Page 5 of Breathe Me In

Dale: I don’t like how we ended things at the café. Can we talk?

I bit my lip as I opened the glove box and reached to the far back corner, where I felt it. Its sharp barb pricked my finger. A tiny piece of wire hidden away from the world. A cold, deep-rooted shiver went through me, and I slammed the box shut.

I tossed my phone into my purse and forced myself to clear my head as I sucked the tiny drop of blood from my fingertip.

As I hopped down, I spotted my twin brother. He carried a saddle over his arm. He slowed when he saw me, and his lips went into a thin line.

“Hey, Patrick.” I forced a smile, but I knew he saw through it and that he knew that if it was up to me, I’d never return to this town.

“Trail ride starts in fifteen.” He eyed me, then shoved the saddle into my arms. “Toby needs to be tacked.” He brushed by me, and I awkwardly shifted the hunk of leather in my arms.

“Right,” I huffed and headed off to the barn where Toby waited patiently. The place looked great. The cedar stall doors and their black hinges complemented each other. I was surprised to see skylights had been installed—the natural light they allowed in would be appreciated by the horses as well as the stable hands, especially in winter, when they craved it. Even the tack room had been given a facelift and sported a wagon wheel table and a couch. I had to chuckle when I saw everything had been well labeled for the idiots of the world who can’t follow simple instructions. I could hear Patrick’s voice in my head.

“Hey, boy.” I rubbed Toby’s head as he pushed into me as a greeting. I slid the bar back to release the door and walked him out to the cross tie. “I see Patrick is as grumpy as usual.” I spoke quietly to the horse as I clipped his ties on either side, then flipped the saddle pad up over his back and settled it into place. I grunted as I swung the heavy saddle up on top.

“Can you blame him for being grumpy?” When I heard a deeper voice, my lips stretched wide, and I turned to find my brother-in-law polishing a set of reins.

“Hi, Charley.” I moved around Toby and wrapped my arms around him, and he hugged me back. “God, it’s good to see you.”

“You too, stranger.” He settled back, and I saw him glance at me a few times as I continued to tack up Toby. I tapped the horse’s belly, and he sucked it in so I could pull the girth tight. I could feel Charley’s questions as they probed my silence. “How long you back for?”

I pulled the stirrups free and let them hang to be adjusted to the rider’s length later. “Not sure. Few weeks, maybe.”

“Do Jacob and Nina know you’re back?”

“They do.” At the mention of my parents, I avoided eye contact. We both knew this wouldn’t have been the first time I had flaked on a promise to stay awhile. “They most likely didn’t think it was true.” He chuckled, and I turned to stare at him.

“What?”

“You act like we don’t love you.” He hooked the reins back into their place and pushed off the stool. “Lower your defenses, Bree. We’re just happy you’re here.” He swatted my back playfully as he skirted past me.

“Yeah.” I shrugged and knew he was right. A lot of my problems with returning home were my own.

I finished with Toby and led him out to a group of women who looked to be straight out of New York City.

“How fast do these things go?” one woman asked as she cringed at Lucky, the horse Patrick brought up to her. He held out the reins, but when she didn’t take them, he pursed his lips and let them drop.

“Well, that depends”—Patrick grabbed the woman by the waist and hiked her up and over the horse—“on how loud you are.” He handed her the reins as he winked at Charley, who made an effort to hide his grin.

“Oh.” She lowered her voice. “Yeah, okay.”

I took pity on the terrified woman and reached for the reins she held awkwardly in her hand. “Hold them both in one hand and hold the horn to keep yourself stable. Squeeze your thighs to move forward, and the horse will do the rest.”

“Squeeze, horn, stay quiet,” she reassured herself. “Got it.”

I helped the rest of the riders and waited as Patrick rode to take the lead of the group while one of the ranch hands took the rear. Cedar Creek Ranch was now known far and wide for its country adventures on horseback, for weekend camping trips, and as a place to go for a break from people’s normal lives, all because of Lainey’s vision.

“Are we ready?” Patrick called out. They all answered with a thumbs-up. “Great, now remember, the most important thing is never ever—” His phone rang, and he pulled it free. “Hello?” He turned and started down the path, and the rest of the horses started to follow.

“Never what?” they all called nervously. Charley chuckled as he tucked his phone away.

I laughed. “That’s messed up.”

“Maybe, but after three tours a day for five days a week, you hear the same complaints, and guess what.” He urged me to follow him toward the house. “They all come back with smiles on their faces, and they can’t wait to rebook.”

“Good.” I looked over my shoulder and watched the last horse disappear into the tree line. “So, business is doing well, then?”

“Yes, and now that we got our new buggy, the winter bookings have taken off.” He patted Finley, one of the border collies, as he raced around our feet.