“Good, but I wanted to talk to you, if I could. I got a lead on a horse in Kentucky. ”
I raised my eyebrows. “Oh yeah? Let’s talk about it later?”
He handed me the reins on Trigger and smiled. “Oh, believe me, we will because I won’t let you pass this one up. ”
Kevin came out, and we all got on the horses and took off. I felt a sense of peace wrap over my whole body. I always felt so close to Mike when I was on a horse and out on the ranch. I closed my eyes and felt the summer sun warming my face.
Reed and Kevin were going on and on about some club in Austin.
All I could see was green eyes staring back into mine.
When my phone went off, alerting me to a new text message, I almost dropped it when I tried to get it out of my back pocket. I slowed Trigger down, so I could open up Whitley’s text.
Whitley: Ta Ta For Now. ;) Have a great day, cowboy.
I tried not to smile, but I couldn’t help it.
Layton: Have a great day, CG.
I put my phone in my back pocket, and for the first time in months, I actually felt happy.
Chapter Nine: Whitley
I looked at Layton’s text message again and smiled.
What a jerk! He can’t fool me. Telling him I used a vibrator on myself has to have affected him. He’s just being a stubborn cowboy.
And I couldn’t believe he hadn’t known what TTFN meant.
I smiled again, and for the first time in years, I had butterflies in my stomach.
Oh hell no. Friends, Whitley. Only friends. No way in hell am I opening myself up to another controlling man.
My phone went off again. I read his simple reply, telling me to have a great day, and I actually believed I was going to.
“Holy fuck. Either you enjoyed the book, or you got laid last night—and not by B. O. B. Which one is it?”
I looked up at Courtney, who looked like she was about to step onto a red carpet.
“Jesus, where in the hell are you going, all dressed up like that?”
“To your appointment. Where else? If you want me to help you with your business, I’m going to have to actually see what in the hell it is you do. Plus, I want to scope this Olivia bitch out. ”
Ugh. Just the mention of her name caused my skin to crawl. The way she had looked at me last night had given me the creeps. For someone engaged to be married, she couldn’t keep her eyes off of Layton all night.
“Okay. Well, I think it’s great you want to go with me. Plus, I need to use your truck, and I don’t think I could even drive that thing, but—”
“But, nothing! I’m coming. ”
I let out a laugh. “That’s fine, but she lives in the middle of the country, and yesterday, I was so overdressed that it was unreal. Jeans and a shirt will do just fine,” I said with a wink.
“Oh, can I wear my cowboy boots?”
“Sure! I’ll wear mine, too. ”
She sat down and smiled. “Okay. Now, back to that huge-ass smile that was on your face when I walked in here. Spill it. ”
I smiled as I thought about Layton’s playful side. He’d seemed so serious yesterday, so it was nice to see he had a bit of a fun side.