Page 8 of His Eighth Ride

“Did you text out details of your dates with Hunter when you two started dating?”

Molly opened her mouth as if to say yes, then promptly shut it.

“Exactly,” Opal said, turning her back on Molly. “I’ll tell everyone I have a date with Tag tomorrow night. I will only share what I feel appropriate to share.”

“Fair enough,” Molly said as she came up beside her. They took in the dining room and living room, where people still milled about, chatting and laughing. The presents and birthday cake were long over, and Opal smiled at her loved ones.

“It was a great party,” Opal said.

“Yes,” Molly said. “The Hammonds do know how to put on a great party.”

The following morning, Opal practically bounced into the kitchen on her toes. “Good morning,” she said to Gerty, who stood at the kitchen sink, washing out one of West’s bottles.

Gerty looked over to her, her expression cool. “Is it?”

“Yes,” Opal said with a smile. “It is. I’m sure you’ve heard, but I’m going to dinner with Tag tonight.”

Gerty’s eyebrows went up. “I hadn’t heard that, actually.”

Opal poured herself a cup of coffee and reached for the cream still sitting on the counter. “Are you upset by that?”

“Of course not,” Gerty said matter-of-factly. “Both you and Tag are adults. You deserve happiness. Maybe it’ll be with each other.” She smiled at Opal. “Plus, you two have liked each other for months. Ain’t no one—least of all me—can get in the way of that.”

“Does Mike know?”

“Why did you think I did?” Gerty asked.

“I texted Jane last night,” Opal said. “Molly knows.” She shrugged. “I assumed it would make it around all the gossip chains.”

“Which is why Mike and I live out here,” Gerty said. “We’re sort of out all the ‘gossip chains.’” She grinned and turned back to West as the baby babbled and clapped his hands against his highchair tray. “Yeah, you’re done, aren’t you?”

She went to tend to him while Opal doctored up her coffee and scrambled herself a couple of eggs. Then she joined Gerty in the living room with a plate of breakfast. West cruised around the furniture, banging toys and talking to himself while Gerty simply watched and smiled at everything he did.

Opal knew the feeling, because he was simply the best little boy in the world. She ate in companionable silence, and then asked, “You’re still planning on me having him today, right?”

“I was,” Gerty said. “But your…ribs….”

“I’m fine,” Opal said. “I can lift West.”

“He weighs more than a loaf of bread.”

“I can play with him on the floor. Change his diaper on the floor. Put him down for a nap on the floor. All of it. We’ll be fine here.” She set her empty plate aside. “Plus, Carrie can come help if I text her.”

“I can come for my own child if you text me,” Gerty said.

“Yes, but you’re busy with the horses today,” Opal said matter-of-factly. “And I know sometimes that work is hard to interrupt.”

Gerty wouldn’t admit that yes, sometimes it was hard to stop in the middle of a training session. Instead, she lifted her head as if Opal had never dealt with a stubborn person before. She had, including Gerty herself. “I have a call with another horse rescue ranch just after lunch. If you can keep him for three or four hours, I can have Carrie come help this afternoon.”

“I’m not broken,” Opal said.

“I know.” Gerty grinned. “But you’re going to need this afternoon to start to plan the Christmas party.”

“I—what?”

Gerty gave her a grin that only she thought was funny. “Mike is way too busy to plan the party, and I’m probably going to get a few new horses between now and then.”

And you don’t do anything.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com