Page 5 of Jade

He laughs. “Me and Mustang are all about equality; there’s no reason you can’t outrun us.”

I roll my eyes. “You let me win. You weren’t even trying.”

“That isn’t true.” His voice turns to a whisper. “Mustang’s ego, remember? He’s a little sensitive when he loses.”

I laugh again. “Right.” I sober for a second, meeting his eyes. “Listen, about before, thanks. I didn’t mean to get messy back there.”

“That wasn’t messy, princess. And there’s no need to thank me, I didn’t do anything.”

“Yes,” I say, “you did. I was spiraling. The idea that I’d have to find a new place to live, and someone threatening the people I care about, got too much.”

He nods, his eyes serious. “That’s completely understandable.”

I dismount, leading Puddles inside as Dustin and Mustang follow behind me. “This is your home, too. This entire situation sucks.”

“Tell me about it,” he agrees. “But it’s like Fort Knox here, nobody is gettin’ in. That surveyor asswipe was a one-off. Not gonna happen again on my watch.”

Dustin dismounts, too, and I take in his perfect ass. Holy guacamole. He is fine.

“It’s troubling, but with Nash on our side, I hope that’ll prevent Lanzetti and his men from doing anything else,” I say. “We have the Founders Day festival this weekend, it’d be great if we could all get out and let our hair down.”

The Founders Day festival is a night of celebration for Saddle. Everyone gathers in the town square, businesses stay open late, and there are food stalls, coffee vans, and roasted chestnuts. People go all-out. Then later, we light lanterns to honor those who have passed. It’s a beautiful sight. I’ve been going for the last couple of years, and now I really look forward to it.

“Roasted chestnuts? Sounds like my kinda night.”

I turn to face him. “So, you’re going?”

He tips his hat. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

The warmth of his smile makes me melt. It isn’t a date, I remind myself. He’s just coming along with the group.

“I thought you hated these events?” I say at the same time Dustin says, “Are you going with anyone?”

We start to unbridle the horses, and then we glance at each other. I laugh. “You first.”

“Nope, where I come from, it’s always ladies first.”

“Well, I’m probably going to tag along with Pearl because I’m doing a shift at Saddle Hop, so I’ll already be in town.” I’m a no-frills girl; I don’t like dressing up, so I’ll just take a pair of stilettos to change into and a fresh top.

“I meant, uh…” He palms the back of his head. Dustin isn’t a nervous man by any means, but he doesn’t meet my gaze when he says, “I heard you had a date.”

My eyes widen in surprise. “A date?” I laugh. “Who told you that?”

Before he even opens his mouth, I know who: Onyx. She’s always stirring me up about Dustin and making moves on him. I deny it every single time, but there’s truth to her words. However, I don’t need prying eyes when I’m trying to enjoy my secret crush.

“That doesn’t matter.” He smiles. Dustin is fiercely loyal. Your secrets are most definitely safe with him. “I just wondered who the lucky guy is.”

I snort. “There is no guy. This is Saddle, remember? There are no new men in town that I know about.”

His stance relaxes, as does his face, and for some reason I get the sense he’s relieved by my confession. “I—W-well, that’s good, then.”

I stop in my tracks, giving him a pointed glance. “That I’m not on a date?”

“That’s not what I meant⁠—”

I love tongue-tied Dustin.

Call it an adrenaline rush, but I blurt out, “It almost sounded like you were asking me out for a second.”