Unconventional

“The point is,” Julian said, “whatever or whoever it was, they’ll probably be back. This wasn’t the first time she saw it.”

“What’s through there anyway?” Noah asked. He was still staring into the forest, as if trying to make sense of it.

“Woods, woods, and more woods,” I said. “The property is huge. Forty-eight acres.”

“Actually, woods, woods, and after that, the old paddock.”

The three of us turned on Chase, who’d just spoken. He was rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

I squinted at him. “Is it?”

“Yeah. You’re still renting the stables out, right? To what is it… a riding school?”

“It used to be,” I said. “Now it’s just a bunch of horses being kept in the stalls. One of the old owners pays me to rent the property, and he takes care of about two dozen animals over there.”

“I know,” he said. “I go there sometimes, to pet the horses.”

I found myself suddenly staring at Chase with all new eyes. A vision of him standing there, his hand against a horse’s face, made my heart melt a little.

“You do?”

“Yeah. The guy that runs it lets me feed them sometimes.”

“Nolan,” I confirmed. “Old guy. Crazy, wiry white hair?”

Chase laughed. “That’s him.”

Julian started pulling on his gloves, a signal that it was time to get to work. He’d already done two hours of stone-setting, just after sunup. Since our chase through the field last night, we hadn’t gone back to sleep.

“Alright, then,” said Noah. “All that remains is deciding who gets to stay tonight.” He looked at Chase and pulled out a bronze-colored coin. “Heads or tails?”

“I’ll call it in the air.”

Noah flipped, and Chase called. After slapping the coin on the back of his hand and revealing it dramatically, Noah’s mouth curled into a frown.

“You win,” he conceded. “You stay first. I’ll take tomorr—”

“You could both stay if you wanted,” I offered abruptly.

The guys looked at me slyly, each with his own grin. All of a sudden I realized what they were smiling at.

“That’s not what I meant,” I said quickly. My skin was flush. My face, I knew, was turning two shades redder. “I— I mean, I was just saying—”

“Might want to leave it at that,” Chase winked merrily.

We walked back through the field together, each thinking our own thoughts. After Julian peeled off in the direction of the curtain wall, Noah slid his hand into mine.

“Come with me,” he said coolly. “You and I are taking a ride.”

“A ride? Where?”

Turning on his heel, he pulled me in the direction of his truck.

“Somewhere important.”

Twenty-Two

MADISON