The Horse Trainer's Secret by Allison Leigh

Author:Allison Leigh
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-05-06T23:03:35+00:00

Chapter Nine

Even though she’d agreed to go to the party for Nick’s sister, Megan insisted on getting herself there.

And so, on Sunday, she arrived alone at the massive home belonging to Nick’s folks where a hoard of people had congregated beneath the brilliant blue sky.

It’s just a bunch of family and some friends, Nick had said.

More like half the town.

She’d had to park quite a distance down the gravel road, behind a long row of vehicles that had arrived before her. As a result, she’d also had ten extra minutes while she walked the rest of the way to the house to silently berate herself for agreeing so easily to come.

Simply because Nick asked.

She hadn’t even seen him yet; it was April who spotted her and introduced her to the soon-to-be, junior-high graduate. “Megan’s in town for a couple months doing some work with us up on the mountain,” she told Shelby, and the girl nodded, the hint of confusion in her eyes clearing.

“I wondered if he’d gotten a new girlfriend and didn’t tell me!” Shelby Ventura’s brown hair was lighter than Nick’s and her eyes were golden brown. Her shorts were short and her top was cropped.

Unlike Megan, who had felt self-conscious about her similarly angular figure at the same age, Shelby just showed hers off with enviable naturalness.

“Not a girlfriend.” Megan managed a laugh and hoped she didn’t look as awkward as she felt. She extended the small box wrapped in bright blue paper and topped with a curling mop of white ribbons. “Congratulations.”

Shelby possessed her brother’s ready smile. “You didn’t have to bring a gift.”

“I heard this is your junior-high graduation party.” Megan pointedly looked at the gift-laden table behind the girl. “To me that means gifts are definitely required.”

Shelby laughed. “It looks too pretty to open.”

“I’d take credit for that, but honestly, it was the girl at Classic Charms who deserves it.” Thanks to the advice of the waitress in Ruby’s Diner, Megan had visited the eclectic shop in search of an appropriate gift for a teenage girl she’d never met. She hoped that Shelby liked the glass horse figurine she’d found as much as she did.

She started when she felt a hand on her shoulder and swallowed a protest when Nick put his arm around her.

“I see you’ve met already.” In honor of the exceptionally pleasant afternoon, he was wearing cargo shorts and a T-shirt that clung in every distracting way that a T-shirt possibly could.

More distracting than that, though, was the cute little girl clinging to his back like a limpet. She looked like a miniature female version of him, from the deep brown hair to the dove-gray eyes.

“Sorry I didn’t catch you when you arrived,” he said. He bounced the girl on his back and she squealed excitedly. “Sunny, here, was keeping me busy.”

If their baby is a girl, will she look as much like Nick as Sunny?

The thought was disturbing. Mostly because of how dangerously sweet it felt.

As did his companionable arm on her shoulders.

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