“Stop folding my clothes.” She jerked a sundress out of my hand and threw it back in the suitcase.
“They’re getting wrinkled.”
“I like them wrinkled,” she said, sounding completely irritated with me.
I stopped what I was doing and turned to her. I cupped her cheeks with my hands. “Mia.”
“James,” she said, begrudgingly.
“It doesn’t matter. My friends are fine. Let’s have fun.” I kissed her softly.
She sighed. “Don’t fold my clothes.”
“Fine. I won’t fold your clothes. I won’t even iron them while you’re asleep.” I gave her a smile.
That made her laugh. “Oh, God, if you do that, I’m going to be very disturbed.”
“It already crossed my mind.”
“That’s not normal.”
“You’re stuck with me, so get used to it.” I wholeheartedly meant that.
“Leave the clothes and show me this ranch. I’m dying to see the horses.”
As if I’d ever say no to Mia. I flipped the suitcase closed again. “Let’s go.”
* * *
I leaned on the fence, my boot on the bottom rail, and watched Mia inside the ring. She had asked if she could ride, so she and Cash were out there, him holding the horse’s lead, Mia gently talking to the mare.
She looked good seated. Hell, she always looked good. But even though she hadn’t ridden in years, she looked at home on a horse.
Train and Sydney had stayed in the house, because Train was a city boy who wouldn’t go near a horse, but Eloise and Dak were taking a stroll on the property not far from where we were. Miles didn’t have any interest in riding, so he was standing next to me, watching.
“So… Mia, huh?” Miles asked me.
“I don’t want to hear it,” I said.
The sun was fading and I was feeling really damn content. I had missed the country, the fresh air, the green lushness of Cash’s ranch. I just wanted to breathe deep, relax, and have a good time with Mia, not deal with any opinions or bullshit.
“Hear what? I just think it’s messed up you didn’t tell anyone you were bringing her.”
I watched Mia laughing at something Cash said. Just seeing her enjoying herself gave me a ridiculous amount of fucking pleasure. “Just drop it, Williams. I told Cash I was bringing a girl.”
“No problem.”
I glanced over at him. “What’s going on in your life, by the way?” Miles lived twenty minutes from Cash, but like most of us, he was approaching free agency in his career and had some decisions to make.
“I’m staying one more year with the league, then I’m retiring,” he said.
That surprised me. “Seriously? You’re only twenty-seven.” I couldn’t even imagine retiring yet. I hadn’t gotten everything out of the game that I wanted to yet. I wanted to stick around another decade if I could.
“Twenty-six. I graduated high school a year early, remember?” He shrugged. “I don’t want to fuck my head up. I’ve already had two concussions and I want to apply to graduate school at Vanderbilt to get my PhD. Can’t do that with scrambled brains.”
“Damn. That’s impressive. I think that’s fantastic.” I did. It wasn’t for me. Football had been my life since I was five years old. I was leaving the sport kicking and screaming. Not to mention I’d never been the world’s greatest student. I’d never had to be and I hadn’t put much effort into it.
“I’m going to miss some things about football, but I’m ready for the next chapter in my life, you know what I’m saying?”
I watched Mia walking the horse across the ring. “Yeah. I definitely understand that.”
“Subject change but have you ever had a stalker?” Miles asked.
That got my attention. I turned to him. “What? Like a crazy fan?”
“Maybe. But more like just a crazy female sending you gifts and notes.”
That seemed more standard issue than a nutjob harassing him. “Sure. I’ve gotten lots of shit from women designed to grab my attention. Nude pics, you know, the usual.”
Miles didn’t say anything.
I studied him. He looked pensive. I tried to make light of it. “It’s not a guy pissed that you dropped that pass in the red zone week fifteen last season?”
“Fuck you, no. It’s a woman.”
“Are they texts?”
“A couple of texts from an unknown number. Plus actual handwritten notes that show up on my car and at the gym and random places like that.”
“So she must have met you personally then if she has your number. Trace her number. Has she threatened you? Like do you think she’s crazy, crazy?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. She sounds off. But I think mostly it’s frustrating me that I can’t figure out who she is. I just want to know who she is and why she would be basically harassing me.”
“Maybe hire a private investigator or one of those IT people who can trace stuff online.” It didn’t sound like anything more than a woman obsessed with him. That could happen to anyone at any time. “Or just ignore her and hope she gets bored.”
“I might have answered one of her notes.”
I gave him a look. “Are you insane? You don’t engage with a stalker.”
“Says the man who brought the woman who robbed him to a friends’ weekend. Your judgement isn’t all that, Beckett.”
That pissed me off. “She did not rob me. Fuck you.”
Miles gave me a dirty look. “Fuck you.”
Historically, I wouldn’t have thought much of an exchange between us like that, because Miles was my ride or die best friend and we gave each other shit, but I was genuinely pissed. I didn’t like his attitude toward Mia, so I knew I needed to walk away before I took a swing at him.
Without a word to Williams, I just went over the fence and over to Cash. “How’s Mia doing?”
“She’s a natural,” he said. “She has a way with horses.”
She had a way with me.
That damn luggage needed to show up because I had something in it I wanted to give Mia to show my appreciation for her.
I checked my phone. Nothing.
For now I was optimistic and content to watch Mia enjoying herself.
“You’re staying with Tennessee, right?” I asked Cash.
“If I can, for sure. I love living here, like the coach, our QB. I’m happy here.” Cash eyed me. “You looking for a change?”
“I have one more season on my contract, you know that.” I watched Mia taking a turn around the ring, leaning down to murmur to the horse. “Just debating options.”
There was a hell of a lot to consider now.
I was in love with a couple of redheads and I needed to think about both Amelia and Mia when I made life-altering decisions.
The dog would be cool with going wherever I wanted to.
Mia was more of a wildcard.
I loved everything about her and I wanted to lock it in.
The question was whether or not she would agree to it.
* * *
Mia