Page 18 of His Wilde Little (Saddle Up #2)

After the morning work was done and the horses were in the field, we were all set to head into town.

We watched the horses for a moment at the fence as they enjoyed their time in the fresh air and from Lorenzo’s words, doing much better than he imagined they would be.

He’d also filled me in on my mom’s surprise appearance at the barn where he was sure she was onto us, or at least onto me, but like he told her, unusual behavior was normal for me.

“Ok, so my mom has an entire shopping list of stuff she’s going to want us to get,” I said. “I thought this was going to be a cute trip we’d be taking together into town, holding hands, and stuff.”

He clapped his hands together. “You wanna hold these hands?”

I bit my lip, knowing full well, I would’ve jumped right on top of him here and now. “Don’t tease me.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry for teasing you.

” With a curled finger into a knuckle, he pressed it under my chin and pushed gently, tipping my head up.

“You do not deserve to be teased, which is why I’m going to say, today—well, tonight when you come over, I want to reward you for all the hard work you’ve done.

Assuming you actually mount one of the horses. ”

I nodded so obediently, forgetting what I’d signed myself up for, but he said reward, and I was already asking how high to jump even though the cost would be a spike of anxiety, and a back covered in sweat.

I could feel it now, creeping up around my collar and a tightness in my throat at the thought.

He pulled me into an embrace and kept me there for a moment, sapping away at the emotion that had taken over me in quick succession, from joy to fear, and back to my happy place where his warmth met mine.

“Any more of this, and we might not even make it to town,” he said, kissing me on the nose.

Every kiss and touch out in the open was a risk, but also not a risk at the same time. It was safe to say nobody came up here much, but that would change once the horses were on display, as per my father’s wishes.

We headed back to the guesthouse where Lorenzo grabbed his list of things, and I headed home for my mom’s list and the keys to the van.

It had been a while since I’d been in Pineberry.

Ever since the horses arrived, getting time to do anything but monitor them and keep up with everything else going on was very hard.

“I’m giving the list to Lorenzo,” my mom said, standing out on the porch with Diasy laid by her feet. “I know what you’re like; you’ll change and swap things out that I want for other things.”

“Maybe because you were asking for those cake bars that were full of all types of sugars,” I said, not backing down. “You can’t blame me for wanting to take care of you, and also for making much nicer cake bars here.”

“But those remind me of my childhood, Jace. Sometimes, it’s good to feel a little nostalgia.”

She had a point, I knew she had a point, and I totally respected her choices especially since my choices in life weren’t questioned, but I also knew I could make nicer cake bars.

“I’m giving the list to Lorenzo, because there’s some other things on there as well.”

“What other things?”

Just in time, saved by Lorenzo, stomping on over with his cowboy boots leaving their marks in the soft dirt behind him. They made his feet look completely huge, and they were, but not like bigfoot. He tipped his hat to my mom. “I’m ready when you are.”

She immediately handed off the folded paper list to him, and before I could snatch it, he’d tucked it into his hand with catlike reflexes. “Don’t let him see what’s on there.”

“I’m gonna know, I’m going with him,” I said.

“I figured you’d be too busy in the new bakery that just opened up in town.”

“New bakery!” I knew the building had sold, but I hadn’t realized it was already functioning. There went one of my dreams. “Well, there goes my big dream.”

She scoffed. “You know your dream is to be here with all these animals, let’s not pretend any differently,” she said, rolling her eyes at me. “So, it’s a good thing it’s been sold. And it’ll be even better when you’re less busy so you can be in here cooking up a storm like you usually are.”

Oh god. She was onto me. She was onto us.

I gulped hard, glancing at Lorenzo. He was completely oblivious to the whole thing, shrugging his shoulders and just grinning from ear-to-ear.

It was now the norm for him to be smiling like that, whereas he used to be all hard-faced and stoic looking. I just hoped—

“What’s got you all happy?” she asked him, proving my point that she knew something was up.

“Oh, just enjoying this,” he said. “Maybe it’s the cool breeze and the actually foliage you get up here that has people acting less like they’ve got a stick up they’re asses.” He placed a hand to his mouth. “My apologies for the foul language.”

She laughed. It was only making him more endearing. I just hoped she would put to rest the thoughts and ideas that he would marry into the family through Olivia. And there I went, with my brain, thinking about marriage when we were so far away from even solidifying this thing as a relationship.

“It’s ok, Lolo,” she said. “But take your time in town. We should be quiet here, it’s a chilly day, so folks will be staying home I imagine.”

This was my first time into town since I’d last taken Lorenzo.

Once the horses arrived, everything else stood still, and that meant attending some of the fun events they put on.

Thankfully, it was none of the fun ones I enjoyed, like the paint and play event, or the whittling event that the town mayor’s husband put on.

Personally, I could never get into it. I found I would always snap the wood before it was even close to being finished.

Once in the car, I obviously wasn’t going to let it go. I wanted to see what was on that list. “Show me,” I said, showing him the car key. “Or we won’t go.”

“Your mom’s watching,” he whispered, his hand slipping between my thighs. He clenched a little. His hand squeezing just below my balls. “We better go before she asks what’s wrong.”

“That’s so unfair.” I pushed my thighs together, hoping to trap his hand, but it was all for naught, sliding out with ease. And as I backed out of the parking spot, Lorenzo sniffed his hand and made a pleased moan.

“Gotta listen to Daddy,” he said. “Or no playtime later but double the work with the horses.”

He knew my weakness was playtime, and my other literal weakness was being around the horses. I was keeping myself quite cool for now. “Only because you promised playtime.”

Off the ranch, Lorenzo leaned in and kissed me. “I should be driving,” he said.

“You’re not insured on the van,” I said.

“I just think I’m better suited to being in the driver’s seat,” he continued. “And you can be my passenger princess.”

It was appealing, adding to that, I would’ve loved being the one touching all up on him right now, especially since that’s what he like doing to me. “If you show me the list, I’ll let you.”

For several moment, we drove in silence until he sighed and shook his head. “No can do, baby,” he said. “But I’ll give it to you that was a good play.”

“Just as well, because I don’t think my mom would’ve been happy if I’d let you drive without all the proper paperwork,” I said. I dropped a hint of what I wanted to happen, and I didn’t know if he was picking any of the hints up. I hoped he was picking a single hint out of the sea.

And he did. “Then it looks like getting me on the insurance is what I need to do, but I guess that also means I’ll probably be sticking around, and I might have already made other plans once the horses are all less trauma bonded to each other.”

I gave him a gentle jab on his thigh. He probably didn’t even feel it with the way his jeans were always so rough and tough to the touch. “You’re not making plans to leave,” I told him. “If anything, you’re making more plans to stay.”

We went back and forth a little playfully until arriving in town. It was always like a breath of fresh air when I was here, from all the faces I hadn’t seen in a while, to the literal fresh air that rolled in from the lake. It set my entire body at ease.

“I’ll go make my way around town to collect these things for your mom,” Lorenzo said with a head nod. He removed his Stetson for a moment, dipping his head as he left the van. “So, you should go occupy yourself for a bit, go see your friends, or something.”

I wasn’t opposed to that, but I wanted to be seen around town with him, holding his hands, laying claim to him, all the things I wanted to do with someone I was potentially on the verge of calling boyfriend . It wasn’t such a huge leap considering he was already Daddy to me.

With Lorenzo out shopping, I was preoccupied by the bakery that had opened in my dream location. I suppose it had only been a dream while it was on the market, and even then, not a dream I could easily see coming true since the ranch work never let up.

Hearthstone , the name of the bakery. The door had been painted a pastel blue and the window display with covered in pride pastel colors coming out of frosting bags and spread from palette knives. It was busy inside, and sitting on a stool at the counter, a familiar face.

“Leo,” I said, walking inside.

Leo let out a little squeal. “Oh my god, Jace, where the heck have you been?” he jumped off the stool and ambushed me with a hug. “I feel like it’s been forever since you’ve been in town. What’s happening up at the ranch?”

I glanced at the rugged man behind the counter who stood by with a big beaming smile.

He wasn’t familiar, I stared at him for a moment before looking back at Leo.

“Yeah, my mom’s been doing the transport trips, and I’ve been focusing on the horses, the rescues we got in.

I can’t believe I missed this place opening. ”

“And you haven’t met Henry yet,” Leo said. “Henry is—” he paused, blushing pink almost like someone had squeezed all the red in his cheeks with two big pinches. “We’re seeing each other.”

Henry nodded. “Nice to meet you,” he said with a nod. “I’ve been open around a month now, and this town has given me everything I could’ve ever asked for.”

“Well, not everything,” Leo said, pulling me slightly toward the stools.

“What could be missing?” I asked.

Henry shrugged. “I’m guessing he’s referring to the idea he had about putting a ball pit in the back.”

“I told you, it would be a sensory chamber,” he said. “And I think it would be so much fun.”

“You know that spare room upstairs can be turned into whatever you want,” Henry answered.

“You’re already living together?”

“No,” they both answered at the same time.

“I was giving him good business ideas,” Leo said. “And I do spend a lot of time here, but I live at my folks summer house.”

It was a big house, if my memory served me right, it was two stories, large rooms, and a large dining room that had no dining table to speak of.

That made for one great play date sleepover.

It had been forever since I’d had one of those with friends, everything seemed like it had happened in other lifetimes.

“You know, Jace bakes as well,” Leo said to Henry. “I think he actually wanted this place.”

“Oh, no, I could never,” I lied. “I’m far too important at the ranch to ever leave.” And that was the truth. “I’m guessing you’re going to be my competition for some of the town events. Best bring you A game. I know what this town likes.”

“You know Henry comes from one of those high stress corporate jobs, I think he’ll be just find going up against you, Jace,” Leo let out with a giggle. “And he’ll have me by his side as his assistant baker.” He gave a small salute.

“I welcome the competition,” Henry chuckled. “Can I interest you in some of the seasonal fruit pies?”

“What do you have?”

“Apple pie, pear pie, a cranberry pie which is almost all gone, and pumpkin,” he said, gesturing along the glass display counter. “If any of those are to your taste, if not, I’ve got a whole bunch of cupcakes.”

Leo smacked his lips right by my ear almost. “You can’t go wrong with anything you pick.”

Since I hadn’t been around in town, my entire year calendar seemed out of whack, it wasn’t until pumpkin pie and cranberries were mentioned that I realized Thanksgiving was coming up. “Apple,” I said.

He nodded. “With a scoop of fresh vanilla ice cream?” he asked. “I make it myself, well, with a machine, but it’s all about what you know, and I know good ice cream.” He gave the apron over his belly a pat. “What do you think?”

My stomach grumbled and answered for me.

I had time to kill, and what better way to do that than by reconnected with Leo, and assessing the competition’s apple pie.

I still had to work on my specialty pie for Saddle Up, but it had to be fresh.

I wasn’t going to serve some stale on the road pie. I wanted my ribbon this year.

At a free table, I sat with Leo. He kicked my leg. “Spill then,” he said. “Last I even heard, hot Texan was at your home, and then you drop off the face of the earth. So, what happened?”

It was impossible not to come apart at the seams, giggling, I spilled just a little. “We kissed. And it was heaven.”