High Intensity (High Mountain Trackers HMT 2G #2)

Chapter 28

Twenty-Eight

Wolff

“Keep your hands low, and if you want, you can grab on to the saddle horn.”

I bite off a smile when I see the intense concentration on Hayley’s face.

Carmi—Sully and Pippa’s thirteen-year-old—was kind enough to let Hayley use her horse, Tinker Bell. She’s a pretty Haflinger, a smaller breed with beautiful fawn hide and flax-colored mane and tail, and Hayley was head over heels the moment she laid eyes on her.

It turns out the girl isn’t a total newbie, she mentioned she’s ridden ponies before but never without someone leading alongside. Tinker Bell is a bit bigger than a pony, and I’m not about to run alongside. Not when Hayley insisted she could do it on her own. It’s the best way to learn.

I don’t need to look behind me to know Jillian is watching from the porch and probably wringing her hands again. Even though she can ride herself, she’s not quite as comfortable around horses as she is around dogs, but to her credit, she hasn’t interfered and seems to trust I know what I’m doing.

Still, she was out here watching from the porch the first time Hayley got on Tinker Bell a couple of days ago, and I have a feeling it’ll be a while before Jillian feels comfortable enough to take her eyes off the girl. She is still in full protection mode.

“Can we go for a trail ride?” Hayley asks, a bright blush staining her cheeks and her eyes sparkling.

I chuckle at her enthusiasm.

“Maybe when the snow melts,” I suggest. “The trails can be a bit treacherous in the winter.”

That also gives her a chance to get some more practice in. I’d like to see her a bit more at home on horseback before taking her out of the safety of the corral. The chances of the horse getting spooked in here are slim, and even if she is tossed or falls, I’ll be right here to pick up the pieces, so to speak.

“Can I go faster?” the little daredevil asks.

“Up to you. Remember what I told you? Lean forward in the saddle a little, press your knees into her sides, and click your tongue,” I remind her. “And if you want her to slow down, gently tighten up on the reins and say whoa .”

From the corner of my eye, I see Jackson walking up, and I move to join him at the fence, making sure I keep Hayley in my sights.

“She seems to be getting the hang of it,” he observes.

I grunt in agreement, before adding, “She certainly doesn’t seem to have any fear.”

I watch as she manages to urge Tinker Bell into a gentle canter, still bouncing around the saddle too much.

“Remember to relax your butt in the seat,” I call out to her.

With enough practice, all of these things will become second nature, and she won’t even have to think about them.

“Are you by chance going to be around tonight?” Jackson asks.

A fair question, since I’ve slept in my own bed only once or twice in the past couple of weeks.

“I can be. What do you need?”

“Bought a new bed I need to pick up in town tonight. It’s a heavy son of a bitch so I can’t do it by myself.”

“New bed? Got big plans I don’t know about?” I tease him.

“Yeah, right,” he scoffs. “No, I got one of those adjustable beds. It’s supposed to be better for my back.”

Over the past months, Jackson has slowly started opening up. Before he would blow off any questions about his physical condition, even though at times it was clear he was struggling. Then when we were making a delivery in Polson last week, and I caught him wince lowering the gate on the trailer, he mentioned his back was bothering him. Apparently, it’s not uncommon for leg amputees to develop back problems.

It’s the first time Jackson’s ever admitted to any pain to my knowledge.

“Yeah, no problem. I’ll help.”

“You sure?”

“Of course. What time?”

“Six thirty okay?”

I mention it to Jillian when she joins the kid and me in the stable after Hayley’s ride.

“Why don’t we go grab some takeout in town—something easy—and bring it home? We’ll have an early dinner.”

“Did you see me?” Hayley pipes up before Jillian has a chance to answer me.

“I saw. You did really well,” Jillian compliments her, a big smile on her face.

“Lucas says we can go for a trail ride,” the little minx adds.

“Once all the snow is melted, yes,” I amend her statement, before adding, “Don’t forget to put the saddle back in the tack room and grab the grooming bucket.”

Her face drops a little, but I ignore it. I’m not sure what her life was like before—whether she was spoiled or not—but I happen to believe it’s important for her to learn any privilege comes with responsibility. So along with the privilege of riding a horse—or owning any pet for that matter—comes with the responsibility of looking after it.

“You know what’s interesting?” Jillian says, as we watch Hayley struggle to carry the heavy saddle to the tack room. “When she first brought up wanting a horse, she said her father told her she had to be old enough to look after it first. You’re teaching her the same thing.”

She slips her arm through mine and gives it a squeeze.

“You’re good with her. Easy and natural.” She sighs deeply before admitting, “I’m finding it hard not to wrap her up and pack her away safely.”

I slip a hand behind her neck and turn her toward me, resting my forehead against hers.

“Understandable. Of course you are protective of her, but as much as it costs you, I don’t think you’re coddling her at all. You’re still giving her the freedom to discover and explore on her own, no matter how hard it is. I don’t pretend to be an expert on the subject, but to me that’s what good parenting is.”

“Thanks,” she mumbles when I drop a kiss on her lips.

When Hayley returns with the grooming bucket, I let go of Jillian and grab one of the brushes. The kid isn’t quite tall enough to brush the horse’s back, so I give her a hand. I step into the stall with her, while Jillian watches from the other side of the door.

“By the way, we’ll be fine if you want to spend more time at the ranch,” she suggests, not sounding quite as casual as I think she’d hoped to.

I catch her eye over Tinker Bell’s back.

“Do you want me to spend more time at the ranch?”

She shrugs. “That’s not the point.”

“Oh, but it is,” I lob back, noticing Hayley is paying very close attention to our conversation.

Maybe this isn’t a conversation she needs to be part of.

I toss my brush in the bucket and open the stall door.

“We’ll be right back,” I tell Hayley as I grab Jillian’s hand and pull her to the tack room.

“It was just a suggestion,” she mutters.

I close the door and back Jillian into the wall, ducking my head so we’re eye to eye.

“What’s going through your head?”

“Nothing. It was just an innocent?—”

“Bullshit.”

Her eyes flash with anger. She doesn’t like getting called out, but that’s too bad.

“Fine,” she snaps. “I don’t want you to feel obligated. I realize me taking in Hayley may have changed things. It’s not exactly what you signed up for.”

I’m getting pretty annoyed myself so my response is clipped.

“So you thought you’d give me an out? Do I look like I want out?”

She shrugs.

“What do you want?” I ask in a softer tone. “Because I like where we are. I like being at your house, with your pack, and with Hayley. Can’t you see I’m falling for that girl as hard as you are? And God knows I’ve probably been in love with you longer than I care to admit.”

Her mouth is slack and when moments go by without her saying anything, I repeat my earlier question.

“What is it you want, Jilly?”

Jillian

“I like Hawaiian pizza.”

Lucas glances at Hayley in his rearview mirror.

“Pineapple belongs in a fruit salad, not on a pizza,” he states firmly.

“Have you ever tried it?” the girl fires back.

“Don’t need to. Pineapple is a fruit, and fruit is a dessert.”

“Sometimes fruit can be breakfast, or a snack,” Hayley continues to argue.

The bubble I’ve had in my chest since Lucas’s declaration back in the barn feels like it’s about to burst. Listening to the two most important people in my life bantering back and forth is a balm on my soul.

Part of me is afraid to be too happy, since this current arrangement may only be temporary, but another part of me is reminding me to lap it up while I can. This is the life I didn’t think I could have, and even if it’s taken from me at some point, it’s not going to hold me back from living it.

Of course, I never got the chance to answer Lucas’s question, because Hayley had come looking for us, cutting that conversation short, but I still owe him a response.

The banter continues until we walk out of the pizza place with two large pizzas; one Hawaiian and one meat lovers.

At home, I first let the dogs out and get their dinner prepped, and by the time I sit down at the kitchen table, I see half of each of the pizzas is already gone.

“You ate five slices?” I direct at Hayley, who is wearing a grin on her face.

“Nope.”

I turn to Lucas, who is looking a bit sheepish.

“She challenged me.”

“And?” I prompt him, biting my tongue to keep from laughing.

“It wasn’t too horrible,” he sputters.

“Yeah,” Hayley pipes up, mocking him. “Not horrible enough to keep him from grabbing another slice.”

Lucas shrugs. “I had to make sure.”

When our laughter dies down, I catch his eye.

“You asked me what I want?” I motion with my good arm to encompass everything and everyone. “This. This is what I want. Everyone and everything I love together under one roof. This is what makes me happy.”

Lucas reaches across the table and grabs my free hand, bringing it to his mouth. Then he presses a kiss to the inside of my wrist.

“I’ll pack the rest of my stuff tonight and haul everything over in the morning. Make me some room in the dresser.”

Our eyes stay locked across the table, saying everything that needs to be said.

“So now Lucas officially lives here?” Hayley asks, referencing a conversation we had last week.

“Looks that way,” he answers for me.

I wake up to a hard body curling around me from behind.

“I thought you were staying at the cabin tonight?” I mumble when I feel the familiar touch of his lips on my shoulder.

“I tried. Couldn’t sleep.”

He slips a hand under my nightshirt and plays with my breast, while his mouth kisses a path up my neck.

“Mmmm,” I hum at the dual stimulation.

We’ve snuggled, but haven’t progressed beyond that since we’ve had Hayley here, and I ended up with my arm in a sling. I’m more than ready.

“What about your things?”

My voice hitches halfway through my sentence when his hand slides down my panties, and his fingertips dip between my legs.

“I’ll pick them up tomorrow.”

Not only can I feel the rumble of his voice against my back, but when he presses his hips closer, I can feel the hard length of his cock pressed against my ass. My hips tilt back instinctively, seeking that connection.

“Eager much?” he teases, but I can hear the need in his voice. “Let me make sure you’re ready.”

He slides first one digit, then two, inside me. The walls of my pussy tighten on his fingers. He hisses between his teeth before he retrieves his hand.

“Please, don’t make me wait,” I plead.

Then he takes my top leg and lifts it high, spreading me open before he slides inside, filling my body.

The next moment he fills my heart, when his words whisper against the shell of my ear.

“I love you, Jilly.”