“You’re unbelievable. How do you know I’m not dicking around with him?” Trixie countered.
That’s my girl.
“I get where you’re coming from, Shane,” Nick said evenly. “If Jillian were in this situation, I’d be on the dude’s doorstep, but that doesn’t mean I’d be right. Our sisters are grown women. They can make their own decisions.”
“I’m telling Jilly you said that,” Trixie teased.
Nick shook his head. “Shane, I think you know me well enough that I don’t need to justify that question with an answer.”
“That’s fair,” Shane agreed. “Now I can feel good about this, too. Trix, Dad said you’re starting your business on the ranch. Is that still the plan?”
“Yes. We’re going to pick up two more horses this afternoon.” She told them about Buttons and Prince, then went on to tell them how well she was bonding with Annabelle and Alfie. Nick was glad to see that her brothers were excited for her and interested in what she was doing, asking questions about their training and her upcoming meeting with Jordan.
“You’ll nail the meeting,” Shane said.
“Yeah, you’re great with people, Trix,” Trace agreed.
“Thanks, I hope so. I’m going to practice my pitch on Nick later.”
Shane said, “Nick, thanks for hooking her up with Travis and the people in Pennsylvania. I’m glad you’re looking out for her.”
“Trixie can look out for herself.” Nick winked at Trixie. “But I’m glad to help when she lets me.”
Trixie jumped off the counter and said, “We have to get going. We got a late start this morning.”
Shane held up his hand. “Please don’t tell us why.”
“I guess we’ll be seeing more of you around here, huh, Nick?” Trace asked.
Nick put his arm around Trixie and kissed her temple. “You can count on it.”
She turned her radiant smile on her brothers and said, “Hey, do me a favor. Pass this conversation on to JJ and Jeb so they know Nick has been properly interrogated, and give my niece a smooch for me.”
After they ended the call, they headed outside to take care of the animals. “Thanks for defending my honor.”
Nick slung an arm over her shoulder and said, “Just how thankful are you?”
“You had enough of me this morning.”
He nipped at her neck. “There is no such thing as having enough of you.”
Chapter Eighteen
TRIXIE KEPT WAITING for Nick to realize how much he was opening up to her and take it all back. But as the day wore on, he became more comfortable, not less, and she decided to go with it and hope for the best. They were working with Alfie and Annabelle and were meeting Travis in forty-five minutes to pick up Buttons and Prince.
“Let’s take them inside,” Nick said, holding Annabelle’s lead and heading for the gate.
“But I wanted to work with them a little longer.”
“In the house, darlin’, not the barn.”
Confused, she said, “The house?”
“You need to keep them comfortable navigating around furniture, right? We might not have fake hospital rooms, but we have bedrooms. They can’t take a full flight of stairs, but they should do fine on the porch steps.”
“Oh, Nick!” Her heart soared. “You really don’t mind if we take them inside?”
“I’d rather have horses in my house than people.” He held the gate open. “Let’s go, cowgirl. Let’s see what these babies can do.”
She was beyond excited. They took them to the spot where they’d been training them to go to the bathroom on command, so they would poop before going in the house.
As they headed inside, the dogs ran over. “Settle,” Nick commanded, and the dogs stopped in their tracks and kept their distance.
Nick stopped a few feet away from the porch with Annabelle, allowing Trixie to take Alfie up the steps first. His legs were so little, but he ascended the stairs like a champ.
“Good job, Alfie! That’s my boy.” She loved him up and waited while Nick led Annabelle up the steps. Annabelle took the stairs as well as Alfie did, and they praised her, too.
They took them inside, walked around the furniture in the living and dining rooms, the bedrooms and bathrooms, and the kitchen. Nick lay down on one of the beds so Trixie could practice as if the horses were seeing a patient, and it made it all feel even more real. It was an incredible experience, and she was thrilled that Nick was by her side.
Afterward, they put the horses into the corral next to the pen where they planned to put Buttons and Prince so the four horses could get acclimated to each other while safely separated. They hooked up the trailer and headed over to Travis’s.
“Nervous?” Nick asked as he helped Trixie out of the truck. He opened the glove box, took a lollipop from a secret stash, and slipped it into his back pocket.
“A little. I hope they like Annabelle and Alfie and adjust to being at your place okay.” Travis had been keeping Buttons and Prince together since she’d made her decision, which would hopefully make their transition easier.
“They will. We’ll make sure they’re comfortable, just like we did with Anna and Alf.”
We felt like a whole different word than it had last week. It felt special and coupleish, and Trixie loved it.
Travis came out of the barn carrying April. April wriggled to be set free, and as he set her down, she yelled, “Nick!” She ran toward him in a cute pink sundress, her ringlets bouncing around her pretty face.
Nick crouched, arms open, and April dove into them. Trixie’s ovaries nearly exploded.
“Ready to take your new minis home?” Travis asked.
“Yes. I can’t wait to get Buttons and Prince settled in and introduce them to Annabelle and Alfie. I hope they get along well. But before we get them, I want to tell you something. Remember when I said I couldn’t go out with you because I was interested in someone else? Well, that someone was Nick, and it turns out he’s interested in me, too.”
A soft laugh fell from Travis’s lips. “I kind of figured he was the guy you were into.”
“You did?”
“Every time you talked about him, which was often, you seemed happier.”
“I did? I’m sorry if I talked about him too much. I’ve liked him for so long, I don’t think I know how to like anyone else. But you’re a great guy, Travis, and I know you’ll find an amazing woman.”
“Nick’s a great guy, too.” He looked at Nick, and Nick lifted his chin in question. “I’m happy for you guys.”
“Thanks, man.” Nick gave April the lollipop and set her down.
“I’m not going to lose my running partner, am I?” Travis asked.
“No way,” Trixie reassured him. “But I promise to try not to talk about Nick so much.”
Nick slid his arm around her waist. “She talks about me?”
“Incessantly,” Travis teased. “Come on, let’s get your horses.”
NICK AND TRIXIE spent the rest of the afternoon with the horses. They sat outside in the pen with Buttons and Prince as they got used to their new surroundings. Trixie was glad to see her new babies approach the fence that separated them from Annabelle and Alfie. After a few hours she and Nick walked Buttons and Prince around the property, and at nightfall, they put them into a stall together, near Alfie and Annabelle. They ate dinner in the barn, as they had when Annabelle and Alfie had first come home, only this time they kept their clothes on while Trixie perfected her pitch, and Nick stole kisses and gave her pointers. They laughed and kissed, and she had never seen Nick so carefree.