I grabbed the throttle and headed toward the narrow ramp. My feet left the pegs earlier this time, giving me enough time to release my grip and grab the seat. I pulled my body forward again, and my feet braced against the pegs. My back tire hit the landing, and with a jarring thud, the front tire hit the dirt. I rode to the end and circled back holding my fist in the air. I’d landed it.

Rodeo and Denver hopped off the wall and walked over to greet me as I shut down the motor and pulled off my goggles and helmet.

“Duude,” Rodeo crowed, “that was sick. Almost couldn’t have done better myself.”

Denver hadn’t said anything yet. I knew him well enough to know he was going through the entire jump in replay in his head where he would analyze it and then tell me what was wrong.

I stared at him. “Well, Dr. Denver from Boston, what’s the diagnosis?”

“Nailed it.” He lifted his fist.

Rodeo rolled his eyes at Denver before turning back to me. “See, bro, even though it looks certain you’re going to lose that bet over the wine heiress, at least you have this little win to finish the week.”

“Yep, at least I have this.”

Chapter 15

Kensington

I was mucking the last stall when Trish came around the corner and popped her head inside. “Now that the kids are gone, dish. I want to hear about this new guy because you’ve been all aglow and atwitter all week.”

“Aglow and atwitter? You and my dad need to write a book on corny, outdated sayings together. But I guess those two words pretty well sum up the way I’m feeling.” I turned the mucking fork over into the wheelbarrow and pushed past the pony.

Trish stepped out of the stall door opening to let me pass.

“Did you want me to blanket tonight? It’s getting sort of chilly when the sun drops.” I smiled. “People on the east coast under five feet of snow in fall would have a good laugh over that statement, wouldn’t they?”

“Kensie, you’re avoiding the topic.” Trish had tied her hair up in a loose bun. Her spray of nose freckles stood out in sharp contrast to pink skin. A lifetime outside with horses had aged her skin prematurely even with a constant slathering of sun block. “I’ve known you for a long time, and I’ve seen you go through a plethora of boyfriends—”

I laughed as I picked up the handles of the wheelbarrow. “A plethora of boyfriends? Is that like a gaggle of geese? When you say it like that, you make me sound like some interminable flirt who jumps from guy to guy without direction or purpose.” I lowered the wheelbarrow to the ground and looked at her. “Oh my gosh, is that me? Am I that girl?”

“No, you’re not. You’re just picky. And you should be. But this time I’m seeing a little twinkle in those green eyes, and I don’t usually see it.”

“So far, so good, Trish. I’m almost afraid to even say that out loud in case I jinx something.” I sighed. “Maybe I’m just so darn programmed to expect disappointment that it always happens. You know, like a self-fulfilling prophecy? This time it would be an especially disappointing disappointment if there was such a thing. I like Cole . . . a lot. He checks a lot of my boxes, including the main one—he’s fun to be around.” I walked the wheelbarrow outside and Trish followed to help dump it onto the massive manure pile behind the barn. We returned to the stables.

“The first thing you have to do is stop worrying and just have a good time. If it’s meant to be—”

“Now you sound like my mom. She enjoys being flippant about my relationships, about everything for that matter. With the exception of the really shallow aspects of her life like which hair color to choose and which purse goes with which outfit.”

Trish and I walked back to the office to make the next week’s schedule. “I don’t mean to be flippant. I just know that you always have your head on straight, and if this doesn’t turn out to be what you thought, you’ll come out the other side with it on even straighter.”

“I guess. Although, I will admit that my head hasn’t been on too terribly straight since I met Cole. Maybe that’s what has me so uneasy. Even my work is suffering some, and you know how I hate that.”

Trish stepped into the office slash empty stall. About the only part of the small, crude space that said office was the second-hand desk, a stapler and a whiteboard for scheduling. Trish sat on the stool she’d created out of an old sawhorse.

I stepped up to the whiteboard to write the schedule. My phone was sitting on Trish’s desk. It rang and she glanced up at me. “Could it be?”

I picked it up. It was Cole. Trish’s enthusiastic grin melted when I walked out of the office to take the call.

“Hello.”

“I have to house sit this weekend. Please tell me you can join me, otherwise I’m going to be extremely lonely. By the way, this is Cole, in case you didn’t know. And hello. Forgot the greeting. So, what do you say?”

“You’re house sitting? What the heck will the house do if no one is watching it?”

“Well, to be more specific, I’ll be pig sitting. The house is wrapped around the pig. I just thought house sitting sounded more dignified and more fun. It’s at my dad’s place.”

“See, then you’re about to learn something new about me. Pig sitting sounds way more appealing. I would love to pig sit. And we can watch the house too, if necessary.”

“Cool. How’s your day going?” One thing I’d noticed about Cole was he was always in a good mood. It was something I admired and a trait that I rarely found in anyone.

“My day’s been great. There was an incident with my coffee cup falling on my mom’s new ivory colored rug, and I thought she might ship me off for good. But I’m happy to say she’s keeping me after all. How’s your day been?”

“I nailed the landing on a trick, and I still have all my bones intact. So, it’s been a good day. I’ll pick you up tomorrow after work. Bring a bathing suit. Wait. Why the hell would I suggest that? We’ll be completely alone—except for Some Pig. But he won’t tell if we skinny dip in the pool.”

“I’ll bring a suit,” I said. “Are there any special snacks I could bring for Some Pig?”

“His favorite food is nachos, but he’ll eat most anything with the exception of bacon. For obvious reasons. Hey, Kensie, I’m glad you’re going with me.”

“Yeah, me too. See you tomorrow. Bye.”

I hung up and couldn’t suppress a smile as I walked back into the office. Trish glanced up from her paperwork with an expectant look. “Well?”

“I’m pig sitting with him this weekend.”

Her squeal of excitement was cut short. “Did you say pig sitting?”

“His sister Finley has a pet pig. I’ll be spending the weekend with Cole at his dad’s place.”

“Shut up, you lucky bum. You’ll be sitting on a couch that has Nicky King’s butt cheek print on the cushions.”

“Hmm, hadn’t really considered that prospect, but yes, I suppose my bottom will be where Nicky King’s butt cheeks have sat.” I took a deep breath and looked down to check my feet. “Yep, they’re still on the ground. Just not sure for how long.”

Chapter 16

Kensington

I lived on a beautiful vineyard, in a big, wonderful house, but the King Estate was a whole other dimension of lavish. Just past the gates, an impossibly long driveway lined by lush jacaranda trees led up to a mansion that was the size of a small city.

“Wow. Of course, I knew that Nicky King wouldn’t be living in a hovel. I just have never seen anything quite so magnificent.”

“It’s big,” Cole shrugged. “The funny thing is, we spend most of our time in the kitchen, television room and our own bedrooms. The rest of the house is just extra space. I swear there are rooms that I haven’t seen or stepped into in years. Dad’s been thinking about downsizing. Finley and Rett stay here most of the time, but Jude and Eden live near their colleges. I usually end up near the construction site. And Dad is rarely home. He’s in Europe right now with some friends. Fin and Rett are traveling up north to rescue two horses that had been left out in a dry field to starve to death. They’ll be back on Sunday.” Cole drove his truck up to the top of the driveway and pulled into a garage.