Breaking Fences (The Breaking Series) (28 page)

He shook his head. “I would have lied I was leaving town last time you disappeared if I knew that’s what it would take for you to go back.”

I smiled. “That would have brought the old Bia back, and she can be very mean.”

“Is that the same one that kissed me at the Halloween Ball and last Sunday?”

I nodded. “I do my best to keep her hidden.”

“Why?”

“Because she was more carefree, more alive, more out there. Not like Audrey makes me look like, but certainly my behavior would have fed her lies. Everyone would look at me and believe her.”

“I hate to tell you this, but I don’t think they doubt her now,” he said. I knew it, but hearing that hurt a little more. “You shouldn’t change because of that.”

I poked his stomach in play, but regretted it. His abs were rock hard. My cheeks warmed a little more. “Um, you like this Bia. Plain and quiet.”

Garrett grabbed my hand, and he leaned into me, pressing my back on my car. “I do, but I think I would like the other one too. I’ve seen glimpses of her, and I do like her.”

He liked me? Before I could think about what he had said, he slid a hand around my neck and lowered his face to mine. His lips brushed mine. My breath caught. He started pulling away, but I fisted my hands on his jacket and pulled him to me. I melded my mouth with his. He sighed and relaxed, opening his lips to me, letting me in. He leaned into me, winding his other arm around me and pressing my chest to his. Desire, want, and lust swarmed through me, and I almost fell headfirst in it. I almost clanged to him for dear life, pulled him into my car, and climbed onto him. Or invited him back to my dorm. Almost.

A flicker of reason sparked in my mind, and I remembered where we were. Other students could see me, could see us, and add fuel to Audrey’s fire.

I broke the kiss and turned to the side, hiding my face under my hair.

“Hey, don’t,” Garrett said, brushing my hair from my face. “Don’t run away again. Don’t hide.”

Really? I had run away the first time, yes, but last Sunday, he was the one that kept his distance from me. He had been the one running away.

“I-I need to go,” I lied. Yes, I was hungry, but I had nothing scheduled. I could eat later, or not eat at all. Still, this felt inappropriate.

He sighed and pulled his hands away. “I’ll see you when I get back, right?”

“Maybe,” I said in a low voice.

“Maybe is better than no.”

I shook my head, hiding a smile, and looked at him. “Bye, Garrett. Have a safe trip.”

He stared at me for a moment before answering. “Bye, Bia.”

He walked around the car, toward The Bat house, and I drove out of the parking lot. I had lost my appetite and ended up driving around for half an hour before stopping by a McDonald’s, and going back to my dorm to sulk.

***

Knowing Garrett was away, I didn’t even think if going to Rocky Hill was an option or not. I loved going to the ranch. It was the only place where I could clear my mind and be a little more like myself, but things between Garrett and me were odd. I tried not caring, but it influenced my decisions.

This time, it was a no brainer. Right after my Friday afternoon class, I rushed to my room, dropped my tote, picked up my cowboy hat, and drove off campus.

The last two days had been complicated. The only bright side was seeing Audrey walking around with a huge bandage over her broken nose. Still, I felt a little guilty for feeling good about having done that.

Wary, I parked my car beside Mr. Hudson’s SUV. The thought of leaving crossed my mind, but what the hell? If he asked about it, I was a frequent client.

The door to Tom’s office was closed, and I could hear voices coming from inside, though I couldn’t hear exactly what was being said. And I didn’t even want to.

On instinct, I approached Midnight’s stall. A pang ran through my heart at seeing it empty. I knew he was recovering well, even though he wouldn’t be able to ride for a long time, but the pain was also from missing him. Beside Midnight’s stall, Felicity nickered. I extended my hand to her and let her sniff me before running my fingers along her smooth coat.

“Hey, girl. Missing your man?” I asked. She snorted, and I laughed as if she had answered me. “I sorta miss him too.” She poked her nose on my arm. “All right. I miss him. A lot.” I sighed. “You know him better than I do. Got any advice on dealing with him?” She lowered her head, going for the water bowl. “I thought so.”

Noticing her water was low, I got busy by giving her more water and checking the other stalls and doing the same. I was halfway done when Mr. Hudson stepped out of Tom’s office. He saw me leaning over Autumn’s stall and frowned. Tom exited the office and Mr. Hudson turned to him. They exchanged a few hushed words before Mr. Hudson straightened his jacket and left the stable.

Tom rubbed his hand on the back of his neck as he approached me.

“Hi,” I said, a little worried about why Tom looked worried.

“Hi,” he answered, his voice small.

“Want to talk about it?”

He halted beside me. “There’s not much to talk about. Mr. Hudson isn’t happy with the way things are going between Delilah and Garrett. He hopes Garrett can find a new horse and make a champion out of Delilah in record time.”

“That’s … not impossible, but not likely to happen.”

Tom raised his eyebrows. “It
is
impossible and we both know it.”

I bit the inside of my cheek. “What will happen then?”

“I don’t know.” He sighed. “Let’s hope Garrett can perform a miracle.”

I wasn’t the praying type, but this was a matter worth praying about. Even if things never worked out between Garrett and me, I didn’t want to see him kicked out of here, or worse.

“And just now?” I asked. “After Mr. Hudson saw me. What did he say to you?”

“He asked me if I had hired new help without his knowledge.”

“Oh. What did you tell him?”

“That I would never do that. I told him you’re a client and that you’re becoming attached to one of our horses. You come early to spend a little time with the horse.”

I nodded. “You didn’t tell him which horse.”

“If I told him, he would find it strange, wouldn’t he? I mean—” He gestured to the empty stall behind us. “—Midnight isn’t here at the moment.”

“Thanks.”

“No worries.” He picked up a halter from the bench along the wall. “Now, are you here to work or what?”

I smiled. “You’re abusing my goodwill.”

He shrugged. “I’m taking what I can.”

I kicked his shin lightly, and he feigned it hurt. “Ouch, that is going to leave a scar.” He limped a step.

I shook my head. “Such an old man.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

“What time do you plan on leaving?” I asked Tom when he entered his office. It was just past six and I was thinking about turning in. Yeah, too early for a Saturday, but since I didn’t party anymore, six was a good time to settle down, eat something, and curl up in bed with a good book. Besides, I had stayed here until late last night and had arrived here early this morning.

“I’m not sure, why?” he asked me.

“Because I’m hungry, and I thought you probably know a great typical American diner nearby to take me to.”

He raised his eyebrows at me. “Are you asking me on a date, Miss Fernandes?”

I rolled my eyes. “Sure I am,” I teased.

“Well, ma’am, I do know a great diner with a greasy burger you have to try.”

“Great.” I smiled. “What time are we leaving?”

He glanced to his cell phone. “Not soon.”

“Why not?”

He averted his eyes. “I’m not supposed to say anything.”

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing.”

“Tom!”

He raised his hands and stepped back. “My lips are sealed.” He rushed out of his office.

“Tom!” I called again, but he didn’t come back.

Oh no, he wouldn’t get away with it. I stood and ran after him, but the sound of tires crushing the driveway stones made me halt.

Curious, I walked out of the stable. Garrett’s truck parked right in front of the stable with a horse trailer on the back.

He opened the door and jumped out from his truck, tipping his hat at me. “Howdy, ma’am.”

I crossed my arms. “Weren’t you supposed to be back tomorrow night? Or maybe after that?”

He half-smiled and my heart skipped a beat. “Yes, but I worked hard and found a great horse in record time.”

“And why was that?”

He rushed to me and kissed my cheek. “Because I knew you would still be here.” Then he turned and marched to the trailer. I hated when he said things like that and then just dropped it.

Tom appeared from inside the stable, smiling.

That was when it clicked. “You knew he was arriving.”

“Yup. He asked me to make sure you were still here.”

My mouth fell open.

“Hey,” Garrett called, opening the trailer’s back door. “You two going to keep gossiping over there, or are you going to help me?”

“As if you needed help to unload a horse,” I said, walking toward him.

“True,” he said, smiling. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want you close.” My cheeks warmed. Embarrassed, I glanced over my shoulder, but Tom was gone. Garrett lost the smile. “You don’t need to be ashamed of Tom. He’s actually rooting for us to get along.”

“What?” Had they been talking about us? I shook my head. “Wait. I’m not ashamed.”

“Then why did you look back at him?” he asked, and I shrugged. He stepped inside the trailer, and two seconds later, came out pulling a dark brown horse. Another Thoroughbred, almost as tall and big as Midnight, and just as beautiful.

I stepped closer and ran my hand over his smooth coat. The horse turned his muzzle to me and nickered.

“Don’t tell me this one will also fall in love with you,” Garrett said.

I smiled. “What can I do? I’m a horse magnet.”

He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Not just of horses.”

I slapped his shoulder, and he kept on pulling the horse out of the trailer.

“What’s his name?” I asked.

“Golden Racer.”

“You’re kidding?” I asked, and he shook his head. “When is Delilah coming to see him?”

Garrett led the horse inside the stable. “Tomorrow. She wants to practice already.”

“Shouldn’t she get to know him first?”

“Tell her that. With the accident, she already lost a week. She can’t afford more or she won’t make it to the competition.”

It still pissed me off. I knew this competition was important, but there were plenty of smaller competitions all the time. She could go to any of those, and then go to another big one.

Garrett walked in with the new horse. For a few minutes, he ran around the place, making sure the new horse had plenty to eat and drink, that he was comfortable and set up.

“All right,” he said. “I think he should be okay for now.” He turned to me. “Tom told me you want me to take you to the Horseshoe Diner.”

“What?” I looked around for Tom, but he was nowhere to be seen. Typical. “I asked him if
he
wanted to take me to a diner.”

Garrett raised an eyebrow. “You’re telling me you asked Tom out on a date?”

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “Yeah, exactly that.”

He loomed over me. “Come with me. I’ll take you there.”

“Is it close to campus?”

He frowned. “No. It’s just outside town.”

I considered it for a minute. I was hungry and he could show me a typical American diner. I had never been to one and I was curious about it. Besides, I was dying to eat a big, greasy burger. Bonus points for not being close to the university. Chances were nobody would see us together.

“Okay,” I whispered. He took my hand, and led me out. He turned to his truck, but I stopped, slipping my hand from his grip. “I’ll take my car.” He frowned. “Driving back here to get my car after would be wasted time.” Not that I didn’t have time to waste. “I’ll just follow you.”

He nodded before walking to his car.

I followed him to the Horseshoe Diner and parked beside him.

He opened the front door for me. I walked past him, and he put a hand on the small of my back, stepping beside me. That simple touch sent a rush of heat through my entire body. With a slight pressure of his hand, he led me to a corner booth.

“You want the American experience,” he said, once we were seated and looking over our menus. “Then you’ll let me order for you.”

I lowered my menu and looked at him across the table. “Okay.”

He half-smiled. “Good.”

The waitress, who batted her fake lashes at Garrett, took our order and brought our drinks. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice how flirty she was.

I was getting used to being this close to him and not doing anything. Just being there, side by side, in a comfortable silence. Still, my mind wandered through several topics we could talk about. Or not. There wasn’t really anything I wanted to talk about other than enjoying Garrett’s company.