“What now?” Riley asked.
Was he referring to the horses or us?
“There’s nothing else for us to do,” I said, walking away from the stall. “Let’s let them get some rest.”
Riley followed me out of the stable and grabbed my hand.
“We were going to watch a second movie,” he said.
“It’s late. You still want to?” I asked.
“Yeah, I have a feeling my boss won’t hold it against me tomorrow if I need the second cup of coffee.”
I smiled at him.
“No, I don’t think she will,” I said as he pulled me to my trailer.
I mixed another margarita for us, and we toasted to a new foal on the farm. Then we threw back the drinks.
We put on the romantic comedy we had picked out and got comfortable on opposite ends of the couch. Right after the movie started, he grabbed my ankles and slid me his way. His left arm went over my shoulders, and I sank into his side.
This felt awfully real, like something only real couples did, but what did I know? Friends were capable of hanging out like this; it didn’t have to mean a thing. We laughed and laughed, and sometime before the end of the movie, I fell asleep.
I was pulled out of my light sleep when I felt myself being lifted and carried. I then felt the comfort of my bed swallow me up. The room lit up with the light of my phone as Riley turned on my phone alarm for tomorrow.
He leaned down and kissed my forehead.
“Good night, Emma,” he said.
“Mmmm,” I mumbled, already drifting back into a beautiful sleep.
Fifteen
Emma
My alarm assaulted my ears. I threw my covers off and got ready for the day, taking extra time to gargle mouthwash after the margaritas last night. The smell of tequila had a way of sticking around for a little while.
Riley was standing at the stable door with two cups of coffee and handed me one as I approached.
“I figured you might need this,” he said.
“Ugh, I do. Thank you,” I said, and then I pressed the cup to my lips and drained half of it.
Mmmm, caffeine. Now I was human again.
Riley stared at my mouth and then shook his head, like waking up out of a daydream.A penny for your thoughts, Riley?
His father left early this morning for a business trip to California, and his stepmother accompanied him. We had the farm to ourselves, except for Rodrigo, who was out mending fences.
“Can I hook up to the speakers?” he asked.
“Be my guest,” I told him.
“One of Them Girls” by Lee Brice started playing in the stable. I wondered if his song selections meant anything to him like mine did to me? Sometimes a song wasn’t just something you listen to to pass the time. Some songs were the words your heart couldn’t speak but could beat along to.
We danced as we led the horses in and as we worked. Various songs played through the speakers. Riley didn’t stick to any specific genre but kept playing upbeat, feel-good songs. Songs about the right people.
“So will you go out with me tonight?” Riley asked.
