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JENNI
The wind whips through my hair as I gallop down the trail atop my horse, Marshmallow. I love this feeling, the powerful movements of the horse beneath me, the thrill that goes through my body as we reach top speeds. The tiniest of leaves are beginning to appear on the trees around me, and there are pink and white flowers appearing throughout the forest.
As I near the lake on my parents’ property, my older brother Ronnie and his lifelong best friend, Langston Keith, come into view as I round the corner and the foliage opens to reveal the water. A loud splash sounds as Langston shoves Ronnie into the water. We spent our youth at this lake, and after all these years, I’ve never seen them swimming when it was this cold.
The Keith and Finley kids were tutored and traveled the world together as our parents took us on our many vacations. Our families have been friends for generations, and we both live in the small town of Blue Mountain, Georgia. Langston was always teasing me, pulling pranks like dropping a frog into my bunk when we were traveling together on his family’s yacht. I wasn’t afraid to get him back either though. I filled a bucket full of hermit crabs and dumped them on him when he was asleep at night.
Our relationship has been like that for as long as I can remember. We’re always joking around with lots of shenanigans back and forth. One would think that we would have grown out of it by now, but we really haven’t.
They’re both in their thirties, but they’re acting like they’re teens. It’s something I love about both of them. They can sit around a boardroom table and discuss the health of a worldwide corporation one moment, but they still know how to let out their inner kid.
I slow Marshmallow as we approach the dock.
“What are you guys doing? You do realize it’s April, right?” I call to them.
Langston spreads his arms wide. He has on jeans, and his torso is bare, revealing his chiseled abs. “Just getting in some exercise.”
Ronnie climbs up the ladder on the dock and shakes the water off him like one of the golden retrievers my parents breed. The frigid lake water lands on us, and Marshmallow takes a step back.
Smart horse. I wouldn’t want to be near these two either with their antics. Okay, that may not be entirely true since I did lead Marshmallow right to them.
“You still haven’t told me why you’re swimming when it’s forty-seven degrees out,” I drawl as I swing down from Marshmallow’s back.
“Ronnie dared me to a swim,” Langston tells me.
“And you haven’t even gotten in the water,” Ronnie shoots back at him.
“What are you up to, Jenni?” Langston smiles at me, dimples and all. I’ve always loved Langston’s dimples. They’re very… him.
I stroke Marshmallow’s mane. “The vet cleared Valentine for racing again. So get ready for your Thunder to eat Valentine’s dust.”
“What about Kingpen?” Langston asks. “Are you still racing him?”
“I’ve decided to retire him.” I keep my eyes focused on his face. It’s not like I haven’t seen Langston shirtless before, but I don’t want to gawk either. The guy is built, and it can be… distracting.
“You sure you want to risk racing Valentine after his injury?” Langston asks.
“I’m trusting what the vet says on this one.”
Langston frowns.
“What’s that look for?” I walk toward Langston. “You scared Valentine is going to take Thunder down?”
Valentine has beaten Thunder race after race, but since his injury three months ago, Thunder has been beating Kingpen, which is why I decided to retire the older horse. After Valentine’s injury, I was worried he’d never see the track again, but the amazing horse has healed well, surprising us all.
Langston scoffs. “I’m hardly scared. You should know me well enough by now to know that.”
I smirk at him. “Mmm. I know you well enough to know that under all this macho stuff is a little boy who’s scared of being taken down by a girl.”
“You look a little overdressed,” Langston says.
I give him a once over. “I’m pretty sure you have that backwards.”
“You mean I’m underdressed.” He grins.
I wave a hand dismissively. “You know what I mean. You’re crazy, and I’m the one dressed properly.”