Best Friend's Ex Box Set

Colt reached forward to play with the edge of my drenched braid that rested on my shoulder. He sucked in a deep breath, and appeared ready to speak, but was interrupted when Tiffany and Michael came out of the barn.

I caught Tiffany’s gaze lingering on us curiously, so I hopped into the back passenger seat to put distance between myself and Colt. I waved goodbye to Michael as he helped Tiffany up into the front passenger seat and handed Colt her crutches before the door shut.

“I saw that,” Tiffany said. She turned to give me a knowing smirk. “I saw you and my brother making googly eyes at one another.”

“That was nothing,” I replied, blushing. “You know that I’m not dating anyone right now, Tif. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”

“I think my brother would like to be the one to end that streak. Just saying.”

I didn’t get a chance to respond. Colt opened the driver’s side door, hopping up into the seat in front of me. He handed Tiffany his cowboy hat before starting the truck. He paused to give the both of us a weird look.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I said quickly. “Nothing. Jus

t tired is all.”

He gave Tiffany a skeptical look but easily turned the truck and trailer around with ease from years of driving in the mud and rain. We drove along the road back to the ranch in silence. I tried my best to focus on Michael’s desire to adopt the stallion. At least I knew that the stallion would have a nice and loving home with other horses. He was already well cared for under Michael’s gentle and compassionate care.

Rick greeted us in the barn when we pulled up a few minutes later. He patted the hilt of his .9mm with a smile when Colt double checked the locks on the barn doors.

“Nobody getting in here tonight,” Rick said. “And, well, if they do…”

“Please don’t shoot anyone on our property unless there really is a need to do it,” Tiffany said, leaning up against the barn stall with a grimace. “Maybe a warning shot would be a deterrent to scare them away if they do come back.”

I waited for Colt to nod at me before grasping Tiffany by the arm. Her face was pale and wet from rain and sweat. Pain glimmered in her eyes.

“We need to get you in the house to sit down,” I said. “Everything is going to be fine for the night.”

“And a pain pill,” Tiffany groaned out as she handed Rick a crutch. She leaned heavily on me while we walked up the pathway with Colt and Rick behind us to the front door.

“I’ll get you something to eat before you take the pill,” I said once I managed to get Tiffany seated in front of the fireplace. “A cup of soup?”

“I don’t care as long as I can take a pain pill.”

I slipped out of my rain jacket to hang it up in the mudroom. Colt did the same thing as well, running a hand through the damp strands of his sandy-blond hair. A hint of stubble covered his strong jaw, and there were dark bags underneath his eyes from the lack of sleep the past few days. I knew Colt wasn’t sleeping well since the Iron Stallion had to be closed because of plumbing issues. The financial hit was greater than he let on from what Tiffany told me.

And then adding the events of this morning, I’m sure it was adding up on Colt’s shoulders.

“I’m sorry for all this trouble,” I said. I grabbed a can of chicken noddle soup from the pantry for the three of us. “I really shouldn’t be here much longer. The construction crew is getting along quickly with the barn.”

Colt shook his head at me. “It’s not you that’s causing all of this, Cheyenne. Don’t take responsibility for something that you have no control over. It’s not you doing it.”

“I still feel guilty though,” I admitted with a whisper, picking at the paper label on the can. “I feel like I started a war by founding the sanctuary here in Green Point. It’s put you in the middle of it. It’s not fair.”

Strong hands grasped my shoulders. A shiver went up my spine as I looked up at Colt. He leaned down to peer into my eyes intently.

“You did not put me in the middle,” he said quietly. “I wanted to help you. I’ll do whatever I can to help you. Okay?”

“Okay,” I said.

He let go of my shoulders to take the can of soup from my hand. I watched as he poured the contents into a pot before turning the stove on. I sat down on the bar stool with the kitchen island between us.

“What is Michael like?” I asked.

Colt gave an indifferent shrug. “I don’t know him personally, but obviously you can see that he takes care of his animals. That’s what you’re worried about.”

“I can see that he takes care of his horses,” I said, and then carefully added, “I think he and Tiffany were striking up a good conversation.”