“Of course,” Candice says. “You’re in the last room on the left.”
Winnie disappears down the hall, leaving me alone with the Wilson siblings. I stand up ramrod straight and take Candice’s hand in mine. In theory, I know that Beau is okay with me dating Candice. But in reality…who knows how he will react to his best friend dating his sister.
“It’s good to have you back,” he says, eyes skimming over our linked hands. “Both of you.”
And just like that, the nerves drain out of me. It’s going to be fine. Beau clearly doesn’t give a shit that I’m with Candice.
“Come through to the kitchen,” he says. “Jenny and Lila have something to show you two.”
I think I catch a twinge of a blush cross his cheeks as he says the redhead’s name and I catch his eye just for a moment. He shakes his head, almost imperceptibly. Point taken. We’re ignoring the topic of Beau and Jenny until further notice.
The house smells amazing, like sugar and butter, and oddly, beef. When we walk into the kitchen, Jenny, Lila, and Tomás are there to greet us.
“Welcome home!” Lila screeches, running around the table in circles, her princess dress streaming behind her.
Jenny moves and reveals a slightly lopsided chocolate cake in the middle of the table.
“Lila wanted to do something fun for you,” Jenny explains to me. “This morning I told her that you were coming back to Star Mountain to stay, and she got excited.”
“Thanks, Lila, that’s really nice of you,” I say, crouching down to talk to her.
She just nods and then runs around the table again, screeching about how much she likes cake.
“We also made lunch,” Beau says. “Coffee rubbed beef brisket from Holden’s ranch and vegetarian chili.”
“Welcome to the family,” Tomás says, tipping his beer towards me. “We’re glad to have you back. Permanently?”
“It’s definitely permanent,” I say, looking at Candice and smiling.
“Good,” Tomás says. “Candice was moping around, and it was getting annoying.”
Candice glares at him, but doesn’t contradict him.
“Were you really moping around the barn missing me?” I ask, giving her a grin.
“She was sitting in Ballantine’s stall crying,” Jenny says.
“Aw. It’s cute that you missed my horse,” I flick Candice on the nose. “But don’t worry, I was moping around, too. My family couldn’t wait for me to leave, and Riley told me that I’d brought a black storm cloud with me.”
We take our seats and dig into the beef and chili that Beau serves. Candice, Jenny, and Tomás joke around in that way you only can with family. Their laughter is infectious and I find myself smiling and joining in like I never left at all. Beau sits at the head of the table, silent for the most part, but clearly happy to have everyone together again.
Candice explains to them that Winnie will be staying at the rescue for a while. I gather that she’s made it a habit to visitStar Mountain every few years or so, so the whole team already knows her and seems excited that she’ll be around.
After we eat, we play cards in the living room until Lila starts getting cranky and Jenny decides it’s time for them to go home. Tomás and Beau keep going with a game of poker, but I catch Candice’s eye.
“Let’s go for a ride,” I say.
We head to the paddock where Maggie and Brown Sugar are. It’s snowing a bit, and they are romping around in the flakes together. While they play, I pull my phone out and open my email drafts. I click on the one that’s been there for nearly two months now.
“Here,” I say, showing it to Candice. “I want you to read it over before I send it in.”
She looks confused for a moment, but understanding dawns on her face as she skims it.
“No,” she says, shaking her head. “You don’t need my help with this, Nathan, or my approval. You’re reporting Brad and that’s all that matters. Even if nothing comes of this immediately, it means that if someone reports him again there will be a paper trail.”
I nod. I stare down at the email, reading over the lines one final time. It doesn’t say much—it’s mostly formulaic and follows the standards for reporting laid out by the American Reining Association. But it still matters. It’s still something. I hit send, and pocket my phone.
“I should have done that a hell of a lot sooner,” I say.
