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“Looks like you were treated to a mud bath,” Beau said with a shit-eating grin.
Callie spread her arms and let them drop to her sides.
“Hera got away from me this morning before I could fix my fence. Tennyson is usually a smooth ride, but Hera has a stubborn streak a mile wide. I think it’s rubbing off on him. She bolted, he took off after her, and I was left in the dust.”
I didn’t miss the way Callie’s gaze roamed over Beau, taking in the sight of him—bare chest, charming smile, confident, flirtatious. Her face was flushed from the exertion of chasing after her horses, but I could have sworn her cheeks turned several shades darker. The attraction between them was hot enough to sizzle an egg.
I rubbed Hera’s neck, swallowing around the lump in my throat.
“I didn’t catch your name,” Beau said. As if we hadn’t been talking about her five minutes ago.
“I’m Callie. Cora McClaren’s granddaughter.”
She stretched over the fence to shake Beau’s hand. The hem of her shirt rode up by a few inches—just enough to provide a teasing glimpse of hip and stomach. I forgot how to breathe, thinking of the way my fingertips would sink into her plush skin.
“I’m Beau,” he replied. “This is my friend, Landon.”
Callie shifted her attention to me. Her expression cooled significantly.
“Yes. We’ve met.”
I gritted my teeth and dipped my head in a nod. Clearly, I’d burned that bridge before I’d had a chance to build it in the first place. Instead, I would stand here like a damn idiot and watch my best friend fall in love with the girl I was sweet on.
Hera must have sensed my distress and nudged at my back hard enough to make me lurch forward a few steps in order to maintain my balance.
“Miss Cora talks about you all the time,” Beau said. “She’s bust-your-buttons proud to have you take over the old homestead. If you’d like a tour of Ash Ridge, I’d be happy to show you around.”
Callie’s face was definitely getting redder by the second. She scrubbed her palms against her thighs and brushed a lock of hair away from her eyes.
“Oh, well, I…I’d actually love that. It’s been a few years since I visited and I’d appreciate getting to know the town again. Where do you live around here?”
Beau draped his arms in a lazy sprawl out the window of his truck.
“High Plains Ranch. You heard of it?”
Callie blinked, wide-eyed.
“You mean…Grady McCall’s place?”
“That’s the one.”
“Everyone knows him. He has the biggest spread for miles around, right?”
Beau nodded. “I’ll admit the grumpy ol’ dog knows his cattle. He runs that ranch with an iron fist and a steel backbone, but it’s served him well, considering the amount of cash he rakes in every year. I’m a hired hand at High Plains. Run-of-the-mill cowboy. If I’m not pestering Landon here, you can find me there any day of the week.”
Hera sniffed my pockets. I stroked the blaze on her forehead, silently apologizing for my lack of peppermints. Callie and Beau continued to talk in the background, their voices rendered a low, muted hum. I hated watching this play out, feeling powerless to stop it.
“Farrier work?” Beau said. “Yeah, I can recommend a name for you.”
My heart lurched.No. No, no, no, Beau don’t you fucking dare—
He tilted his head in my direction.
“Landon is your best option. He can turn the meanest horse into the meekest lamb and get those hooves cleaned up in no time.”
Callie regarded me warily.
“My horses could use some attention,” she admitted, as if the words pained her to say it. “Hera won’t let me even look at her hooves, let alone trim them.”
