Page 19 of Take My Name

“I thought you were in a hurry,” he muses, and I nudge him with my elbow to shut up.

A few other ranch hands walk around, giving us weird looks, but I subtly shake my head for them not to ask.

Another five minutes go by before I take pity on her.

I spin my ball cap around and murmur in her ear, “Need an assist?”

She jumps at the sound of my voice.

“Jesus. You scared me.” She blows out a breath. “Yes, I-I can’t remember all the steps. I think I put the reins on backward.”

Instead of gloating that she needs my help, I talk her through the rest of the steps and double-check everything before she climbs on.

“Good?” I ask, handing her the reins.

She wiggles in the seat and nods. “I think so.”

“Great.” I pet Lilith before jumping on Priest. “Let’s go.”

chapter four

Maisie

Admittedly,I might’ve oversold how much I remember about riding horses, but I wanted to prove him wrong.

I might be a city girl now, but I’m a country girl at heart.

Warren’s determined to do this the hard way, so I have to keep up with his antics if I want him to sign the damn papers.

He’s stubborn and I don’t want to hurt him, but I only have a couple weeks to convince him. My brother and sister-in-law’s baby shower is next weekend, so I already planned to come for that. Since Hayes and I are getting married in the next town over, being here makes it easier to coordinate with my mom and the wedding coordinator on things we still need to decide. This was the best time to fly down and face Warren without Hayes getting suspicious.

When he got down on one knee and proposed, I hadn’t expected it. It was a lovely surprise, but I knew I could no longer drag my feet on getting it done.

There’s a real fear that Warren won’t sign. If I go the default divorce route, it’s a risk he’ll appeal it and drag it out evenlonger. Most people wait for that period to pass before getting married again, but I might not have a choice—assuming it goes through on time.

At that point, I’d tell Hayes the truth so he’s not blindsided if things go to shit. He’ll be pissed and disappointed, but if our love is as strong as I think it is, he’ll understand and forgive me.

Hayes is an established epic fantasy author and his online fanbase is protective of him. When he shared a photo of us on his social media for the first time, some of his fans were brutal. They commented about my looks and age while others made threats if I became the reason he didn’t finish a series or didn’t release his next book fast enough. Or if it was bad, they’d point the finger at me for being bad juju.

It’s why I never revealed the truth because if people found out that I’m still legally married while dating him, they could use it against him and it’d tarnish his beloved reputation. After all the sacrifices to get where he is, I couldn’t risk his career.

Or mine.

I use my maiden name for my literary agency, so there’s no connection when people search me online, but it’s why I’m careful not to post too many personal details. Living in New York City, he attends book events for each release tour and his readers usually recognize me when I tag along.

He hired a professional photographer to hide nearby to take our proposal pictures, and as soon as he posted them, his circle of the internet blew up.

Everyone was noisier than usual about who I am, where I’m from, and what I do for a living. It was invasive, to say the least. My anxiety has spiked each day since then, wondering if today’s the day someone goes all detective mode to find out the truth.

It’s why I need to get this done.

Following Warren out of the barn, I try to relax on the saddle and move with the horse, but I think she can feel me tense. She abruptly stops as we approach the trail.

I click my tongue, encouraging her to go, but she stomps a hoof and stays in place.

Warren glances over his shoulder, noticing my predicament, and slows down.

“Give her a little kick,” he tells me.