Even If It Breaks Your Heart by Erin Hahn

Author:Erin Hahn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

Seventeen

WINNIE

May arrives on the heels of a thunderstorm. One of those expansive ones that spin down from Oklahoma and settle for a while. They’re rare enough we don’t bother fighting it too much. Just let it roll through and green things up a bit. Since our trail rides were canceled for the day, I texted Maria, and she drove out to join us under the guise of “practice.”

And by us, I mean me, Case, and Pax. I thought there might be some issues because last I heard, Pax was still off and on with Madi Wallen, but clearly, I understand nothing.

Enter Maria Santos, and suddenly, everything is well and decidedly off for poor Madi.

It’s been an interesting few weeks around the ranch. Case has been making himself at home in the stables for months, but now it’s stables in the morning, training in the afternoon, and the occasional evening practice when Maria’s feeling pushy and Jesse’s able to stay home with Garrett.

I’ve gone from zero social life to nightly plans in the course of three weeks. I’m still mega hesitant about competing, and to his credit, Case has kept up his end of the bargain and isn’t forcing the issue, but Maria is another story. Give the girl an inch … I can’t find it in me to be annoyed. I sort of like the change. Jesse hasn’t missed a day of school in over a month, and I’ve been making more money than ever with the new horses Camilla has me working with: Risky Business and Pistol Annie. They’re two longtime boarders whose owners are friendly with Mr. Michaels. He and Camilla have been talking me up while also discussing the grand adventure (and solid investment) that is rodeo and have convinced the owners to let me train their horses to race. Maria is positive she can find us riders looking for fast, well-trained horseflesh, and Camilla has even invited me to come on a trip down to Fort Worth in two weeks to check out a couple of other potential candidates we can train up and sell.

“Or,” Camilla offered in a too-casual manner, playing with her leather work gloves, “you know, maybe even keep, in the event you decide to take Mr. Michaels up on his offer of sponsorship. You’ll need more than Mab.”

I didn’t respond.

Things are going unusually well, but it feels precarious. As if at any moment, all these plates I’ve got spinning are gonna wobble and shatter on the ground. It’s the way it’s always been, after all.

It’s like Mab. When we first got her from that horrific auction, she was skin and bones. Her ankles and fetters scarred, her coat dull and oily. She was skittish to the max. She still stutter-steps over new ground textures, but when she first came, it was as though she was deathly allergic to concrete and closed-in spaces. Her previous owners didn’t have stables or even a shed, and consequently never allowed her inside, even in extreme weather. They kept her tied up in their backyard.

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