized by it.

“Watch her,” Asa urges in a whisper. We join Charlie at the fence around the arena, and he folds his arms over his chest.

“You going to let me ride you again?” I hear her ask the horse. “You buck me off and make me look bad in front of my boss, and I’m going to be pissed.” She sticks her foot in the stirrup, and in one swift move, she’s sitting on the horse, leaning forward, and rubbing its neck.

“Open him up!” Charlie shouts from beside me, hands around his mouth. All she does is smirk.

It takes one word from her, and the horse takes off. Her hair flies behind her as she crouches down, and the horse picks up speed.

“Isn’t that too fast?” I ask, trying not to freak out. “Should she be going that fast?”

Charlie ignores me and motions to Asa to follow him. They climb up to sit on the fence. My eyes are trained on her as she goes around the arena, as casual as if she’s in my kitchen having coffee and not sprinting on a horse. I watch in awe as she makes the horse change direction and then go back. She takes him through a gate and way out into the field.

“If she was living here, I would hire her in a heartbeat,” Charlie says.

“I don’t think you could afford her,” I joke. “She’s a silver medalist, you know. Olympics.” He laughs.

She’s coming back toward us. Her body is moving up and down, her face lighting up so much. If she were mine, I would make sure she did this every single day.

“Whoa,” I hear from behind me and see Wyatt and Brady. “She’s going so fast.”

“Yeah,” Asa says, and I can hear how proud he is.

We watch as she slows the horse, natural as can be.