Page 40 of Breathe Me In

“What the hell, Bree! No.”

“Partners are supposed to have each other’s backs.” She untied a black cowboy hat and tossed it at me. “And I owe my brother this.”

“And?” I grabbed my hoodie and took the lead for the horse she wanted me to ride and started walking back to her place, where I fully intended to leave the horse.

She crossed an arm over her lap as she pressed her lips together. “Are you really going to make me take this group out on my own?”

“You’re not on your own.” I looked across the lake and saw a group of horses and riders. I squinted to see the two young guys who worked for the Jaminsons. “There are at least two ranch hands with you.”

“Yes, two guys I don’t know, and look at who I have to entertain.” She waved ahead of us as she rode next to me. I saw four men all on their phones and a woman who looked like she’d just stepped out of a fashion show. “They’re from New York and are being forced by their boss to be here as a bonding experience.” She air quoted for emphasis. “Let me tell you, there’s no bonding happening whatsoever.” She shrugged and pursed her lips.

“Are they the guys who are staying in the cabins near yours?”

“Yeah.” She stuck her bottom lip out. “And you owe me.”

“What do I owe you?”

She raised a brow. “You made me eat dinner with Sherry, and that was awkward as hell.”

Christ, she was right. That was bad. Finley came running down to greet us. “Sorry, bud, Ginger went into town.” I rubbed between his ears. “She’ll be back later.”

“Brad, please.” She sighed. “Patrick is off today, and I honestly don’t want to be alone in the woods by myself and even less so with strangers.”

Shit, she had me there. “Fine.” I tossed the hat back at her. “But I’m wearing my ball hat.”

Chapter Eight

Bree

“Pull your reins to the left to go left, same with the right. Pull gently back to stop. Squeeze your thighs to go forward, and use your loose reins to swat the horseflies. Really, the horse will just be following the one in front of him, so you won’t have to do too much,” I instructed the less-than-interested group. I glanced at Brad, who sat on his horse comfortably with a grin on his face. He obviously enjoyed this way too much. “Most importantly, don’t forget to—” My cell phone rang. “Hello?” I answered and waved as I turned and spotted Charley up near the barn.

“Sorry, Sis, but I couldn’t resist.” He let out a belly laugh, then hung up. I didn’t miss Brad’s grin as he moved his horse toward the front of the riders.

“Most importantly, what?” the woman called out, and I ignored her and started to move the group forward.

About forty minutes into the ride, when the trail opened up, Brad moved up to be next to me.

“How was your date?” He kept his horse at the same pace as mine.

“Eventful,” I lied, not at all pleased that my new friend had needed batteries—the cheap ones that had come with it had only lasted about five minutes, and there had been none to be found in the main house.

“As long as he treats you well.” He smirked.

“Very well.” I sighed deeply, as though it had been a great night between us. “He even spent the night.”

“Sounds serious,” he teased.

I steered the horse around a stump. “I think this could be the real thing.”

“I hope to be at the wedding.” He chuckled.

I looked away at the sudden memory of the day Brad’s wedding invitation had arrived in the mail. My mother had forwarded it to me in New York. I’d felt so lost when I looked at it, at an already lost time.

“So.” Brad must have felt my mood change. “Where are we headed, anyway?”

“Lucky’s Canyon.” I nodded ahead of us. “Lainey has a whole setup there for dinner with firepits and sleeping tents.”

Several hours later, with a few breaks along the way, we finally came to the edge of the lake, where everything was set up.