Riley

Emmett. You are under arrest for crashing Julia’s date. Get a hold of yourself, man. Are ten women not enough for you?

Evan

Riley, give him a break. He’s eliminated a bunch of them. He might only have four left by now. He needs at least one for every day of the week.

Evan

Em, though… seriously? Are you sick? Running a fever?

Oma

Maybe it was a coincidence? LOL.

Riley

No, Julia told me when I checked in with her on how it went.

Parker

How did she say it went?

Riley

She wasn’t very forthcoming. Said that a lady never tells.

Evan

Ouch. Does that mean you’re not a lady, Riley? Because you’re pretty forthcoming about your dating life. I know things I wish I didn’t.

Opa

I wish I knew how to leave this chat.

Emmett

That’s all she said?

Riley

Oh good, you’re here now. Explain yourself.

Emmett

It was a coincidence. Parker and I just went out for a drink.

Parker

Totally. Very random. Not planned at all. It’s a small world and all that.

Oma

Emmett and Parker are the most prone to lying of the four of you, though. So…

Riley

See? Oma thinks you guys are full of shit. Now spill.

Emmett

Sorry. A gentleman never tells.

Evan

That doesn’t even make sense in this context.

Emmett

Okay, true. Let me try again.

Emmett

Riley, fuck off.

Oma

LOL.

Riley is giving the women riding lessons for a segment on the show, and she’s going to lord it over me for the rest of my life.

The amused glances she shoots my way are proof that I’m going to pay for this. I’m also going to get a lot of unsolicited opinions from her the minute we’re away from the cameras. Hell, maybe she can spill it all in the group chat again like she did this morning.

“Ugh,” Evelyn grumbles from atop her horse. The poor guy has put on the brakes and is refusing to move. And I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t want to be charged with carrying Evelyn around either.

“Evelyn, just wait in the corner until I can help you out,” Riley calls to her, barely sparing her a glance. Because Evelyn was talking a real big game during setup about how she used to ride.

I don’t know how long ago that was, but it appears as though it might have been in another lifetime.

“Catherine, that’s great. You’ve got such a nice feel. You know that?”

Catherine beams back at my sister, clearly thrilled with the compliment coming from an established horsewoman. “Thank you, I grew up riding. It’s been a while, though,” she replies innocently. She wasn’t present for Evelyn talking a big game, so she’s clueless how it looks for her to say that.

Richard will love it, spin it like blatant shit-talk.

“Jada, you’re a natural! And Akira? Girl, are you sure this is your first time on a horse?”

“Yep! But my uncle in Japan has several on his property and I love to brush them when we visit.”

“You’ll have to get on next time!”

Riley carries on, complimenting the other women, and I swear she’s intentionally leaving Evelyn out of her praise. The way one dimple pops up on her right cheek like she’s trying not to laugh is a dead giveaway.

My sister is ruthless.

I glance over at Evelyn. She’s glaring daggers at Catherine from atop the immobile horse.

Teri nudges me with her elbow from where we stand at the edge of the arena. “This is a great scene, but poor Evelyn looks a little embarrassed. Maybe you could hop in and give her a little extra attention, you know? Might help boost her confidence a bit.”

A soft chuckle draws my attention away from Teri. Julia has her fist raised in front of her mouth. She clearly heard Teri’s take on the scene and is greatly amused.

I widen my eyes at her as if to say, Shut up or you’re going to get us in trouble.

She must pick up on it, because she turns to leave, but not before casting one last satisfied glance in Evelyn’s direction.

I watch Julia scurry down the hallway and duck into the tack room where she can get a good laugh in private. She’s wearing a pair of acid-wash Levi’s like they were fucking made for her. Her ass is world-class, and I will die on that hill.

I wonder if Dominic thought so too.

I shake my head, refusing to go down that path. God knows it took me long enough to fall asleep last night, wondering if the date ended there or was granted a second wind after she found me out.

It would have been nice if Riley had even a modicum of information. At least knowing something would have made getting embarrassed in the family chat worth it.

But instead, I’m still left wondering. Fixating. I’m the one who told her to go on that date. We agreed it was for the best.

But it doesn’t feel like the best.

It feels like the worst.

It… feels. And after years of not feeling much of anything where relationships are concerned, it’s also fucking consuming.

“Yeah, totally. Poor Evelyn,” I reply absently, feeling Teri’s attention on the side of my face. I toss her a smooth smile to mask my distraction. “I’m just going to run to the tack room and grab her some spurs to see if that could help. I’ll be right back.”

Stupid.

What I’m doing is monumentally stupid.

Teri grins back at me, looking pleased with my response. “Perfect. Richard will love this.”

Fuck Richard and fuck the consequences.

My brain is out of control, high on something I have zero tolerance for. I know I’m making reckless decisions right now, but I’ve never been one for playing it safe, which is why I don’t let myself overthink what I do next.

I saunter away from the crew, duck down the dark barn alleyway, and with one quick glance over my shoulder to see if anyone is watching, I slip into the tack room.

Julia is here, back to me, fingers trailing over one of several saddles on the rack before her.

I’m not supposed to be here, and I’m not supposed to do this.

I wasn’t planning to say anything.

Hell, I spent all morning telling myself I’d play it cool. I planned to ask how her day was going, toss in a smug joke or two like nothing weird happened last night. Like the thought of her sitting across from some guy who was “sweet” and available and might have an actual chance with her hadn’t been gnawing at me all damn night.

I close the door and lock it behind myself, and the sound makes Julia spin on the spot to face me.

She looks tanner somehow, her skin glowing against a flowy white boho top, the neckline wide enough to show off the elegant slope of her neck, the proud lines of her collarbones. Loose tendrils of dark hair spill out of her messy bun, topping off the sensual look.

Her hair is back to curly, so she’s clearly had a shower.

Maybe with him.

Fuck. I hate living in my brain right now.

The expression on her face is half surprise, half satisfaction. Like she knows I’m losing my goddamn mind. Like she can see straight through me.

So I cave.

“How was your date?” I ask, my tone harsher than I mean.