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Chyanne

Nate’s eyes were so dark, so serious. It was impossible to know what he was thinking until he told you. Which was why she was sweating as she waited to be thrown out of his office for being a fraud. It was inevitable. She hadn’t lied on her application, per se, but only because there wasn’t a place to enter elaborate falsehoods.

But she hadn’t known what kind of place this was then. If she could turn back time, would she have still submitted it?

Of course.The answer came to her immediately. And suddenly she felt them—her daddy, her master—on either side of her, their presences more solidifying than since they’d come into the office.I wouldn’t have given up meeting them for anything. Not for anything in the world. It was worth the shame, the pain, even the spankings. It was worth it all.

It even made facing off against Nate, knowing he held her fate in his hands, a little easier. But just a bit.

When she felt like she couldn’t stand the silence another second, he finally spoke.

“I appreciate your honesty, Chyanne. I’m glad to hear these things from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.” His lips curved in a rare smile. “But I already knew.”

Her brow furrowed and questions rose to her lips.Slow down, Chyanne. This is how you get yourself into trouble, nine times out of ten.She glanced to her left, then her right, but if either of her men was surprised by this news, they didn’t show it.

“I made some calls when I got your application, but I needed to check you out first. I spoke to some of the people in the industry that had employed you in the past, and some who had ridden alongside you.”

Her mind was spinning.Did everyone give me good references? No, that’s not possible… it couldn’t be… so why…

“They all spoke of a young woman with a lot of promise. Talented, hardworking, but all the things we talked about earlier too.”

His words rang in her ears.Hot-tempered. Argumentative. Doesn’t work well with others.

Seeing that Nate wasn’t going to elaborate further, she was forced to ask, “Then why? Why would you choose me?”

His eyes never left hers as he said, “I thought you might be exactly the kind of girl we could help.”

The words hit her right in the heart. It was shocking. The whole time she’d walked around here letting the weight of her secret drag her down. The whole time she’d thought she was slinking around under false pretenses, and Nate had known all along.

When she exhaled, it felt like she was letting out all of the worry, fear, and stress she’d been under since she arrived. It felt strangely like being free.

Chyanne couldn’t say for sure how long it was before she realized everyone was staring at her. Under normal circumstances, their scrutiny would have made her feel embarrassed and awkward, which would have made her lash out. But free of the burden she hadn’t even realized she carried, suddenly, she felt like a new person, and their stares didn’t bother her.

The fact that her world could be upended in the matter of two seconds and yet feel so muchbettermade her laugh.

“Chy? You okay?”

The smile she turned on Aaron was as wide as her lips could manage. “I’m better than okay,” she assured him. Then she looked back at Nate. “Thank you for accepting my apology, sir.”

He nodded, and the slightest shadow of a smile showed on his lips. “My pleasure.”

“See you later,” she told her friend, who was smiling back at her.

“Later,” Lora echoed.

And together, with Aaron and Chandler flanking her on either side, they walked out of the office.

It was weird. They’d entered the same way, but there was a skip to her step this time and the day really did feel brand new and full of endless possibilities.

“Daddy? Master? Can we go to the stables? I really could use practice.”

“Of course we can,” Daddy answered, giving her hand a squeeze.

“I think some fresh air is just what the doctor ordered,” Master added, looking down at her with a smile.

* * *

One week later