“New eye candy alert,” Ruby singsongs as soon as I walk into the stables.
“Who?” I lead Buttercup into one of the grooming stalls and securely crosstie him in place.
“New farrier. He’s in the office with your dad. But goddamn, I nearly tripped over my boots gettin’ a good look. Might’ve squeezed his bicep when I walked past him, too.”
I snort as I remove the saddle and set it on the stand. “Didn’t you and Nash just celebrate your eighteen-month anniversary?”
She holds up her left hand and wiggles her bare ring finger. “I can still appreciate the view when he looks like a souped-up cowboy who walked right out of Yellowstone.”
Magnolia and I have binged that show more times than I can count, so now she has my undivided attention.
“Tell me more.” I grab a brush and begin grooming Buttercup. We had a long training session this morning since he’s scheduled to leave tomorrow. The owner bought him on a whim without realizing he wasn’t professionally trained, and he bucked her off within thirty seconds of getting on him. After four months of daily cross-training, Buttercup’s time has come to an end. But since I’m a perfectionist and my own worst enemy, I can’t let my boarders leave without one final session to ensure they’re ready. Mrs. Clark came twice a week to ride him under my guidance so she’s as prepared as she possibly can be when I’m no longer around.
“He’s basically a Luke Grimes dupe. Maybe a smidge older. Dark hair to his shoulders. Scruffy jawline. Brown eyes with wrinkles around the creases. Tall and muscular. My soon-to-be Daddy.”
Staying focused on Buttercup’s grooming, my heart pitter-patters as her description matches Fisher’s. There’s no way he’d just show up and apply for a job here because I ignored his calls. Would he? He knows my last name, and it wouldn’t take much internet research to find out where I live and work, considering Sugarland Creek’s population is just over two thousand people.
That’d be some next-level stalker shit only considered sexy in romance novels.
“So basically, what wet dreams are made of?” Ayden barks out an amused laugh.
“You know it.” Ruby chuckles.
They continue chatting as my brain freezes, wondering if there’s any coincidence the new farrier is a Fisher-doppelgänger.
“Hello, earth to Noah?” Ruby snaps her fingers in my face.
I shake my head and turn toward her. “What?”
“You okay? You launched to Mars for a minute there.”
I shake my head and force a tight smile. “Yeah, fine. Just thinkin’ of my never-endin’ to-do list.”
“Want me to tack up Nibbler for ya?”
“That’d be great. Thanks.”
She leaves to get his saddle, and I continue brushing Buttercup.
“While you’re out with Nibbler, I’m gonna clean his stall. Think you’ll be gone for a bit?” Ayden asks. He’s seven years older and has worked on the ranch for over a decade, so he’s more of an older brother to me. Although he’s the stables manager, I do all the training, so he runs the schedule through me.
“Mm-hmm. He needs a good run today.”
And I need to clear my head of any thoughts about Fisher.
I bring Buttercup back to his stall and give him a few forehead rubs before closing the door. Ruby already has Nibbler ready for me, and when I step toward them, I hear the office door open.
“There’s my daughter,” my dad says. “Noah, come meet the new farrier.”
Swallowing hard, I turn around and am greeted by a man I never thought I’d see again.
Fisher narrows his eyes as they walk closer, and I immediately panic. He doesn’t look half as shocked to see me as I am to see him. Could my life get any worse?
I take a couple of steps backward as they approach me, feeling the urge to run and fake amnesia.
“Comin’ through,” Ayden calls out behind me. I need time to compose myself but am nearly face-to-face with my dad and Fisher.
This can’t be happening. He shouldn’t be here. He can’t be here.
“Noah, hold on. Wanna introduce y’all.” My dad’s voice gets louder.
“Noah?” Ayden’s behind me.
When I turn toward him, I nearly fall into a wheelbarrow full of horse shit.
“Excuse me. I’m goin’ into Nibbler’s stall, and you’re blockin’ the entrance…” Ayden drawls out, arching a brow when I freeze.
Clearing the fog in my brain, I nod and step to the side. “Yeah. Sorry.”
“Noah, this is Fisher,” my dad’s booming voice echoes behind me. “He took over for Mr. Ryan.”
Unfortunately for me, I spin around on my heels too fast and stumble on the front of my boot. While trying to catch myself, I fall backward. The weight of my body catches the edge of the wheelbarrow, and within seconds, it goes down, tipping its entire contents on top of me.
I’m literally covered in horse shit.
The answer is yes. My life could get worse.
“Noah!” Everyone shouts my name at the same time, but all I want is for the ground to open up and swallow me down to my grave.
RIP Noah Hollis. Died of humiliation while covered in horse shit in front of her one-night stand who turned out to be her ex’s dad and is twice her age. And now the new farrier on her family’s ranch.
It’d make for an epic tombstone.
A hand finds mine and pulls me up. The moment I went down, I instinctively closed my eyes and mouth, and as soon as I sit up, I blow out a breath.
“You okay?” Fisher kneels in front of me, his hand still squeezing mine, and I quickly yank it out of his.
Glancing up, I find everyone staring at me. Ayden’s mouth is agape while Ruby struggles not to laugh.
“I’m so sorry, Noah. I tried to warn ya, and then…I dunno. You went down so fast. I couldn’t catch you in time.” Ayden’s voice is full of sincerity, and I should accept his apology, considering it’s not his fault, but right now, all I want to do is run away.
“Let’s get you to your feet, sweetheart.” Dad grabs my hand and helps me to stand.
I avoid Fisher’s death stare as I wipe the shit off my clothes.
“You alright?” my dad asks, helping me brush my shoulders and arms.
Ruby comes over and fusses with my hair.
“Physically, yes.” When I inhale a sharp breath, I immediately regret it. That smell is coming from me. “If you’ll excuse me—” My gaze shoots to Fisher’s before meeting my father’s eyes. “I’m gonna go home and shower. I’ll be back within the hour.”
“Sure, sweetie. I’ll have Ayden show Mr. Underwood around, and you can take over when you’re back.”
My back goes ramrod straight at the thought of being alone with Fisher.
“I’m already behind on my trainin’ schedule and will be even more now. Can’t Ruby give him the grand tour?” I argue. Besides the fact I don’t want to talk to him, I don’t like falling behind.
“Oh, I’d totally do that!” Ruby squeals. “I’d be happy to show Mr. Underwood ’round the ranch.”
Relief floods my veins when my dad takes the bait, and I excuse myself to leave.
No amount of soap will wash away the embarrassment I feel right now.
As soon as I walk in the door of my cottage, I get a FaceTime call from Magnolia.
“What in the fresh horse shit happened to you?”
I scowl as I walk through the kitchen and make a beeline for the bathroom. Before I got in my truck, I removed my boots, jeans, and shirt, and then tossed them in the bed. I’d rather drive half naked than stink up my truck.
“Ruby text you?”
“She told me ya took a stumble and to check on you.” She chews on her bottom lip. “And then said somethin’ about a super-hot farrier that you were avoidin’. On a scale of one to Henry Cavill, how hot are we talkin’?”
Goddammit, Ruby.
“It’s not what you think.” I set my phone down on the vanity and wrinkle my nose at the reflection in the mirror. Then I pull the ponytail holder out, and my hair falls around my shoulders. “Aren’t ya supposed to be at work?”
“I took a mental health day.”
I thread my fingers through my knotted hair and smirk. Magnolia’s worked at Main Street Café for the past three years and has complained about it for just as long. “Mrs. Blanche let ya do that? She’s gonna fire you soon. You know that, right?”
“I’d like to see her try.” She scoffs. “If she’d listen to my fun drink ideas and branch out with new pastries, we could expand our customer base. Instead, I’m stuck makin’ coffee for the senior citizen crowd. How am I ever gonna meet my future husband if the only male population I talk to are ones with dentures and bifocals?”
“You think your froufrou drinks are gonna bring in men our age? You’d be better off askin’ to change the uniform to crop tops and booty shorts if that’s your angle.”
“Of course not, but I have an idea. The drinks would attract a younger crowd. Women in their twenties and thirties. See where I’m goin’ with this?” She taps her temple like she’s a genius.
Laughing, I nod. “Yeah…guys will start to flock in to meet the women. And of course, one will fall in love with you, and the rest will be history.”
“Exactly!” she emphasizes. “My plan is foolproof. But thanks to my boss, I’ll die an old maid just like her.”
“You could always apply to work at the ranch,” I remind her. “There are plenty of male ranch hands here.”
“Have ya met me? You might not care about fallin’ into a pile of horse shit, but I’d literally die if that happened to me.”
“You’re so dramatic. But who knows, you could meet someone at the fundraiser. Could be the start of your cowboy era.”
“Oh yay, arrogant men in tight jeans who think they’re God’s gift to the world. Sign me up.”
I laugh at her deadpan expression. “Guess that means Tripp’s off your radar, huh?”
She scoffs. “He was never on it.”
I roll my eyes at her blatant lie, and then lift my phone and grab some towels.
“Are you only in your bra and underwear?”
“Yes. I need to get in the shower, so I’ll call ya later.”
“I don’t think so. You need to tell me what’s goin’ on.”
“You wanna shower with me or what? I need to get back to work.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time.” She waggles her brows, and I choke out a laugh at the numerous memories of us getting into the type of trouble that required joint showers.
“Fine, whatever.” I turn on the shower until it’s as hot as I can take. “No peeking. Eyes up here.”
She snorts. “It ain’t nothin’ I haven’t seen before, Noah. I went with you to your first pap smear and taught ya how to insert a tampon, remember? I’ve seen your cervix.”
“Jesus, you’re so weird.” I move my phone to the shelf that won’t get hit with water, then remove my bra and underwear.
“Hey, I offered to show you mine in return. You’re the one who nearly fainted and got all frazzled.”
I tip my head back and wet my hair. “Because you asked me to bring a handheld mirror so you could see it yourself. The gynecologist was ready to kick us out.”
“Sue me for wantin’ to know what it looks like.” Her Southern drawl emphasizing each word has me rolling my eyes and biting back a smile. Magnolia Sutherland is the definition of a wild child who has never been told no a day in her life.
“Yeah, curiosity killed the cat, and I had to find a different doctor. I’ve already signed paperwork to make sure you aren’t in the room when I give birth,” I tease, lathering my palms with soap and rubbing it over every inch of my body.
“You’re a liar, and we both know it. You want me sittin’ right behind you, chanting push, push, push!”
“Please, God. No.” I groan at the thought. “My husband will be lucky if he’s allowed to witness the birth of his child, thanks to being scarred by you.”
“Speakin’ of husband. You need to talk about this farrier dude. What got ya so worked up you ended up in a pile of horse shit?”
As I work the shampoo through my thick hair, I blow out a breath in anticipation of her reaction.
“The farrier is Fisher.”
“Who?”
My fingers massage my scalp, and I wait as it clicks in her brain.
“Wait. Fisher from the rodeo? The one-night stand Fisher?”
I wipe water out of my eyes and look at her shell-shocked face on the screen.
“Yes. Also, my ex’s dad, Fisher. And now, the new farrier.”
Her jaw drops. “Oh. My. God.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“How the hell did that happen?”
“I have the same question.”
Next, I move on to the conditioner, and while my ends soak, I grab my razor.
“What’re ya shavin’ for?” She arches a brow.
“I missed a spot on my leg, you perv.”
“Mm-hmm, sure. Daddy Fisher likes it smooth, I bet.”
“Do not call him that,” I scold. This situation is fucked up as it is without those words being engrained in my head.
“Why not? He’s someone’s daddy.”
“Jase is too old to call him that, so shush.”
“Speakin’ of that, ya think he knows you nailed his dad?”
“Christ. All of Sugarland Creek is gonna know if you’re any louder.” I rinse my hair, ready to get dressed and smell human again. “And I dunno. Assuming they’re even talkin’, it might not be long before it comes up in a conversation of who I am to Jase.”
I need to text him and find out why he didn’t tell me his dad moved back here. Even during our “off” moments, we still talked and told each other everything. Well, almost everything.
“So you don’t think Fisher knows?”
“He didn’t look that surprised to see me, so I think he knew I lived and worked here. Not sure on the other thing where I’m his son’s ex.”
“Ooh, a stealthy stalker. We love to see it.”
“No, we don’t. Only in your de-lulu-brain.”
“A man who gets a job just to see you after ghostin’ them is romantic as fuck.”
“You’d be that person who gets abducted, then ask them to live out your captive fantasy.”
“Don’t knock it till ya try it. Travis and I did it once.”
“Your psycho ex? Seems fittin’ for him.” I scoff at the thought of how he treated my best friend and how long she put up with it.
I turn off the water and grab my hair towel. “Doubt he even had to act the part.”
“Let’s just say it consisted of handcuffs, rope, and a lot of hair pullin’.”
“What, no hand necklaces?” I giggle, wrapping a larger towel around my body before stepping onto the mat.
“He tried, but he couldn’t figure out how not to choke me to death while doin’ it, so I made him stop.”
“Yeah, I bet that was his problem…” I dramatically roll my eyes in front of the screen.
“We’re not supposed to be talkin’ about him anyway. How did seein’ Fisher end up with you in a pile of horse shit?”
As I get dressed and brush my hair, I replay the humiliating moment that led me here. She doesn’t hold back her laughter either.
“That is the most me thing I’ve ever heard. I can’t believe you froze like that.”
I grab my makeup bag and put on concealer and lip gloss. She rambles about how I need to explain to Fisher why I ignored his calls and texts so we can live out a forbidden fantasy.
“That’s not gonna happen, Mags. Besides the obvious reasons of awkwardness, there’s a no employee fraternizin’ rule.”
“Oh, ya know your parents only set that in place because of Wilder sleepin’ with the receptionist and then makin’ Waylon break up with her as him.”
I hold back a laugh as I put on mascara and focus on not smudging it. The memories of my older twin brothers getting into trouble are nothing new. The receptionist was so heartbroken she caused a scene and threw everything she could find around The Lodge. One of the guests filmed it and uploaded it to social media, where it got three million views in a week. I’ve never seen my parents want to kill my brother more. After that, there was a no employees dating employees rule set in place.
“Doesn’t matter, it’s still the rule,” I remind her.
She shrugs with a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. “No one has to know.”
